the guy was one of the greatest human beings i've ever met in my life. >> i am the greatest! -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com welcome to our viewers here in the united states and around the world. >> hi, there. thanks so much for joining us. now, he battled parkinson's disease for more than three decades. the world is remembering the joy, the character, and the fighting spirit that only the man called the greatest could bring in and out of the ring.

>> this is such a huge loss not only to the world of sport but also on so many different lefbltlefblt levels. don radel joins us now. he had the style, he had the skill. but his passion, his mission transcended the art. >> absolutely. i think many people would agree he's the greatest boxer of all time. many people would see him as the biggest and most spectacular and recognized athlete of the 20th century. he was the man who transcended the sport. arguably the most popular. for example, adam silver who's the commissioner of the nba has just released his tribute to muhammad ali saying ali's legacy lives on in anything they take a stand for what he or she

believes. that says it all. it's not just the fact that he's a three-time champion. it's not just the way he conducted himself outside the ring as a bombastic performer. you can get a lot of joy out of the way he reacted in hiss press conferences and the way he trash talked in a poetic fashion. he was such a principled man. this is why we are quite moved that we lost this legendary boxer, the stand he took for the civil rights movement in the 1960s, refusing to go to vietnam, a move that cost him three or four years of his career, arguably the best years of his career. that is what really mark him out as such a special man, such an amazing human being, and why he inspired so many people all over the world. >> why even today? what is that commonality that people find in him? a kid in africa, even an old man

sitting in the philippines still finds that thread that they feel they can identify with him? what is that? >> well, he faced so many chamgs, didn't he. and it was the manner in which he dealt with them. the seemingly impossible challenges, the things he had to your come. life wasn't easy for him in the early days. boxing was this outlet. he described this is how he could channel his rage and he was able to put it to good use. he wasn't particularly educated. although you would never guess it after he became this figure. i think it was the style and the way he refused to take no for an answer. he was prepared to pay for his consequenc consequences. he was quite prepared to go to jail. he could have left the country or go to canada. he never did that. >> he took punches in more ways

than one. >> absolutely, yeah. >> but took punches for so many people for so many didn't reasons. i'm struck by the context of the time when you think about the fact that the united states was just leaving a time of segregation and here is an african-american man who said, i am pretty, i am the greatest. and for people to hear that at that time and see this person stand up, really, against the establishment, stand strong in his convictions and at great consequence to some degree, yet still he won. >> yeah, absolutely. and some of the things he said are so inspirational. >> they are. >> so many quotes have lived on and oned a on. of course, we all know the float like a butterfly, sting like a bee. but the fights he named. thrilla in manila. i bet you you've heard of those fights even if you don't know what those fights were or

represented or why they were so important and special. you've probably heard of those fights. he just did it with such style, and as you say, with such conviction. and it is a tragedy, really, that we haven't seen the best of him for the last 32 years. i think he had the potential to be so much more. the people who went to cover the fight in zaire, the rumble in the jungle, the they they revered him and fed off him. they said this guy is a political figure. this could be his second career. i think he had so many of his own challenges once he was diagnosed with parkinson's that was never going to be a factor, but he was really a rebel with a cause. he did so much good.

>> don riddell, stay with us. we've got so much more. i want to talk about what's happening outside the hop where members of ali's family is. dan simon is there outside the hospital and he joins us now. hi, there, dan. hi, robyn and george. we know that he died here at the hospital in scottsdale, arizona. he was brought here with a respiratory illness. i think the speed at how this all occurred may have caught some off guard. originally we were told he was in fair condition, that this was going be a brief hospital stay. before we knew it we were told the situation was quite grave and then we got word this evening in arizona he, in fact, died. of course, he had been in failing health ore the past

several years. he had been in and out of the hospital. he was last seen a few months ago at a charity event. he really did look frail. again, the fact that this happened so quickly given the fact that the publicist for the family said, you know, he was in fair condition, that he was going to be going home and suddenly we were told that he died was really quite a shock. >> are we hearing any details about his last moments from his family? >> reporter: at this point, robin, the family has requested priebscy. we have not heard those details yet. what we do know is there's going to be a press briefing tomorrow where some of the details surrounding the funeral are going to be released. and we know it's going to take place in louisville, his hometown. >> it's just after 2:00 a.m.

where you are. has anyone started gathering by the hospital? what do we know about larger memorials, about people coming together to remember him? >> reporter: we know that -- well, i can tell you that a few people have come by the hospital. some people have lit candles, things of that nature. that's really what you would expect. there's been a little bit of a police presence outside the hospital as well. i would imagine that tomorrow in daylight hours, we'll start seeing more people come to the hospital. and i would expect to see something of a makeshift memorial, if you will, of cards and flowers and things of that nature. but, you know, this was hue hand ali's home in phoenix, rk, ari. he loved the community and folks loved him back. folks are grieving tonight as well as everyone around the

world. >> thanks for joining us, dan simon. we appreciate it. we're talking a man who was larger than life. wolf blitzer gives us a look. >> this is the legend of muhammad ali, the greatest fighter who ever will be. >> he proclaimed himself the greatest and millions around the world agreed. >> float like a butterfly, sting like a bee. >> those phrases became his motto. his ka riis ma'am outside the ring made him one of the best known personalities. >> you look at me. i have 22 professional fights. ing. >> but his persona began to emerge long before he captured his first heavyweight championship. he was born casseus marcellus

clay jr. at 12 years old, his world would challenge forever when a local police officer introduced him to boxing. it would be an outlet for his rage. it also offered ali an opportunity to develop his remarkable talent. six years later he would bring home a gold medal from the 1966 olympic summer games in rome. he turned pro at 18 and at 22 he stunned the boxing world beating a boxer everyone thought was invincib invincible. sonny liston. to prove a point he put sonny away a second time in a rematch the following year. the '60s were a glory day for muhammad but it would be polarizing period in his life. he renounced his given name and

joined the black separatists. as quicklied a he had arrived his heavyweight title was gone. he refused to serve in the vietnam war. at the peak boxing age of 25 ali gave up millions of dollars in endorsements and spent five years in prison over a war he found despicable and unjust. >> in war, the intention is to kill, kill, kill, kill, and continue killing innocent people. >> ali began a 3 1/2-year exile from champion fights until the u.s. supreme court overturn ed t on a technicality. >> but the world would soon learn even superman had his off

days. he was back in the ring when husband inprofessional record came to an end. he lost a match to joe frazier dubbed "the fight of the century." it was the first of three fights. >> joe may be smokin' but he eenlt going. the night mate amaze ya but this time i'll retire him. >> and he did. frazier's trainer stopped the fight following the 14th round giving ali a technical knockout. he was on a role again. but his a greatest win was in zaire. >> i hospitalized a brick. i'm so mean i make med i sin sick. >> he knocked out the heavy favorite george foreman. it was called "the rumble in the

jungle." it marked the beginning of another battle that he would describe as his toughest, the diagnosis that he was afflicted with parkinson's disease. after two decades, ali was forced to retire. his lifetime record, 56 victories, just five defeats. but he never retreated from living a very public life nchl 1996 ali provided one f the most poignant moments in sports history. with 3 billion people watching he lit the olympic summer games in atlanta. his hands tremoring but never wavering. ali remained the consummate showman. as his condition grew heavily worse e he struggled to whisper every day. his hands and legs shook and his voice quivered. >> i am the greatest.

