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The former world heavyweight boxing champion, one of the world’s best-known sportsmen, died at a hospital in the US city of Phoenix, Arizona, after being admitted on Thursday.

He was suffering from a respiratory illness, a condition that was complicated by Parkinson’s disease.

The funeral will take place in Ali’s hometown of Louisville, Kentucky, his family said in a statement.

Born Cassius Marcellus Clay, Ali shot to fame by winning light-heavyweight gold at the 1960 Rome Olympics.

Nicknamed “The Greatest”, the American beat Sonny Liston in 1964 to win his first world title and became the first boxer to capture a world heavyweight title on three separate occasions.

He eventually retired in 1981, having won 56 of his 61 fights.

Crowned “Sportsman of the Century” by Sports Illustrated and “Sports Personality of the Century” by the BBC, Ali was noted for his pre- and post-fight talk and bold fight predictions just as much as his boxing skills inside the ring.

But he was also a civil rights campaigner and poet who transcended the bounds of sport, race and nationality.

Asked how he would like to be remembered, he once said: “As a man who never sold out his people. But if that’s too much, then just a good boxer. I won’t even mind if you don’t mention how pretty I was.”

Muhammad Ali

Ali turned professional immediately after the Rome Olympics and rose through the heavyweight ranks, delighting crowds with his showboating, shuffling feet and lightning reflexes.

British champion Henry Cooper came close to stopping Clay, as he was still known, when they met in a non-title bout in London in 1963.

Cooper floored the American with a left hook, but Clay picked himself up off the canvas and won the fight in the next round when a severe cut around Cooper’s left eye forced the Englishman to retire.

Ali’s boxing career

Muhammad Ali, arms raised in victory, walks to his corner as referee Zack Clayton counts out George Foreman after Ali knocked him down in the eighth round of their Rumble in the Jungle — Image captionAli (r) knocked down George Foreman in the 1974 “Rumble in the Jungle”

Won Olympic light-heavyweight gold in 1960
Turned professional that year and was world heavyweight champion from 1964 to 1967, 1974 to 1978 and 1978 to 1979
Had 61 professional bouts, winning 56 (37 knockouts, 19 decisions), and losing five (4 decisions, 1 retirement)

In February the following year, Clay stunned the boxing world by winning his first world heavyweight title at the age of 22.

He predicted he would beat Liston, who had never lost, but few believed he could do it.

Yet, after six stunning rounds, Liston quit on his stool, unable to cope with his brash, young opponent.

At the time of his first fight with Liston, Clay was already involved with the Nation of Islam, a religious movement whose stated goals were to improve the spiritual, mental, social, and economic condition of African Americans in the United States.

But in contrast to the inclusive approach favoured by civil rights leaders like Dr Martin Luther King, the Nation of Islam called for separate black development and was treated by suspicion by the American public.

Ali eventually converted to Islam, ditching what he perceived was his “slave name” and becoming Cassius X and then Muhammad Ali.

Tributes to Ali

U.S. boxing great Muhammad Ali poses during the Crystal Award ceremony at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, in this January 28, 2006 file photo.

“It’s a sad day for life, man. I loved Muhammad Ali, he was my friend. Ali will never die. Like Martin Luther King his spirit will live on, he stood for the world.” – Don King, who promoted many of Ali’s fights, including the Rumble in the Jungle

“Muhammad Ali was one of the greatest human beings I have ever met. No doubt he was one of the best people to have lived in this day and age. To put him as a boxer is an injustice.” – George Foreman, Ali’s friend and rival in the Rumble in the Jungle

“There will never be another Muhammad Ali. The black community all around the world, black people all around the world, needed him. He was the voice for us. He’s the voice for me to be where I’m at today.” – Floyd Mayweather Jr, world champion boxer across five divisions

In 1967, Ali took the momentous decision of opposing the US war in Vietnam, a move that was widely criticised by his fellow Americans.

He refused to be drafted into the US military and was subsequently stripped of his world title and boxing licence. He would not fight again for nearly four years.

After his conviction for refusing the draft was overturned in 1971, Ali returned to the ring and fought in three of the most iconic contests in boxing history, helping restore his reputation with the public.

He was handed his first professional defeat by Joe Frazier in the “Fight of the Century” in New York on 8 March 1971, only to regain his title with an eighth-round knockout of George Foreman in the “Rumble in the Jungle” in Kinshasa, Zaire (now Democratic Republic of Congo) on 30 October 1974.

Boxing legend Muhammad Ali blows a kiss after receiving Sports Illustrateds 20th Century Sportsman of the Century Award in 1999 — Image captionMuhammad Ali was crowned Sportman of the Century in 1999

Ali fought Frazier for a third and final time in the Philippines on 1 October 1975, coming out on top in the “Thrilla in Manila” when Frazier failed to emerge for the 15th and final round.

Six defences of his title followed before Ali lost on points to Leon Spinks in February 1978, although he regained the world title by the end of the year, avenging his defeat at the hands of the 1976 Olympic light-heavyweight champion.

Ali’s career ended with one-sided defeats by Larry Holmes in 1980 and Trevor Berbick in 1981, many thinking he should have retired long before.

He fought a total of 61 times as a professional, losing five times and winning 37 bouts by knockout.

Soon after retiring, rumours began to circulate about the state of Ali’s health. His speech had become slurred, he shuffled and he was often drowsy.

