Muhammad Ali Too Sick To Attend Own Movie Premiere
The eyes of the boxing world is currently focused on the speculated dream match between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr amid many rumours about the fight. The latest report said that Mayweather has denied such a bout is about to take place as he threatened to remove his father from the Money Team for confirming the match in 2015.
Read: Boxing News 2014: Floyd Mayweather Denies Fight With Pacquiao; Threatens To Remove Dad From Money Team Over Wrong Info
As the two pound-for-pound king contenders move closer to retirement, concerns have been aired by boxing enthusiasts that unless the two hang their gloves soon, they may end up with a fate like boxing icon Muhammad Ali whose body is now paying for the numerous head beatings he went through as heavyweight champion in the 1970s.
The latest report from Mirror says that the 72-year-old Ali continues to battle Parkinson's disease which he has been suffering for years that he was too sick to attend the premiere showing of the film about him titled I Am Ali.
His 71-year-old brother Rahman told Sunday People: "I have not been able to talk to my brother about this because he is sick ... He doesn't speak too well. But he is proud that we are here for him. He has given this film his blessing."
During his peak years, Ali held the world heavyweight title for three times. He was also known as the Louisville Lip because of his wit and glib tongue.
The boxer's two daughters, Maryum, 46, and Hana, 38, also attended the movie premier. Hana said she plans to have her father watch the film, which focuses on Ali's family life.
Maryum is the eldest of Ali's nine children. Newsday reports that he didn't leave his children much boxing mementoes, save for the tape recordings of voice mails he left them over the years which he wants his offspring to have control.
About 80 hours of the recordings are with Hana, who allowed I Am Ali director Clare Lewins to use 12 minutes of the voice mails in the movie.
Maryum shared, "This is the first movie where people relate to him as a father. That's hard to do when you have ex-wives who are scorned, who are mad, who are upset. He had to deal with a lot of the negativity coming from the women ... It's not a movie that says he's a perfect person. It shows a man in his evolution. It's the essence of my dad' spirit that protrudes out of the screen."
Here's the trailer of the movie, slated to run in the UK on Nov 28.
YouTube/Focus Features
