He was lightning. That’s the only way to describe Muhammad Ali in the 1960s. He didn't just punch; he danced, mocked, and glided around the ring with a speed that seemed physically impossible for a man of his size. But by the time the 1980s rolled around, that lightning had slowed to a flicker. The shuffle became a limp. The poetic trash talk became a whisper. Everyone wanted to know: how did Muhammad Ali get Parkinson's disease? It wasn't just one thing. Life rarely is that simple.
When Ali was officially diagnosed in 1984, just three years after his final, heartbreaking loss to Trevor Berbick, the world was shocked but maybe not surprised. He was only 42. Most people think of Parkinson’s as an "old person’s" disease, something that hits you in your 70s. For Ali, it started much earlier. To understand the "how," you have to look at the sheer physics of his career, the specific type of neurological damage he suffered, and the warning signs that everyone—including his own doctors—ignored for years.
The Brutal Physics of the Ring
Boxing is, by definition, the art of hitting and getting hit. Ali’s style was built on not getting hit. He leaned back, hands low, trusting his reflexes to snap his head out of the way of oncoming leather. It worked. Until it didn't.
As he aged and his footwork slowed, he started taking more punishment. In his "Thrilla in Manila" against Joe Frazier in 1975, Ali described the experience as the closest thing to death he’d ever felt. Frazier was a powerhouse who landed hook after hook to Ali’s head. Experts believe Ali took roughly 200,000 hits over the course of his career. Think about that number. That is 200,000 instances of the brain sloshing against the inside of the skull.
Most neurologists today, including those at the Cleveland Clinic’s Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health (where Ali was treated later in life), point to Repetitive Head Trauma (RHT) as the primary culprit. While Ali didn't have "classic" Parkinson’s in the purely genetic sense, he had what many call Parkinsonism. It’s a distinction with a massive difference. Parkinsonism is a group of neurological disorders that cause movement problems similar to Parkinson's disease—tremors, slow movement, stiffness—but are often triggered by external factors like brain injury.
The Warning Signs We All Missed
The decline didn't happen overnight. It was a slow, agonizing crawl.
💡 You might also like: What Really Happened With Dane Witherspoon: His Life and Passing Explained
If you watch interviews from the late 70s, you can hear it. His voice, once a sharp instrument of psychological warfare, began to slur. He sounded tired. Friends noticed he was starting to "mask"—a term doctors use for the loss of facial expression. His hands would shake slightly when he wasn't moving.
Dr. Ferdie Pacheco, Ali’s longtime ring doctor, saw the writing on the wall as early as 1977. After Ali’s brutal fight with Earnie Shavers—a man many consider the hardest puncher in boxing history—Pacheco saw laboratory evidence that Ali’s kidneys were failing and his reflexes were shot. He told Ali to quit. Ali didn't. Pacheco eventually walked away because he didn't want to be part of what he called a "slow-motion suicide."
The Larry Holmes Tragedy
The 1980 fight against Larry Holmes is often cited as the "point of no return." Ali was 38. He was already showing clear symptoms of neurological distress. Before the fight, he underwent a physical at the Mayo Clinic. The results were alarming. He struggled with a finger-to-nose coordination test and showed signs of a slight stutter.
Despite this, he was cleared to fight. Holmes, who loved Ali, spent ten rounds essentially crying while he beat his idol into a pulp. It wasn't a contest; it was an execution. Many neurologists believe the trauma sustained in the Holmes and Berbick fights accelerated the underlying damage to Ali's substantia nigra, the part of the brain that produces dopamine.
Genetic Vulnerability vs. Environmental Trauma
Wait, so was it just the boxing? Honestly, it’s probably a "nature loads the gun, environment pulls the trigger" situation.
📖 Related: Why Taylor Swift People Mag Covers Actually Define Her Career Eras
Not every boxer who takes hits gets Parkinson’s. George Foreman fought forever and is sharp as a tack. So, why Ali? Some researchers suggest he may have had a genetic predisposition that made his brain less "plastic" or less capable of repairing itself after trauma.
- Pesticide Exposure? There have been theories floating around for years about Ali's exposure to pesticides at his training camp in Deer Lake, Pennsylvania. While certain pesticides are linked to an increased risk of Parkinson's, most experts view this as a secondary factor at most.
- The "Punch Drunk" Reality: The medical term is Dementia Pugilistica, or what we now know as CTE (Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy). While Ali’s symptoms were primarily motor-related (Parkinsonism), they likely existed on a spectrum of brain damage caused by those thousands of sub-concussive blows.
The Longevity of the Champ
One of the most incredible things about Ali’s journey is how long he lived with the condition. He was diagnosed in '84 and lived until 2016. That’s 32 years. Most people diagnosed with Parkinson’s-related conditions don't have that kind of runway.
He stayed active. He traveled. He lit the Olympic torch in Atlanta in 1996, his hands shaking violently but his spirit clearly unbroken. This visibility did more for Parkinson’s research than almost anything else in history. He became the face of the disease, leading to the creation of the Muhammad Ali Parkinson Center in Phoenix, Arizona.
What We Can Learn From Ali’s Diagnosis
The question of how did Muhammad Ali get Parkinson's disease has fundamentally changed how we look at contact sports. It’s the reason we have stricter concussion protocols in the NFL and why boxing commissions are (theoretically) more careful about aging fighters.
If you or a loved one are worried about similar symptoms, the key is early intervention. Here is the reality of what the medical community learned from Ali’s case:
👉 See also: Does Emmanuel Macron Have Children? The Real Story of the French President’s Family Life
Recognize the "Early Mask"
If you notice a family member losing facial expression—looking "stony" or "frozen"—don't ignore it. It’s often the first sign before the tremors even start.
The Importance of Speech Pathology
Ali’s first symptom was slurring. Early vocal exercises can help maintain the strength of the muscles used for speaking and swallowing, which are often compromised as the disease progresses.
Physical Activity is Non-Negotiable
Ali stayed mobile for as long as he could. Modern science shows that forced-intensity exercise (like "Rock Steady Boxing" programs designed for Parkinson's patients) can actually slow the progression of motor symptoms.
Protect the Head
It sounds obvious, but Ali’s case proved that it isn't just the big knockouts that matter. It’s the "sub-concussive" hits—the ones that don't knock you out but rattle the cage—that do the long-term damage.
Muhammad Ali didn't "catch" Parkinson's. He earned it through a career of unimaginable bravery and physical sacrifice. While his body was eventually silenced, his struggle provided the roadmap for how we treat and understand brain trauma today. He remained "The Greatest" not because he was invincible, but because he showed the world how to lose your physical power without losing your dignity.
The most vital takeaway from Ali’s life with Parkinsonism is the necessity of radical transparency in sports medicine. Had the results of his 1980 Mayo Clinic exams been handled with more gravity, the final years of his life might have looked very different. Today, his legacy lives on through the millions of dollars raised for the Michael J. Fox Foundation and his own center, ensuring that while he took the hits, future generations might not have to.