>> yet his spirit was never shaken and he never slowed down as serving as an ambassador for piece and a mediator in world conflicts. in 205 ali was presented with the presidential freedom award, the nation's highest offer. >> when you say the greatest of all time is in the room, everyone knows who you mean. >> and tributes for the champ continued. >> how do you feel about getting honored tonight? >> ali was one of the most gifted in sports history. the world may never see the likes of him again. some would argue he needed the crowds as much as they needed him, not for mere validation but because each found in the other the best in themselves.

>> ali's got a left, ali's gotta a right, if he hits you once you sleep for the night. hope and pray that you never meet me again. >> what a man, what a fighter, what a legend. we are here at cnn center remembering the life of muhammad ali. well, with us is don riddell. this is a man who in the ring was nimble, was fast, and he was -- he was the greatest, wasn't he? >> yeah. and, you know, you talk about his agility and his speed, these are not qualities you would necessarily associate typically with a heavyweight boxer, but he was that, and he was quite unusual when he came onto the scene, but he really used those attributes absolutely to his advantage. just his hand speed, his reflexes. his opponents really struggled to get a handle on that. one of the things he used to great effects as he was able to

get his way out of the punches and he could move his head backward and that forced his moments to lose their balance and once they did that, he could hit them on the counter attack when they were least ready. >> he was so bold about his style. he knew his style. it's like he would get into his opponent's head. here comes a left, a right, he's branding it. >> before the fights he would call the rounds in which he was going to end the fight. >> literally with a loudspeaker. >> he would write it on the board. he was brilliant of getting into the heads and the minds and really unsettling mind games before the fighting even started. he was brilliant at it. but he was strategically very astute too. he knew what his strengths were. he knew how to outsmart his opponents. he could do it by goading them

and really tempting them into making mistakes. one of his most famous fights, the rumble in the jungle. foreman was a massive guy, a really, really heavy puncher and a lot of people didn't give ali a prayer but his fight was get in there and stay on the ropes. >> rope-a-dope. >> soak up the pressure, let foreman hit him as hard as he could. >> the punches that he took. >> he took some real punches. first of all, he won the fight. foreman wore himself out and was so frustrated. ali was able toll pick him off. a strategic triumph for muhammad ali. the consequences of that fight where he and joe frazier just thrashed each other for 14 rounds, taking so much punishment and all those other fights, there's not much doubt

that that had something to do with him and the parkinson's. it really is a tragedy. >> stay with us. >> thank you. >> he was tweeted as a giant among men. ali displayed a greatness in talent, courage, and conviction, that most of us will ever be able to truly comprehend. here are some of his best moments. >> i don't like fighters who talk too mump. >> i must be the greatest. i told this world. >> float like a butterfly, sting like a bee. >> i'm the quickest in the ring. >> this might shock and amaze ya but i will destroy joe frazer. >> i'm so bad you know what i

was doing? i went out to the jungle. i'm bad, man. >> can i dance? is the pope a catholic? >> the man to beat me haven't been born yet. >> well, i'm the greatest. if you get too small, i'll knock you out. >> last week i murdered a rock, injured a stone, hospitalized a brick. i'm so mean i make medicine sick. >> look at me now. don't tell me that isn't the perfect specimen of man. look at that body. slim, trim, and on my toes. >> i don't get hit. i'm the fastest thing on two feet, are you crazy? i'm tired of talk smag i'm not only tired of fighting. i'm a prophet, a resurrector, and the savior of the boxing world. if it wasn't for me, the game would be dead. ♪

headache? motrin helps you be an unstoppable "let's rock this" kind of mom. back pain? motrin helps you be a... "side planking, even though you'll feel it later" kind of woman. body pain? motrin helps you be an... "i can totally do this in one trip" kind of woman. when pain tries to stop you, motrin works fast to stop pain. make it happen with motrin® liquid gels. also try motrin pm to relieve pain and help you sleep.

thank you for joining us and welcome back to our breaking

news coverage of the death of muhammad ali. the boxing legend and champion died friday night at 74. he had suffered from parkinson's disease for more than 34 years. >> you will remember he charmed i am the greatest. muhammad ali leaves his mark on the world as one of the best athletes of all time, and later an activist for a social change. >> boxing promoter don king had a lock history with muhammad ali back in 1974. he promoted the championship heavyweight fight between he and george for maine that became known as "the rumble in the jungle." >> very well known. there was also a fight with joe frazer called "thrilla in manila." don kick spoke with our colleague earlier about what muhammad ali means to him. >> i loved muhammad ali.

he's a friend for life. he will never die. his spirit will go on together. he does what every sports person would like to do, going out there and getting it done without any equivocation. success, the goal he was after, he was just fabulous. so he was just a great human being and a champion of the people, the greatest of all times. >> when you first met him, what was it that attracted you to him as an athlete and as a boxer? what was it that he had the other guys just didn't? >> he had an attitude that he cared for people and little kids and old people. he would go out and do things without any type of a -- trying to find any type of publicity or gran diezment. he would do it because it was in his heart. he was a very jovial person, a person that you could deal with. he was one of the masses, you

know what i mean, and he would fight for the masses, if what's right and what's wrong and he would stand up for what his beliefs are. no one can really say how great muhammad ali really was because during the height of his career is when he run into the encounter of being charged with draft evasion and would gonlt to the war, but he was a conscientious objector and stood his ground. it took him through all kinds of trials and tribulations but he rose to the occasion that he preferred to go to jail than break what he believed in. that's why his friends and family loved him. he stood up for what he believed in and stood for the people. that decision that came in his behalf it was like, wow, heaven

on earth. those four years he lost at the height of his career, they can never see how good he would have been because he did all this greatness after being held out from practicing his trade at the height of his career. he sacrificed they he had something to lose when you have something that they will be able to lose when you put him to the test and he stood the test of time. i loved the man >> and a he was incredible when he came back after losing three, four of the best year of his career. early on, don, people didn't really know what to make of him. he was so brash, so bombastic. you look back at his press conferences now, and they're absolutely amazing performances, and he was all off the cufful but in the early days he was quite polarizing and very controversial. what was it that you think turned the public opinion in his favor? >> well, because he stood

steadfast, tenacious in his belief and firm. he said what he mean and he mean what he said. this what you be winning the people with. because when you've got everything to gain, and he had everything to gain by just going along with the system. but he fought the system for righteousness, and in so doing he gained a fame, affluence, but more importantly, the loyalty of the people. the people that didn't like him had to respect him, and that's really all you have to do is deal with r "e" "s" "-e-s-p-e-c respect. he turned it around, he was a visionary, prognosticate what he would do, and go out and do it. he was the fighter for the people. he was the grittest of all times. every head must bow, every knee

