[politicin]

I understand Muhammad Ali has parkinsons disease. I was debating with a couple buddies and was just curious what everyone thought. Would you say that Muhammads current state is in any way attributed to getting hit too many times, or would you say it is really just a result of the disease he suffers? I've heard people often say, most likely in ignorance, that "oh he got hit so many times, that's why he talks like that", most likely unaware of his disease, but is there any truth to that? Is his current condition in any way attributed to too many head shots or strictly a product of the disease he suffers?

[Ian]

Ali does not have Parkinson's disease. He has Parkinson's like symptoms caused by dementia pugilistica (aka: punch drunk syndrome), which is the result of repeated head trauma. Many people associated with the sport use Parkinson's as a synonym for dementia pugilistica, but it is not the same. (An example of this would be Freddy Roach, who refers to his own condition as Parkinson's, while at the same time readily admitting his condition was caused by boxing.)

Looking back on Ali's career, his current physical condition was sadly predictable. His personal fight doctor, Ferdie Pacheco, told Ali after his 1974 fight with Joe Frazier that if he didn't retire at that point he would receive brain damage. Ali, however, did not listen. The second Frazier fight was a turning point for Ali stylistically because from then on he famously relied on his chin to absorb punishment, whereas early in his career he famously relied on his speed and reflexes to avoid punishment. Ali, hung on too long, and paid a huge price for doing so.

[politicin]

Awesome information, thank you much