MOSCOW, June 4 (PNA/Sputnik) — Boxing legend Muhammad Ali, who was hospitalized in the Phoenix, Arizona area with a respiratory issue, died at the age of 74.
“After a 32-year battle with Parkinson’s disease, Muhammad Ali has passed away at the age of 74. The three-time World Heavyweight Champion boxer died this evening,” Bob Gunnell, a family spokesman, told NBC Friday.
Ali died at a Phoenix-area hospital, where he had been treated for respiratory complications, NBC said.
The sportsman has struggled with Parkinson’s disease since 1980s.
The boxer became the world heavyweight champion at the age of 22, eventually winning three such titles by 1978.