must bend, every tongue must confess he's the greatest of all time, muhammad, muhammad ali. he demonstrated that. with the love of the people he was a tremendous, tremendous not only a boxer but a great human being. his spirit will never die. all of those who stood up and fought for it, the president that i love, john f. kennedy, all of them had ways and means of saying things that would be able to insight and get people motivated and inspired to do what was right and stand their ground on what was right. and that's why muhammad ali will never die. >> well, there's been a lot of reaction on twitter. muhammad ali is taking up all the top trending spots. and british prime minister david cameron tweeting, muhammad ali was not just a champion in the ring. he was a champion of civil

rights and a role model for so many people. ringo starr of the beatles, god bless muhammad ali. peace and love to all his family. two-time champion, r.i.p., the greatest of all time. also, a giant among men, ali displayed a gritness in talent. and john king, i mourn the passing of muhammad ali p he was indeed the greatest, an american legend and a true champion. >> he took on mcaany activists throughout his light. he was a con schenn just object ter. explained it best when he put it bluntly. i and it got no quarrel with viet cong. he was stripped of boxing in the

prime time of his career. he even faced prison but the supreme court overturn thad conviction in 1971. his stand against the u.s. government became a rallying cry against war everywhere. his words that day and throughout his life continue to inspire people all around the world. i want to read this quote also from muhammad ali. live every day as if it's your last because one day you might be right. our continuing coverage returns after the break. hey there, hi. why do people have eyebrows? why do people put milk on cereal? oh, are you reading why people put milk on cereal? why does your tummy go "grumbily, grumbily, grumbily"? why is it all (mimics a stomach grumble) no more questions for you! ooph, that milk in your cereal was messing with you, wasn't it? yeah, happens to more people than you think... try lactaid, it's real milk, without that annoying lactose. good, right? mmm, yeah. i got your back. lactaid. it's the milk that doesn't mess with you.

welcome back to our viewers here in the united states and and around the world. we continue to honor the death of mao han ali. i'm george howell. >> i'm robyn curnow. >> officials have not yet released the cause of death but ali was admitted to a phoenix hospital thursday with a respiratory problem. right now the world is mourning the loss of this three-time heavyweight boxing champ and around the world people are remembering the flair that only he could bring. >> we can bring in andrew stevens in hong kong who has good memories himself of that fight. andrew, this is just so remarkable. muhammad ali took part in so many iconic fights which we're still talking about decades

later, and the thrilla in manila really was one you would never forget. >> it is right up there. some would tell you, don, that this was the greatest fight of all time. others would say and probably this is definitely true, one of the most brutal fights of all time. it was the third time that frazier and ali had met each other. the record stood at 1-1. the thrilla in manila was going to be the decider. as he was sager ler, there was no love loss between these two fighters. they were both slightly past their prime but they both went several rounds, were still strong and they had something to gold. ali kepd goading frazier say. that sort of took things to a new level as he was so clever at doing, generating this buzz. i remember, and it does date me,

as a kid in the schoolyard in australia talking about the lead-up to the fight. that's how global it was. at a little school in the middle of nowhere almost, that's what the kids were talking about. as we know, ali won the fight. it went for 14 rounds. both men hammered each other is the only way you can describe it. eventually they stood apart, set down at the end of the 14th round and frazier threw in the towel. he couldn't see properly. his left eye was closed, he couldn't see much out of his right eye. there was a story behind it suggesting if he had waited a few more seconds that ali's trainer would have thrown in the towel. he later denied that but certainly at time that's what was being said. it carve out a special place in that fight in the pantheon of boxing fights, and it gave ali that sort of undisputed claim

that he was the greatest. frazier was an amazing boxer and ali said later it was the closest he ever felt in coming to die. he said i was hitting that man with punches that would have knocked down a city wall, don. >> yeah. i mean boxing is known as the noble art but he didn't seem to be particularly noble on that occasion. there was so much animosity as you say leading up to the fight. you could tell the two men really did just hate each other. neither one wanted to give an inch during that fight. i think in the end both would have been prepared to die in the ring they were so furious at each other. at the end they were running out of energy and the commentator said i think by now the two have thrashed the hate out of each other. andrew, you say you remembered the fight. what some don't realize, this

took place at 10:00 in the morning in manila when the heat hadn't dissipated and the sun came up and baked the whole atmosphere into this incredible stew which must have been incredibly difficult to fight in those conditions, right? >> absolutely. the coliseum arena which is now part of the greater manila had a tin roof. as you say, it was 10:00 in the morning. so it wasn't exactly the ferocious heat of the day, but there was enough heat in the rhyme and generated and magnified by a tin roof. people ringside were saying this was 100 degrees if not more and they went at each other hard i want to say 48 minutes, i'm not sure, but certainly 14 rounds. the other thing to be aware of here, this was happening with the backdrop of ferdinand.

he wanted to show the people through sport that he was a benevolent ruler and he got these two men and created this massive bout. the buzz was massive around it, and he was giving away. we made sure tickets were available to filipinos. he dried did try to bring it in. and from that you have this legacy of boxing in the philippines. it has a long and proud tradition. they have produced some absolutely world-class boxers. and, of course, none more so than manny pacquiao who has won so many division championships. manny tweeting along with the rest of the boxing legends, manny tweeting a little bit earlier today saying we lost a giant. boxing benefitted from muhammad ali's talents but not nearly as

much as mankind benefitted from his humanity. and it's interesting. that's the line -- you read the tweets of the boxing greats and so many of them talk about what an amazing sportsman he was, what an amazing boxer he was. but how much more he did for society, almost cue mankind. i want one more. perhaps, you know, talked about almost sometimes in the same brektd as ali, one of the best boxers there ever was. floyd mayweather saying there will never be another ali. the black community all around the world, the black people needed him. he's the voice for us. he's the voice for me to be where i am today. an certainly if you can apply that to the philippines, he was down there. it was an extraordinary fight. it was beamed across the world. and from that, that legacy if you like, there's so much boxing in the philippines, so many

champions coming out of the philippines, don. >> amazing memories. thank you very much. andrew for us in hong kong. there are so many amazing films. thrilla in manila, rumble in the jungle. "when we were kings," if you haven't seen them, i highly recommend you watch them. they're almost certainly to be screened around the world in the coming days, i would imagine. they ee remarkable movies about a remarkable man and you'll learn so much more about muhammad ali in those. >> andrew was mentioning some of the greats and their remarks in the death of muhammad ali, and before the show i actually spoke with five-time heavyweight choun of the world evander holyfield and to paraphrase what he told me, i asked mr. holyfield, what did muhammad ali mean you do and he said muhammad ali was someone who would put his life on the line not only in the ring but also put his life on the line in what he believed in.

