WATCH: An aged Muhammad Ali and his wife hilariously pranked interviewer with ‘narcolepsy’ story
Muhammad Ali was and is an inspiration to the younger generations through health and in sickness.
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Muhammad Ali with his wife, Yolanda Williams, in old age (Image Credits: gossipgist.com)
Although Muhammad Ali suffered from health concerns in his later years, he never let that keep him down. He always kept his chin up and ensured laughter with the people he cared about. Ali was known to display great humor and pranks in order to grab some quick laughs as well. One such prank is doing the rounds on the Internet.
The greatest boxer ever can be seen in the video below to be playing a prank with popular American broadcaster Ed Bradley. Ali pretends to fall into narcolepsy while his wife, Yolanda Williams, plays along and explains the problem to the interviewer with great seriousness. The boxer finally breaks character, and Ed seems to be relieved from having to avoid Ali’s “narcoleptic boxing.”
Due to his various fights and subsequent head injuries, Muhammad Ali was ultimately diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 1984. This limited his movement and voice and forced him to slow down on his goals in life. Ali’s motor abilities were also slowly diminishing. In spite of such a setback, Muhammad Ali continued to travel the world to contribute to world growth and peace.
In 1990, he visited Saddam Hussein, the leader of Iraq at that time, and in 2002, visited Afghanistan on behalf of the UN. All such travels were in pursuance of world peace and cooperation.
Muhammad Ali proves to be a true inspiration to many around the world even after decades. He was brilliant in the ring and off it. Ali was also eloquent with his words and presentation. He ensured to use his influence positively on a global scale.
Related: The Great One Falls: The only 4 times Muhammad Ali tasted the canvas in his professional career
Muhammad Ali’s Hollywood Walk of Fame star is on the wall and not on the pathway
Muhammad Ali has also, like many world-renowned celebrities, received Hollywood’s ‘Walk of Fame’ star. An honor that many celebrities receive over a period of time. Most of these ‘stars’ are placed one after another on the pathway for the public to view.
Muhammad Ali’s ‘Walk of Fame’ star is the only one among thousands fixed upon a wall inside the Dolby Theatre. This is due to the fact that Ali insisted that his name lying on the floor and being walked over by random tourists would be disrespectful. Muhammad Ali was referring to his first name being the same as the prophet “Muhammad” in Islam.
“I bear the name of our beloved prophet Mohammad, and it is impossible that I allow people to trample over his name,” he said at the time. Ali’s desires were respected. To proceed with placing his star somewhere, the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce decided to place the first and only star (so far) on the wall instead of the sidewalk.
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Nikhil Sonmali
(1112 Articles Published)