Editing Muhammad Ali (section)

===Later career===
[[File:Anderson ali.jpg|thumb|Ali being interviewed by [[WBAL-TV]]'s [[Curt Anderson]] in [[Baltimore]], 1978]]
On February 2, 1976, Ali defeated [[Jean-Pierre Coopman]] by 5th round knockout. The WBC Heavyweight title was not on the line for this fight. On April 30, 1976, Ali would fight [[Jimmy Young (boxer)|Jimmy Young]] and win a controversial unanimous decision. Howard Cosell would remark that he had "never seen Ali so off in his timing" and when asked on his performance against Young in the post-fight interview, Ali stated that he was "getting old" and that he was "preserving his energy" for Ken Norton.<ref>{{Citation |title=Muhammad Ali vs Jimmy Young ABC 1080p 60fps (1976) |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MR0Wg_XDSoY |language=en |access-date=January 25, 2023 |archive-date=January 25, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230125232742/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MR0Wg_XDSoY |url-status=live }}</ref> On May 24, 1976, Ali defeated [[Richard Dunn (boxer)|Richard Dunn]], winning by 5th round technical knockout. The punch used to knock Dunn out was taught to Ali by [[Taekwondo]] [[Grandmaster (martial arts)|Grandmaster]] [[Jhoon Rhee]]. Rhee called that punch the "Accupunch"; he learned it from [[Bruce Lee]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.jhoonrhee.com/bio7.html |title=Jhoon Rhee, Father of American Tae Kwon Do |website=jhoonrhee.com |access-date=May 1, 2019 |archive-date=May 6, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190506223915/http://www.jhoonrhee.com/bio7.html }}</ref> The Dunn fight was the last time Ali would knock an opponent out in his boxing career.

Ali fought [[Ken Norton]] for the third time in September 1976. The bout, which was held at [[Yankee Stadium (1923)|Yankee Stadium]], resulted in Ali winning a controversial decision that ringside commentators had scored in favor of Norton. Afterwards, he announced he was retiring from boxing to practice his faith, having converted to [[Sunni Islam]] after falling out with the Nation of Islam the previous year.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.newspaperarchive.com/SiteMap/FreePdfPreview.aspx?img=110827611%3Fsec%3DSports |title=Champion Ali Quits Boxing |work=The Paris News |page=12 |access-date=October 19, 2011 |date=October 1, 1976 |archive-date=June 7, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120607021747/http://www.newspaperarchive.com/SiteMap/FreePdfPreview.aspx?img=110827611%3Fsec%3DSports |url-status=live }}</ref>

After returning to beat [[Alfredo Evangelista]] in May 1977, Ali struggled in his next fight against [[Earnie Shavers]] that September, getting pummeled a few times by punches to the head. Ali won the fight by another unanimous decision, but the bout caused his longtime doctor [[Ferdie Pacheco]] to quit after he was rebuffed for telling Ali he should retire. Pacheco was quoted as saying, "the New York State Athletic Commission gave me a report that showed Ali's kidneys were falling apart. I wrote to Angelo Dundee, Ali's trainer, his wife and Ali himself. I got nothing back in response. That's when I decided enough is enough."<ref name="Hauser 2004" />

In February 1978, Ali faced [[Leon Spinks]] at the Hilton Hotel in [[Las Vegas]]. At the time, Spinks had only seven professional fights to his credit, and had recently fought a draw with journeyman Scott LeDoux. Ali sparred less than two dozen rounds in preparation for the fight and was seriously out of shape by the opening bell. He lost the title by split decision. A rematch occurred in September at the [[Mercedes-Benz Superdome|Superdome]] in New Orleans, Louisiana. 70,000 people attended the bout and paid a total of $6&nbsp;million admission, making it the largest live gate in boxing history at that time.<ref name="Times-Picayune, New Orleans, Peter Finney's column from 1978">[http://www.nola.com/sports/index.ssf/2016/06/read_peter_finneys_column_from.html Read Peter Finney's column on Ali vs. Spinks 2 at the Superdome in 1978] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180419053449/http://www.nola.com/sports/index.ssf/2016/06/read_peter_finneys_column_from.html |date=April 19, 2018 }}, ''The Times-Picayune'' NOLA.com (New Orleans, LA.), re-posted on June 4, 2016.</ref> Ali won a unanimous decision in an uninspiring fight, with referee Lucien Joubert scoring rounds 10–4, judge Ernie Cojoe 10–4, and judge Herman Preis 11–4. This made Ali the first heavyweight champion to win the belt three times.<ref>''Muhammad Ali, The Glory Years'', Felix Dennis and Don Atyeo, p. 258.</ref><ref name="RingsideReport.com, Kevin Kincade, 2016">[http://ringsidereport.com/?p=63321 The Last Flight of the Butterfly: Remembering Ali vs Spinks II] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180419053533/http://ringsidereport.com/?p=63321 |date=April 19, 2018 }}, RingsideReport.com, Kevin "The Voice" Kincade, September 22, 2016.</ref>