so he was willing to die for what he believed in. and for evander holyfield, that was the source of inspiration, looking at this legend and what he did in his life, a man who was willing to die for what he believed in. >> yeah. i think it's interesting. you talk about, you know, the profession of boxing. there's something about the heavyweight champions and i think all the heavyweight championships come ever since muhammad ali knows they're walking in his footsteps and inheriting his legacy and trying to continue it. boxing is much different now. pay-per-view, channel boxing has really reduced the audience. if you remember when muhammad ali was boxing, it was golden. everybody had access to it and these guys were generally known as household names. in ali's case, he transcended

the whole thing and was a global icon. >> you talk about being a global icon, he was one of the greatest sportsmen, but the authority that came with that, the statement that said, i am the greatest. for a black man for that tomb in the u.s. and also in the tumultuous times in independent africa, for black man to stand up and say i am the greatest, he took it so well, didn't he. >> yeah. can you imagine how inspirational that would be at time when there was no role models like that, so incredibly powerful. he did it with such style and such class and such confidence. he believed it and he didn't care what anybody else thought about it, and that's why people will be mourning him today even though his greatest era was so lock ago now. >> at a time when so many people in this country were looking for someone that would be so strong

in his stature. don, thank you. >> thank you. >> i'm robyn curnow. you're watching cnn's continuing coverage of the death of muhammad ali. ♪ headache? motrin helps you be an unstoppable "let's rock this" kind of mom. back pain? motrin helps you be a... "side planking, even though you'll feel it later" kind of woman. body pain? motrin helps you be an... "i can totally do this in one trip" kind of woman. when pain tries to stop you, motrin works fast to stop pain. make it happen with motrin® liquid gels. also try motrin pm to relieve pain and help you sleep.

welcome bachlkt remembering muhammad ali. his health declined for decades. >> we're joined now life. he struggled with parkinson's for over 30 years. this is a man who knew how to injure. >> oh, absolutely. he was diagnosed just when he was in his early 40s. a devastating diagnosis for

anyone, but especially for an athlete. parkinson's disease is what doctors call a progressive disease, meaning that it gets worse. and while there are drugs you can use to try to limit the symptoms in the beginning, they don't work forever. i think we saw this at times, there were times he could come out and attend an event and you wouldn't necessarily notice so much he had parkinson's, but later on it did get harder to control. did speak to a doctor years ago who knew muhammad ali. he talked about what an incredibly strong and graeshs man this was. he said, you know, elizabeth, even when his parkinson's was getting bad, when he had an event to go to, fund-raiser, he rallied. and when you looked up at him up on stage, he was again the greatest. robyn, george? >> wi talked about his greatest fight. in many ways his battle zbentds

parkinson's was his greatest. he became the face of this disease, helping to find a kear, the forefront for pushing for research. >> he was. i mean i think we're familiar where sort of younger people may be familiar with them. michael j. fox in that role. he's also done a stupendous job in that role. but first there was muhammad ali. one of your guests talked earlier about the role that he took on as an african american man and being the first in so many ways. he was also really the fit one to speak so publicly about having this devastating disease. it's a disease that you can't recover from really. it just gets worse. there are drugging you can take in the beginning, but putting a face on parkinson's, i know, meant so much. i've spoken to people who have had parkinson's more recently and they sid just knowing that he could be out there and be so strong, that meant the world to

them. >> and his legendary career, the way he took a lot of punches, many people saying that this in a way contributed to that very early diagnosis. his brain just couldn't handle all that direct contact >> you know, it's interesting. that went back and forth. there were people who said that, but there were also experts who said, look, the parkinson's had nothing to do with the boxing. sadly there are people diagnosed with parkinson's in their 40s, so it's not unheard of at all. so i would say certainly the boxing led to parkinson's. but there are many who have park inson's who weren't in that field. >> elizabeth cohen, thank you for your perspective. >> our continuing coverage returns after the break. wanna drink more water?

with sodastream you turn plain water into sparkling water in seconds. and because it's so delicious, you'll drink 43% more water every day. sodastream. love your water.

welcome back. the world is learning of the passing of a global icon. muhammad ali has passed away at the age of 74. he died in hospital in phoenix,

arizona, on friday night. as i say, he was 74 years old. the united kingdom is a country with a proud boxing tradition, proud heavyweight boxing tradition too. we're joined on the line by kelly maloney who worked most famously with lennox lewis, a former champion. thanks very much for being on the line just now. let's start with your reaction to the passing of muhammad ali. >> i think it's very sad. the world has lost a great human being. i think muhammad ali transcended from being a sports personality to being a world icon because of his civil rights work and his work for the underprivileged people. >> were you fortunate enough to meet muhammad ali? what are your personal experiences of your time with him? >> yes, i saw muhammad ali when i was young. he was prepared when he was

known as cashous clay. he didn't care what you said. i was lucky enough to sneak into the thomas beckett and watch him and later in life i had the privilege of meeting him when he wasn't in such good health. he was in st. louis and it was great. both talking to each other, praising each other in a very respectful way. but to see lennox lewis at the time was very special. it was unbelievable. ali joked with him. it was just a moment and a privilege to be in the same room with these two great athletes. >> you saw him at a time right at the start of his career before he was the world champion, before he was the

greatest, the fight against henry cooper might not have gone ali's way. cooper put him down at one stage during that fight. what was it about ali then that made him special? what did he have back then, kelly, that others did not? >> i think that he said he was the greatest and was going to be the greatest. there are good but they're not great. ali was -- was something special. he transcended boxing from being a sport, from being just too many in the ring to entertainment. he became the first person, i think, that took boxing to a new level. >> now, it's been a long time, of course, since we saw muhammad ali in the ring. today's generation will have never seen him fight, but boxers, of course, are vel were aware of his legacy. you promote young fighters now.

what do they think of muhammad ali? what do they say about him? >> i think everyone knows muhammad ali. i've got a 15-year-old daughter and she found out this morning. she went, can you believe it, muhammad ali is dead. she's not really a boxing fan but it shows you muhammad ali -- it's not hard to say there are not many that are great in the sport. muhammad ali was actually great in the boxing sport. what he had done with the olympic gold medal at the start of his career was unbelievable. when he didn't agree with the american government's war in vietnam, the way he stood up if his principles. this was a man of great principles. and today listening to stories on the english radio because i've been listening to it all morning, there were certain thing he had done the newspaper people wouldn't print. it wasn't just the black community.

he was getting ready for a fight in new york. i'm not sure if it was the early trail fight but he heard about a home for old jewish people that was going to be closed down in downtown new york and these people were going to be pout in the street. he stopped training, got his driver to take him down and he wrote them a check so the home could survive so these people would not be put out in the cold or left. he cared. that was an amazing man. he didn't want any publicity for that. it's only come to light -- the american journalist told us. >> you mentioned what he did with his gold medal from the 1960 olympics in rome. it's disputed to some extent, but i think it's become saturday of the legend, he was so disillusioned with the way he had been treated he threw his medal into the ohio river. of course, he never saw it

again. he was at the 1996 olympics presented with another medal and, of course, that's the last time we saw him in such a public capacity, lighting the cauldron at the atlanta olympics. kelly, thank you for enlighting us and joining us on the show as we remember the legend muhammad ali. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com welcome to cnn in the united states and around the world. i'm george howl. >> and i'm robyn kurnow. muhammad ali has died. they're remembering the joy, the fighting spirit that only the man called the greatest could bring in and outside the ring. >> it is such a huge loss to sport but not only sport to so many people around the world for

