Muhammad Ali has been admitted to hospital after experiencing "respiratory issues".
"He is being treated by his team of doctors and is in fair condition," family spokesman Bob Gunnell said in a statement. "A brief hospital stay is expected. At this time, the Muhammad Ali family respectfully requests privacy."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The 74-year-old's current hospital stay follows similar spells under doctors' care in 2014 and early 2015, initially thought to be for pneumonia but later identified as a severe urinary tract infection.
However, the Associated Press cites an unnamed source claiming that Ali's current condition may be more serious than the statement suggests. Two people, who asked not to be identified, told AP the respiratory issues were complicated by the former boxer's three-decade battle with Parkinson's disease
Ali was diagnosed with the illness in 1984. Doctors believe it is linked to the many blows to the head he withstood during his lengthy career in the ring. Most of his increasingly rare scheduled appearances are for benefits and fundraisers connected to the disease.
Visibly frail, Ali no longer speaks in public and lives a private life with his fourth wife, Lonnie.
-
Roofman: a ‘stranger than fiction’ taleThe Week Recommends Channing Tatum walks ‘effortlessly’ between comedy and tragedy
-
Political cartoons for October 23Cartoons Thursday’s political cartoons include Mike Johnson's pumpkin patch, great news for crypto scammers, and a suspicious white sheet
-
The UK-made Storm Shadow missiles Ukraine is using in RussiaThe Explainer Ukraine reportedly deployed the long-range British missiles this week, following a tense meeting between Zelenskyy and Trump
-
Sanae Takaichi: Japan’s Iron Lady set to be the country’s first woman prime ministerIn the Spotlight Takaichi is a member of Japan’s conservative, nationalist Liberal Democratic Party
-
Russia is ‘helping China’ prepare for an invasion of TaiwanIn the Spotlight Russia is reportedly allowing China access to military training
-
Interpol arrests hundreds in Africa-wide sextortion crackdownIN THE SPOTLIGHT A series of stings disrupts major cybercrime operations as law enforcement estimates millions in losses from schemes designed to prey on lonely users
-
China is silently expanding its influence in American citiesUnder the Radar New York City and San Francisco, among others, have reportedly been targeted
-
How China uses 'dark fleets' to circumvent trade sanctionsThe Explainer The fleets are used to smuggle goods like oil and fish
-
One year after mass protests, why are Kenyans taking to the streets again?today's big question More than 60 protesters died during demonstrations in 2024
-
What happens if tensions between India and Pakistan boil over?TODAY'S BIG QUESTION As the two nuclear-armed neighbors rattle their sabers in the wake of a terrorist attack on the contested Kashmir region, experts worry that the worst might be yet to come
-
Why Russia removed the Taliban's terrorist designationThe Explainer Russia had designated the Taliban as a terrorist group over 20 years ago
