Today marks 10 years since Muhammad Ali passed away

Muhammad Ali passed away on this day 10 years ago.

The legendary boxing champion, whose impact reached far beyond the boxing ring, died on June 3 2016 in a hospital in Phoenix, Arizona, after a long battle with Parkinson’s disease.

Nicknamed “The Louisville Lip”, because of his charismatic and boastful talk, Ali was 74 years old when he died.

He was married four times and had nine children.

Ali was a prominent, vocal critic of the South African apartheid regime. He used his global platform to campaign against racial segregation and discrimination, and he consistently advocated for black liberation and global human rights.

As a UN Messenger of Peace, he visited Afghanistan’s capital, Kabul, in 2002 for a three-day mission to raise awareness about the UN’s activities in that country.

History tells us that Ali, then Cassius Marcellus Clay, won the gold medal at the 1960 Olympic Games in Rome.

On his return, he threw it into the Ohio River after being refused service at a restaurant due to his skin colour.

He was given the replacement gold medal at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.

He changed his name to Muhammed Ali and was attracted to religion, joining the black movement known as Nation of Islam.

It is reported that Ali was initially affiliated with the Nation of Islam and had close relations with fellow African-American Muslim and human rights activist Malcolm X, who promoted Islam and defended black rights in the US.

He made headlines for his public criticism of the US’s involvement in the Vietnam war.

He was quoted as saying, “I ain’t got no quarrel with them Vietcong.”

Ali refused the army draft and was sentenced to five years in prison, fined $10,000 and suspended from boxing for more than three years.

It was only in 1971 that he won his appeal at the US Supreme Court.

On April 4 1978, Ali delivered a powerful address to the UN Special Committee against Apartheid in New York.

In his speech, he famously argued that greatness is not determined by wealth or titles, but by the “greatness of the heart”, and that a person must remain great under all circumstances.

He also voiced his strong support for African self-determination and the anti-apartheid movement.

Ali aligned himself with the global sports boycott of South Africa. He refused to engage with or legitimise the segregated sports system in South Africa, viewing apartheid as a profound violation of human dignity and equality.

Ali’s stance against apartheid was deeply rooted in his broader political and spiritual convictions around Pan-Africanism and black consciousness.

He identified strongly with the African continent and viewed the liberation struggle in South Africa as interconnected with the Civil Rights Movement in the US.

He often spoke out against white supremacy and systemic inequality, framing his anti-apartheid advocacy as part of a worldwide fight for justice.

Ali agreed to fight George Foreman in Africa in 1974 for deep personal and political reasons. He was eager to reconnect black Americans with their African roots, promote racial pride, and show the world that a monumental, culturally significant event could be hosted, organised and financially backed by a black nation.

The fight was originally named “From Slaveship to Championship”, but later changed to the “Rumble in the Jungle”, after Ali coined the phrase at a press conference.

A three-night-long music festival to hype the fight, Zaire 74, took place on September 22–24, including performances by James Brown, the Pointer Sisters, Celia Cruz and the Fania All-Stars, BB King, Miriam Makeba, The Spinners, Bill Withers, The Crusaders, and Manu Dibango, as documented in the 2008 film Soul Power.

Ali won the fight by an eighth-round KO at Stade du 20 Mai,Kinshasa, Zaire on October 30 1974.

Ali met Nelson Mandela in 1993 in Johannesburg. Ali arrived in the country during a volatile time following the assassination of anti-apartheid leader Chris Hani.

Instead of a traditional parade, Ali visited Hani’s family and attended his funeral.

When the two men met face to face, Mandela — a former boxer himself — stated, “I don’t meet my heroes often … but today, I embrace one,” to which Ali humbly replied, “I fought in the ring. You fought for the world.”

Thank you for the memories, “The Greatest — The People’s Champion — The Champ”.