so many different reasons. let's bring in our own don riddell to talk about muhammad ali. you know, when we talk about mr. ali, i just think back to the context of that time. it's a tame when many african-americans were coming out of segregation, coming out of time when many were considered second-class citizens, but here's a person who stood firmly, was very proud and would say things like i'm the greatest, look at me, i'm pretty. and these are things that seemed so counter to what was expected of african-americans, but he stood there and believed in it. he believed in it in the ring and fought for it. >> can you imagine how inspirational that would have been? and you're absolutely right the manner in which he did it. he was emphatic. >> it was in his dna. >> he was absolutely confident. he didn't care what anybody thought p it wasn't just brash and arrogant and perhaps a bit

distasteful. i think people in the early days didn't know what to make of it. but in time we came to see it not only as just a part of his personality, but he was just so entertaining, so theatrical. he wasn't just quick in the ring with his fist and movement. he was so quick witted too. he was a poet and a rapper. and the wray you would see him, you know, get stuck into his opponents or perform for the media, it was very, very entertaining. and he really stood for what he believed in, and he was much more than a boxer. he was much more than an athlete. many considered him to be the greatest boxer of all time, the greatest athlete in the 20th century and he's been recognized as such. arguably he was the most famous face on the planet. can you imagine that coming from the background he'd had and the troubles that he'd faced growing up?

by the age of 22, he was the world champion. and then to have it taken away from hum. he was stripped of his title. he might have had to go to jail for avoiding the draft and just refusing point blarng to go fight in vietnam and then from that get his license back, train up again, become a world champion again. just an incredible role model for so many different people. you know, standing up for religious freedom, racial justice. just a terrific civil rights campaigner, just a great ambassador for the human race. >> he was a fighter on just so many levels. talk to us also about his changing his name from cassius class and his conversion to islam. >> he always had a problem with cassius clay. he felt it was his slave name. he converted to muslim and

became muhammad ali, a name he was incredibly proud of. there's an anecdote more recently about when he got his star on the hollywood walk of fame. >> absolutely. tell us. >> everybody takes pictures and essentially walks on them whether they mean to or not. he said, you can put my name there but it won't be on the ground. if you go there, you can see his is the only star that's on the wall. you can't walk on the name mu ham muhammad. you know, who else would have thought of taking that kind of stance. you might be grateful and honored to take part in that tup of thing. he said these are my terms, and i want to be a part of it but this is how it's going to be done. he really stood up for what he believed in.

i remember earlier adam silver saying his greatest legacy is when you see other athletes standing up for what they believed in too. >> i never heard that story. powerful. >> don riddell, stay with us. well t greatest is don and we know members of muhammad's family gathered with him in arizona to be with his his final hours. 's where we find dan simon outside the hospital. hi, there, dan. what more do we know? >> reporter: well, robyn, we know he was brought here yesterday evening thursday with some kind of respiratory illness, which is common when you have advanced parkinson's disease. we really don't know the final details of what happened in that hospital room. we know he was surrounded by family and then succumbed to his illness friday night here in phoenix. in terms of what happens

tomorrow, we know that there's going to be a briefing for the media where we're going hear some details about funeral arrangements. we know that it's going to be taking place in louisville, kentucky, in muhammad ali's hometown. at this point the family, as you can imagine, has requested privacy, but hopefully we'll be learning some more details in terms of what really happened in those final hours as, you know, tomorrow when we get that media briefing. george and robyn? >> do we know anything more about funeral arrangements? >> reporter: other than that it's going to be taking place in louisville, kentucky. we haven't gotten those plans as of now. we should tell you, you know, phoenix, arizona, really played an important part in hull's liflif muhammad ali's life. this is where e he spent his time in the community. he loved his community. the community loved him back.

it wasn't uncommon to see him go to restaurants in the past few years. of course, he was frail and he had been in and out of the hospital, but this really had become his home. you'll hear a lot about louisville, kentucky, and that's where the funeral is going to be. in terms of the later years, it's about his friends and family and phoenix and we'll be hearing a lot more about that in the coming days that and it's obviously still very early in the morning, this news breaking in the last four or five hours, people will be waking up saturday morning to the news that this man, larger than life personality, has gone. do we know that if there are going to be any commemorations, have people been coming to the hospital? have they been leaving flowers? what are people who do know been saying and doing? >> right now the hospital is very quiet. there are a couple of media crews here, and that's about it. earlier tonight, we did see some

well-wishers come by, people expressing their sorrow, people lighting candles in front of the hospital. i would not be surprised to see something of a makeshift memorial crop up, you know, with flowers and cards and things of that nature. he did live just a couple of miles away here. he lifted in a gated community, so we know people have come by there as well, just to have look at things. people are curious as they learned about his death. and so i think tomorrow here at the hospital certainly more people will be coming by as well. robyn and george? >> dan simon, thanks so much. >> this is the legend of

muhammad ali, the greatest fighter who ever will be. >> he proclaimed himself the greatest and millions around the world agreed. >> float like a butterfly, sting like a bee. >> those phrases became his motto. o his wit and charisma outside the ring would also make him one of the best known personalities. >> you look at me. i have 22 professional fights. and i'm fit as a rail. >> but his persona began to emerge long before he captured his first heavyweight championship. he was born cassius marcellus clay jr. at 12 years old, his world would challenge forever when a local police officer introduced him to boxing. it became an outlet for his rage. >> cassius clay of chicago challenges --. it also offered ali an opportunity to develop his remarkable talent. six years later he would bring home a gold medal from the 1966

olympic summer games in rome. he turned pro at the age of just 18, and at 22 he stunned the boxing world, defeating a boxer everyone thought was invincible, sonny liston. ali had arrive and liston would never be the same. to prove a point, ali put liston away for a second time in a rematch the following year. the '60s were a glory day for muhammad but it would be polarizing period in his life. he renounced his given name and joined the volatile black separatist nation of islam. almost as quickly as he had arrived, ali's heavyweight title was gone, revoked after he claimed conscientious objector status and refused to serve in the vietnam war. at the peak boxing age of 25 ali gave up millions of dollars in endorsements and spent five

years in prison over a war he found despicable and unjust. >> my intention is to box, to win a clean fight, but in war, the intention is to kill, kill, kill, kill, and continue killing innocent people. >> ali began a 3 1/2-year exile from championship fights until the u.s. supreme court overturned his conviction on a technicali technicality. >> but there's no contest. you better not fight like that with ali. >> but the world would soon learn that even superman had his off days. ali was back in the ring when his unprofessional record came to an end. he lost a match to joe frazier dubbed "the fight of the century." it was the first of three fights with smokin' joe. >> joe may be smokin' but he eenlt going. the night mate amaze ya but this

time i'll retire joe frazer. >> and retire him he did. the famous thrilla in manila ended after frazier's trainer stopped the fight following the 14th round, giving ali a technical knockout. he was on a roll again. but his a greatest win was in zaire. >> i hospitalized a brick. i'm so mean i make med i sin sick. >> ali knocked out the heavy favorite george foreman. it was called "the rumble in the jungle." his last fight marked the beginning of another battle that he would describe as his toughest, the diagnosis that he was afflicted with parkinson's disease. after two decades, ali was forced to retire. his lifetime record, 56 victories, just five defeats. but he never retreated from

living a very public life. in 1996 ali provided one of the most poignant moments in sports history. with 3 billion people watching he lit the olympic summer games in atlanta. his hands trembling but never wavering. ali remained the consummate showman. as his condition grew progre progressively worse, he struggled to whisper every day. his hands and legs shook and his voice quivered. >> i am the greatest. >> yet his spirit was never shaken and he never slowed down from serving as an ambassador for peace and a mediator in world conflicts. in 2005 ali was presented with the presidential freedom award, the nation's highest civilian honor. >> when you say the greatest of all time is in the room,

everyone knows who you mean. >> and tributes for the champ continued. >> how do you feel about getting -- getting honor tonight? >> ali was one of the most gifted and unique personalities in sports hust. the world may never see the likes of him again. in the final chapter few would argue ali needed the crowds as much as they needed him, not just for mere validation, but because each saw in the other the best in themselves. >> ali's got a left, alee's got a right, and if he hits you once you sleep for the night. hope and pray that you never meet me again. oh, look... ...another anti-wrinkle cream in no hurry to make anything happen.

