Brockton's Hagler Reacts to Death of Muhammad Ali

BROCKTON, MA—Boxing icon Muhammad Ali has died, and tributes to the legend are not only pouring in from the boxing world, but the world as a whole. 

Ali died late Friday night in a Phoenix hospital at the age of 74. 

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The three-time world heavyweight champion Ali paved the way for hundreds of combat sports athletes, helping to further boxing's impact in the main-stream media cycle. Former middleweight boxing championBrockton's own "Marvelous" Marvin Hagler took the time to honor the late champion on his Facebook page Saturday morning. 

Ali had been hospitalized since Thursday with what a family spokesman had called a “respiratory issue.” He suffered from Parkinson's Disease and had appeared especially frail and weak in recent public appearances.

During his 21-year boxing career, he went from Clay — a scrappy and taunting fighter whose footwork and machine gun-like firing of his gloves confounded his opponents — to Ali, the punishing puncher and polarizing warrior who used his fame to promote a varied number of social issues.

Sports Illustrated named him the “Sportsman of the Century” and BBC called him the “Sports Personality of the Century” in late 1999.

He is survived by seven daughters and two sons.

Marc Torrence also contributed to this report. 

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