To say that today is a sad day for sports fans would be a critical understatement. Early this morning, we lost one of the greatest Heavyweight champions to ever lace up his gloves. Yesterday (June 3^rd 2016), boxing legend Muhammad Ali at the age of 74. For the past few days, Ali was hospitalized with respiratory complications at a Phoenix AZ area hospital before passing away. The passing of the beloved fighter has shaken the boxing world, as well as the sports world in general.

Muhammad Ali was a considered by many as the greatest boxing champion, not just of his era, but of all time. Holding a record of 56 wins (37 by KO), and only 5 losses, Ali’s fighting career consisted of some of boxing’s most legendary bouts, including his matches against Joe Fraizer, Sonny Liston , and “The Rumble In The Jungle” against George Foreman. Aside from his accomplishments inside the ring, Muhammad Ali also made even greater accomplishments for mankind and freedom outside of the ring! From his resistance to join the Vietnam conflict, to his affiliation with the Nation of Islam, Ali was a symbol of the civil rights movement . Ali even traveled to the middle east as an ambassador of peace, once during the Gulf War in 1991 to meet with Saddam Hussein to negotiate the release of American Hostages, and once again in 2002 as the “U.N. Messenger of Peace”, where he spent a three-day goodwill mission in Afghanistan. These are only a few of the accomplishments and actions that truly made Muhammad Ali the “people’s champion”.

His achievements in the ring made him a legend that every fighter aspires to be. His actions outside of the ring made him a man that inspires those to stand up for what they believe in. This is why the passing of Muhammad Ali is a sad event, not only in the world of boxing, but in the world in general. May the “World’s Greatest Champion” rest in peace!