neutrogena® rapid wrinkle repair works... ...in one week. with the... fastest retinol formula available. it's clinically proven to work on fine lines and... ...even deep wrinkles. "one week? that definitely works!" rapid wrinkle repair. and for dark spots, rapid tone repair. neutrogena®. "see what's possible." where world-class chefs meet top-notch nutritionists. prime cuts of meat... 25 grams of protein... bold flavorful sauces... and savory mouth watering sides. it's the perfect balance of delicious and nutritious. making it just the right fit for you. stouffer's fit kitchen meals. this is fit.

the call just came in. she's about to arrive. and with her, a flood of potential patients. a deluge of digital records. x-rays, mris. all on account...of penelope. but with the help of at&t, and a network that scales up and down on-demand, this hospital can be ready. giving them the agility to be flexible & reliable.

because no one knows & like at&t. motrin helps you be an... "i can totally do this in one trip" kind of woman. when pain tries to stop you, motrin works fast to stop pain. make it happen with motrin® liquid gels. also try motrin pm to relieve pain and help you sleep. welcome back to our breaking news coverage. boxing legend muhammad ali has died at the age of 74. he passed away just hours ago in phoenix, arizona, and tributes to the greatest have been pouring in from around the world. as impressive as ali's punches were in the ring, his trash talking was legendary. >> it was indeed. here are some of his best moments.

>> i don't like fighters who talk too much. >> last week i went to the jungle, wrestled with gaiter. i'm bad, man. >> can i dance? is the pope a catholic? >> the man to beat me haven't been born yet. >> well, i'm the greatest. i'm knocking out all bones. if you get too small, i'll knock you out. >> last week i murdered a rock, injured a stone, hospitalized a brick. i'm so mean i make medicine sick. >> look at me now. don't tell me that ain't a

perfect specimen of a man. look at that body. slim, trim, and on my toes. >> i don't get hit. i'm the fastest thing on two feet, are you crazy? i'm tired of talking. i'm not only tired of fighting. i'm a prophet, a resurrector, and the savior of the boxing world. if it wasn't for me, the game would be dead. >> wow. at his peak, muhammad ali was one of the best all around athletes in the history of the world, but husband health declined with age as he struggled with parkinson's disease for decades. our senior medical correspondent elizabeth cohen joins us live. elizabeth, let's just talk about muhammad ali's health, how we watched him over the decades decline with this disease.

>> it's a progressive disease. there are drugs patients can take that really help and that was the case. but over time the medicines stop working very well. parkinson's affect the muscles. unfortunately it affects the muscles we can't see, which is why we get the breathing problems which apparently is what ali had at the end of his life. what's important about muhammad ali and parkinson's is that he became the face of parkinson's very early on. i mean this was back in the mid-'80s before people really talked so much about the diseases and medical challenges that they were facing, and he faced it and he talked about it and he faced it with such elegance. >> elizabeth cohen, thank you. boxing promoter don king had a long history with muhammad ali. back in 1974 he promoted the

heavyweight championship fight between he and george foreman that became known as the "rumble in the jungle." >> he also promoted the fight between ali and joe frazer thrilla in manila. he spoke earlier about what ali means to him. >> he will never die. the success, the goal he was after. he was just fabulous. so he was just -- he was a great human being and a champion of the people, the greatest of all times. >> when you first met him, what was it that attracted you to him as an athlete and as a boxer? what was it that he had that the other guys just didn't? >> he had an attitude that he cared for people and little kids

and old people. you know, he would go out and do things without any type of a -- of a -- trying to find any type of publicity or gran diezment. he would do it because it was in his heart. he was a joevl person, a person you could deal with. he was one of the masses, you know what i mean, and he would fight for that masses, what's right and what's wrong and stand up for what his believes are. no one could truly say how great ali really was because during the height of his career is when he run into the encounter of being charged with draft evasion and would gonlt to the war, but he was a conscientious objector, and he believed in that. therefore, he stood his grounded on what he was and it took him through all kinds of trials and tribulati tribulations, but he rose to the

occasion and preferred to go to jail than to break what he believed in. that's why everybody loved him, friends and the like because he stood up what he believed in and followed the will of the people. so the supreme court of the united states came back with a e do sigs on his behalf. it was like heaven and earth. those four years that he lost at the height of his career, they could never see how good he would have been because he did all this greatest after being -- being held out from practicin his trade at the height of his career. he sacrificed. he had something to lose. that's when you can tell when somebody has something to lose and they put him to the test. they put him through the test of mine. i love the man. >> he was incredible after he came back, as you say, after losing three or four of his bet years of his career. early on, don, people didn't know what to make of him.

he was so brash, so bombastic. you look back at his press conferences now and they're absolutely amazing performances and all off the cuff, but in the early days he was so polarizing and controversial. what was it that you think turned the public opinion in his favor? >> well, because he stood steadfast, tell nauseous in his belief and firm. he said what he mean and he meant what he said and this is what you win the people with because when you've got everything to gain and he had everything to gain by just going along with the system, but he fought the system for righteousness, and in so doing he gained fame and affluence, but more importantly, the loyalty of the people. >> you know, i s life on the li in the ring, put his life on the line in real life with his

beliefs, and that's what he -- that's what inspired evander holyfield. when you think about quotes, i think of that famous quote, i'm so mean i make medicine suck. >> the simple one that even if you're not a boxing fan or you didn't know much about boxing life, we all know float like a butterfly, sting like a bee. >>'ve got several. even if you dream of beating me, you'd better apologize when you wake up. impossible is thrown around by small men who have lived in a world they've been given. impossible is not a fact, it's an opinion. impossible is temporary. impossible is nothing. such an unexpiration. >> powerful. >> a fighter through and through. don, thank you so much. >> our news coverage continues with the cnn special. >> thanks for joining us. ok team,

what if 30,000 people download the new app? we're good. okay... what if a million people download the new app? we're good. five million? good. we scale on demand. hybrid infrastructure, boom. ok. what if 30 million people download the app? we're not good. we're total heroes. scale on demand with the number one company in cloud infrastructure.

ah the freedom to watch your directv with unlimited data from at&t. it's a steady stream of entertainment. your favorite shows. streaming on. you can just keep streaming... ...and streaming. hello jim. so much streaming but i'd really like to go home now. my arms are very tired. seize the data! get unlimited data when you have at&t wireless and directv. switch and get up to $650 credits, per line. why does your tummy go "grumbily, grumbily, grumbily"? no more questions for you! ooph, that milk in your cereal was messing with you, wasn't it? try lactaid, it's real milk, without that annoying lactose. good, right? mmm, yeah. lactaid. the milk that doesn't mess with you.