Parkinson’s Syndrome was eventually diagnosed but Ali continued to make public appearances, receiving warm welcomes wherever he travelled.

He lit the Olympic cauldron at the 1996 Games in Atlanta and carried the Olympic flag at the opening ceremony for the 2012 Games in London.

BBC

MultiChoice Africa opens History Channel to all DStv Compact Subscribers from June 13 – July 11

This month, MultiChoice Africa continues to bring its Compact Subscribers more entertainment and value with the HISTORY® channel open month. The channel will be available to all DStv’s Compact subscribers across Africa from Monday, June 13 to Monday, July 11.

Making its debut on HISTORY® (DStv 186) on Wednesday, June 15 at 20:30 CAT, is the highly- anticipated television event Roots, the four-part, eight-hour series developed by HISTORY and produced by A+E Studios. During this four week open-window HISTORY will broadcast new and exclusive shows, along with top-rated return titles that Compact subscribers will not have had access to previously. Roots will also be repeated on Lifetime on Sundays at 8pm (from June 19) following its debut on HISTORY.

Based on the best-selling novel by Alex Haley, Roots recounts the journey of one family’s will to survive, endure, and ultimately carry on their legacy despite enormous hardship and inhumanity.

“Nearly 40 years ago I had the privilege to be a part of an epic television event that started an important conversation in America,” said LeVar Burton, co-executive producer and the actor who played the lead role of Kunta Kinte in the original 1977 version. “I am incredibly proud to be a part of this new retelling and start the dialogue again, at a time when it is needed more than ever.”

Spanning multiple generations, the lineage begins with young Kunta Kinte, who is captured in his homeland of The Gambia and sold into slavery. Throughout the series, the family continues to face adversity that reveals powerful truths about the universal resilience of the human spirit.

Starring in the series are Academy Award® winners Forest Whitaker (“Fiddler”) and Anna Paquin (“Nancy Holt”); Academy Award® nominee and Emmy Award® winner Laurence Fishburne (“Alex Haley”); Golden Globe Award® winning and Emmy Award® nominated actor Jonathan Rhys Meyers (“Tom Lea”); Tony Award® winner Anika Noni Rose (“Kizzy”); Grammy Award® winner Tip “T.I.” Harris (“Cyrus”); Emayatzy Corinealdi (“Belle”); Matthew Goode (“Dr. William Waller”); Mekhi Phifer (“Jerusalem”); James Purefoy (“John Waller”) and introduces Regé-Jean Page (“Chicken George”) and Malachi Kirby (“Kunta Kinte”), originally played by LeVar Burton who is Co-Executive Producer in the new ‘Roots.’

Don’t get left behind, tune into DStv this month for more content and the best in entertainment

For more information please visit DStv.com.

Rent award winning Revenant, Spotlight, Concussion and more this month on DStv BoxOffice

This month on BoxOffice, we have a number of exciting titles for you to enjoy.

Check out which movies you can rent in June:

The Revenant

While exploring the uncharted wilderness in 1823, frontiersman Hugh Glass (Leonardo DiCaprio) sustains life-threatening injuries from a brutal bear attack. When a member (Tom Hardy) of his hunting team kills his young son (Forrest Goodluck) and leaves him for dead, Glass must utilize his survival skills to find a way back to civilization. Grief-stricken and fueled by vengeance, the legendary fur trapper treks through the snowy terrain to track down the man who betrayed him.

Spotlight

The astonishing true story of the Boston Globe’s Pulitzer Prize-winning Spotlight team of investigative journalists, who in 2002 shocked the city and the world by exposing the Catholic Church’s systematic cover-up of widespread paedophilia perpetrated by more than 70 local priests.

Starring: Mark Ruffalo, Michael Keaton and Rachel McAdams

Concussion

While conducting an autopsy on former NFL football player Mike Webster (David Morse), forensic pathologist Dr. Bennet Omalu (Will Smith) discovers neurological deterioration that is similar to Alzheimer’s disease. Omalu names the disorder chronic traumatic encephalopathy and publishes his findings in a medical journal. As other athletes face the same diagnosis, the crusading doctor embarks on a mission to raise public awareness about the dangers of football-related head trauma.

The Dressmaker

What would be the weapon of choice for a dressmaker who wants to take revenge on everyone who did her wrong? Her sewing machine, of course. Oscar winner Kate Winslet is magnificent in this bittersweet Australian film.

Starring: Kate Winslet, Judy Davis and Liam Hemsworth

The Finest Hours

Hollywood heartthrob Chris Pine stars in this high-adventure disaster and rescue film based on an actual event that took place off the New England coast in 1952. Heroic action is needed when a massive storm splits a tanker apart.

Starring: Chris Pine, Casey Affleck and Ben Foster

The Choice

Medical student Gabby Holland moves in next door to perennial ladies’ man Travis Shaw and they embark on a surprising romantic journey neither one of them imagined was possible. Travis has always believed a serious relationship would cramp his easy-going lifestyle, while Gabby is preparing to settle down with her long-term boyfriend – until an irresistible attraction between the unlikely couple upsets both of their well-planned lives.

Starring: Benjamin Walker, Teresa Palmer and Maggie Grace

Visit bo.dstv.com for more information, registration on BoxOffice and movie rentals. Spotlight