>> i must be the greatest. >> he told the world he was the gre greatest before anyone believed it. >> it was something like caviar. you had to acquire a taste for him. >> this will be a total -- >> reporter: worshipped in the

boxing ring, once vilified in the public arena. >> if i'm going to die, i'm going to die here now, fighting you. >> ali lost a title. came back ten years later and won the title. that's unheard of. >> he was a poet. >> float like a butterfly, sting like a bee. >> a profit. >> he made me think i could walk on water. >> an activist. >> he always tauts me make sure you exercise your soul and your spirit. that's what my father fought for. >> a fight el till the end. tonight, boxing legend, muhammad ali. the opening ceremony of the 1996 olympics in atlanta, georgia. >> but look who gets it next. >> a surprise guest expected on stage. >> actually they kept that a big secret from everyone. the children didn't even know.

>> muhammad's daughter maryum. >> she was like your dad's going to light the torch. i was like what? it was the greatest moment. >> the champion was on stage and the world held its breath as muhammad ali diagnosed with parkinson's degrees a decade earlier struggled to light the torch. >> he burned himself trying to keep his hand straight. nobody knew it. that's ali. he didn't want anybody to know i can't light that tosh. . that was ali. >> when ali lit that flame, it was an indelible moment in sports history. >> he needed that. he needed to see that people still cared for him, you know, even with parkinson's disease. >> always wondered what that would be like. he's your father, but he's also

this world renowned figure. >> yes. he always fought for freedom and love and he wanted this country to be accountable for treating all human beings equal. he was like really more than just a boxer. ♪ >> he was really just the kid next door, born cassius clay jr. in 1942 in heavily segregated louisville, kentucky, the older of two boys to mom odessa, housekeeper and dad cassius, a billboard painter. he grew up here. >> cassius proved to be the greatest athlete as a kid. i don't think he played basketball and football with us. >> he lived down the street. >> i remember he punched me in the chest and i said, we can't play no more. >> at 12 years old cassius discovered the power of his punch through an odd twist of

fate when his bike was stolen and he told the police officer he wanted to beat up the thief. that cop who was also a trainer told him to turn that aggression out into the ring. he was a natural. years later he and martin were reunited on tv on "this is your life." >> he taught me and both of them made me what i was. >> causous was hooked and dead hooked about learned the ropes. he trained, hitting the streets before he went to school. >> you cou tell he was different. we road the bus to madison junior high, and he would be running behind it, still training. we would laugh at him. he was just crazy. >> crazy, fast, and driven. and by the age of 14 he had six kentucky golden glove titles and two national titles under his belt. he won the gold medal at the

1960s game in the summer olympics in rome. his longtime manager gene kiln. >> everybody loved him. he wore his gold medal around. >> where do you think the confidence comies from? >> he just believed in himself. >> that confidence combined powerfully with his size, fast feet, and stinging jabs. he was a dancer in the ring. clay turned pro in the '60s when he won most matches by knockouts. >> why all the crowd, all the camera men? why, of course, cassius has just hit town. >> so, too, was his voice. clay craved the spotlight and became famous for his rants. >> this will be no contest. this will be total annihilation. >> and rhymes. >> he's going around claiming to be the real heavyweight champ. >> as he did for his boxing.

>> float like a butterfly, sting like a bee. >> anything involving him was a circus. >> boxing announcer bob sheridan. >> athletes at that time prior to cassius clay were not brash and outspoken. they wanted those people in their seats to go and see him. he was a promoter's dream. >> i'm the greatest fighter in the ring today. >> there's a fine line between confidence and brag a dose owe and i have knowy idea what side of the line he was on. >> sport writer jerry. >> here they come. clay and liston. liston land as left jab on the nose, clay backing away and moving to his left as they said he would do. >> ali was in the ring but with his hands down and moving around like this. >> he was the only fighter i ever gnaw who could punch moving

backward. he wasn't a big banger. his knock oouts came after he h you and hit you. >> the big bear sonny liston couldn't stand clay's jab. he was a beaten man by the sixth round and didn't answer the bell in the seventh. >> sonny liston is not coming out. the new champion is cassius clay. >> it was one of t biggest upsetting in boxing history and cassius clay became the youngest champion in the boxing world. next, ali's biggest fight came outside of the ring. under no conditions do we take part in taking lives of other humans. wahhhh... right. in. your. stomach!

watch this!... >>yikes, that ice cream was messing with you, wasn't it? try lactaid, it's real ice cream, without that annoying lactose. lactaid. it's the milk that doesn't mess with you.

i'm just 22 years old.

i must be the greatest. almost as quickly as cassius clay arrived, he vanished. >> his life changed the next morning. >> in 1964 after he stunned the nation by winning the heavyweight title he joined the black separatists joining the nation of islam and became muhammad ali. >> did the two of you ever talk about why it was important to change his name? >> it was important because he believed he had a slave name. he wanted a new identity. >> you know my new name. quit calling me that. >> will your next fight be billed as cassius clay or muhammad ali? >> muhammad ali. >> the fact that he did this helped make him a figure in the arab world, in africa. they may not have been paying any attention whatsoever to american boxing champions. he basically was the sporting reflection of what would become the black power movement.

>> if i'm going to die, i'm going to die now right now fighting you. you my enemy. >> ali, famous worldwide, was a radical voice at home. he criticized u.s. involvement in the vietnam war and refused to serve in the army as a muslim and a conscientious on jbjeobje >> tell me, gent, would you have -- >> in no way do we take the lives of any human. >> he turned from sports hero to villain. >> when he made that decision, a number of people in this country turned against him. >> first of all, remember, people didn't like him to begin with because he was what you call a brag art. and then when the army came up, it alienated a whole other section of the country. >> cassius clay is guilty --

>> ali was given five years in prison and in 1967 was stripped of his title. banned of the sport at the young age of 25. >> i loaned him $20. >> e he was broke. >> yeah. he didn't have money. >> his gift of gab led him to speak at universities. >> you won't stand up for me in america and you want me go somewhere and fight but you won't stand up for me here at home. >> in a war in which young black men mainly without any money and with little education were dying in disproportion at number, this young blan man outspoken stands up and says no. >> exiled from boxing for more than three years, ali even gave acting a shot taking part in a musical "buck white."

he performed on "the ed sullivan show." ♪ we came in chains we came in misery ♪ >> his music career not surprisingly fizzled. in 1967 he got hitched to belinda boyd. they had four children. >> he wanted all four kids to be with us in the summertime. he got himself a pool. lai l l laila -- >> he promoted a film. he call them from the road with fatherly advice. >> i remember every conversation, which is amazing. >> many of those conversations were recorded. >> everybody is born with a purple. what do you think you were born for? >> to make people feel better, to pick people up. >> that's good. that's good, maryum.

>> i remember when i told my dad he was too old to fight. >> what? yes. it might be possible that if i take it, i might fight again. >> no. don't fight again, please. >> just to ask me an 11-year-old to get my take on it was pretty amazing. >> he would ask about boys and school. >> while married to boyd, he had another daughter, miya. >> i remember him boxing in the street. there would be one person and there would be hundreds of people around me. he never lost me, thank god. >> he was the glue that held it together with nine children. >> you know, my dad, he makes mistakes. nine children, you know, four wives, a couple of mistresses. what i love the most is he doesn't pretend to be perfect,

never has. that's why he taught me make sure you exercise your soul and your spirit. >> ali's spirit, his convictions about the war never waver. he stood his ground and eventually the nation came around. in 1971 the supreme court overturned his conviction. he returned to the wreck and got a chance to win back his title. billed as the fight of the century, he was pitted against current champ smokin' joe frazier. >> you can't stop me. >> they were the two best fighters in the world. bing, pop, bing, pop, and frazier's plotting, plotting, plotting. he had a left hook. you'd milwaukee a comic stroke about it. it had a life of its own. when it went, it went. and when it went, you went down. >> the slugfest went the full 15 rounds. ali was losing but continued to

try to sike out frazier. >> when that happens he slips a jab, steps inside, throws that left hook right on him. out he goes down. >> it was ali's first ever professional loss. but he and smokin' joe were far from finished. >> joe frazer's in trouble because the muhammad ali, joe phraser is going to be better than the muhammad ali he met three years ago that when we return, the greatest comeback ever. >> i thought he was going to fall. this is going to be a long night.

wahhhh... right. in. your. stomach! watch this!... >>yikes, that ice cream was messing with you, wasn't it? try lactaid, it's real ice cream, without that annoying lactose. lactaid. it's the milk that doesn't mess with you.

too much speed, boy. too fast, too fast. it was 1974 and muhammad ali was on a mission. >> if you think people were surprised when nixon resigned, wait till you see, aisle going to kick hit behind. >> i'm sitting on the throne. i thought i was doing a

charitable contribution to muhammad ali by allowing him to fight for my title. >> the match was called rumble in the jungle. >> was being offered $5 million to fight muhammad ali. i was fighting in africa to getmy money and go home. >> but the locals fell hard for ali, and ali seen here in "when we were kings," loved every minute of it. >> ali, ali. >> he loved people, and i think that's why they loved him so much. >> 18-year-old veronica was hired as a poster girl to promote the fight. >> we were told at the last minute we could go. >> whelp did you start to get butterflies? >> we used to walk by the zaire river in the evening and that was probably during those times.

>> they would mair eventually but first the fire that captured the world. >> i hit him with all kinds of punches. the one thing about a power punch, every time you throw one big right hand, left hook, wide and wild, it's like ten miles of roadwork that's gone away from you and you'll never get it back. >> ali's got his gloves up here, so the round goes by, boom, boom, he's hitting gloves. boom, boom. >> he's going to wear him out. >> he's going to make him wear himself out. >> somewhere about the sixth round, he folded and i thought, i got him now. he just fell other and whispered, what the hell you got, george. that's when i realized this was going to be a long night. >> round eight, ali leaned back on the ropes purposely absorbing punch after punch until he was ready to attack. >> i never saw a fighter fall in

sections. like his ankles h it the ground, his knees hit the ground, his chest hit the ground, and then he hit the ground. >> against all odds, ali made one of the greatest comebacks in history. >> i told you, all of my critics, i told you all that i was the greatest of all time. >> ali lost the title and then came bac tien years later and won the title. won the title, won the title. that's unheard of. >> i was a good fighter, very good fighter, and muhammad ali was better than me. >> a year later ali got his revenge against smokin' joe frazier in their final brutal fight called thrilla in manila. >> frazier is standing there with his legs the consistency of whet spaghetti.

all ali has to do is walk three feet and push him. ali could not walk those three feet. neither one was ever the same again. they took everything they had out of each other. >> frazier's trainer stopped the fight after the 14th round. ali won with a tko, ending one of the biggest boxing rivalries of all time. friends and family begged ali to hang up his gloves and go out on top. >> ali came up the aisle and he said, this is the closest you fellas will ever see to death. >> i pleaded with him to retire. retire after this fight. retire, retire. >> abc sports announcer howard cosell covered ali for most of his career, even tried to talk the champ down. >> he told me 3 1/2 weeks ago, one more fight, a lot of big money, and that was it now. there are more fights in the

offering. why? >> well, because i changed my mind. i feel i can go another few years. the fans can see it. >> that in effect is our show of the day. knock it off. >> they were like brothers. >> other the next six years, there were two more marriages, and two more children including daughter laila, who followed in her father's footsteps. >> just being ali's daughter, people want to test you. i'd always be the one to want to take it on, not wanting to back down. >> then muhammad ali would take on his toughest opponent. >> we saw the slurred speech, the little slowness. >> how did you know your father had parkinson's? >> the diagnosis came years after he already had it. that was a time when top researchers did not know young people can get parkinson's.

>> he was 38 years old. in 1982 after three decades of redefining boxing with a lifetime record of 56 wins and only five defeats, ali retired for good. >> the diseaehas had a very slo progression for him and hasn't stopped him from doing any wants to do. >> like that moment in 1996 that brought that world to its feet. >> what's the most dynamic figure in sports. >> that was a very positive highlight for him and it was massive. i mean millions of people saw th that. >> millions of fans all over the world continued to wore shup the champ. >> when you say the greatest of all time is in the room, everyone knows who you mean. >> and in 2005 the one-time objector of conscience received the country's highest civilian

award, the presidential medal of freedom. cnn's last visit with ali was at his home, the champ moving slower, his voice barely a whisper. >> this is the gymnasium and my comeback. >> his spirits unshaken until the end. >> i still look at the guy and see the greatest. >> muhammad ali had no fear. >> he always fought for freedom and love. >> that was his mission in life. is to help people. >> we were privileged to lay our hands on him a little bit. >> muhammad was the biggest in boxing. >> he was one of the greatest human beings the greatest. >> i am the greatest.

oh, look... ...another anti-wrinkle cream in no hurry to make anything happen. neutrogena® rapid wrinkle repair works... ...in one week. with the... fastest retinol formula available. it's clinically proven to work on fine lines and... ...even deep wrinkles.

"one week? that definitely works!" rapid wrinkle repair. and for dark spots, rapid tone repair. neutrogena®. "see what's possible."

good morning, everyone. i'm christi paul. >>i'm joe johns in for victor blackwell. we begin with the breaking news this morning. as you wake up, i'm sure you are learning boxing legend muhammad ali has died. >> just a real surprise. he was sick in 2014, he was sick in 2015 and a lot of people were saying this is just another episode but he'll be fine. we discover overnight that the greatest is gone. >> yeah. he actually had been in the hospital on thursday. but as joe mentioned, ali is known as the greatest to a w