Following this win, on July 27, 1979, Ali announced his retirement from boxing. His retirement was short-lived, however; Ali announced his comeback to face [[Larry Holmes]] for the WBC belt in an attempt to win the heavyweight championship an unprecedented fourth time. The fight was largely motivated by Ali's need for money. Boxing writer [[Richie Giachetti]] said, "Larry didn't want to fight Ali. He knew Ali had nothing left; he knew it would be a horror."

It was around this time that Ali started struggling with vocal stutters and trembling hands.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2012/12/21/us/muhammad-ali-fast-facts |title=Muhammad Ali Fast Facts |work=CNN|access-date=February 20, 2013 |archive-date=March 27, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130327055610/http://edition.cnn.com/2012/12/21/us/muhammad-ali---fast-facts |url-status=live }}</ref> The [[Nevada Athletic Commission]] (NAC) ordered that he undergo a complete physical in Las Vegas before being allowed to fight again. Ali chose instead to check into the [[Mayo Clinic]], who declared him fit to fight. Their opinion was accepted by the NAC on July 31, 1980, paving the way for Ali's return to the ring.<ref name="LVSun 50">{{cite news |url=http://www.lasvegassun.com/muhammad-ali/timeline/ |title=Timeline: Fifty years of Las Vegas memories for Muhammad Ali |newspaper=Las Vegas Sun |access-date=November 12, 2013 |last=Koch |first=Ed |archive-date=November 12, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131112134317/http://www.lasvegassun.com/muhammad-ali/timeline/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

====Fight stoppage vs. Larry Holmes====
{{main|Larry Holmes vs. Muhammad Ali}}
On October 2, 1980, Ali returned to the ring to fight Holmes at [[Caesars Palace]] in [[Las Vegas]]. Holmes, who fought under the nickname "The [[Easton, Pennsylvania|Easton]] Assassin", easily dominated Ali. After the tenth round, [[Angelo Dundee]] stepped into the ring and instructed the referee to stop the fight. It was the only time Ali ever lost by [[technical knockout|stoppage]].

Immediately after the fight, Ali was given painkillers and antidepressants, in violation of World Boxing Council rules prohibiting the administration of any drug before the postfight urinalysis.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Barnes |first1=Bart |title=Ali Faces Ring Suspension |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/sports/1980/10/15/ali-faces-ring-suspension/20b7b27d-ce78-485e-9b10-399387218d5a/ |newspaper=The Washington Post |access-date=April 5, 2023 |language=English |date=October 15, 1980 |archive-date=August 28, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170828170407/https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/sports/1980/10/15/ali-faces-ring-suspension/20b7b27d-ce78-485e-9b10-399387218d5a/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Eig |first1=Jonathan |title=Failed drug test was sign of the great man's decline |url=https://www.thetimes.com/sport/article/failed-drug-test-was-sign-of-the-great-mans-decline-bcrwwbvnj |website=The Times |access-date=April 5, 2023 |language=English |date=September 30, 2017 |archive-date=November 11, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221111191348/https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/failed-drug-test-was-sign-of-the-great-mans-decline-bcrwwbvnj |url-status=live }}</ref>

Giachetti called the fight "awful...the worst sports event I ever had to cover". Actor [[Sylvester Stallone]] was ringside for the fight and said that it was like watching an autopsy on a man who is still alive.<ref name="Hauser 2004" /> The Holmes fight is said to have contributed to Ali's [[Parkinson's syndrome]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/27/arts/television/27muhammad.html |work=The New York Times |title=Boxing King Casts His Shadow, Even at Time of Defeat |date=October 26, 2009 |access-date=March 5, 2012 |first1=Mike |last1=Hale |archive-date=March 10, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120310053609/http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/27/arts/television/27muhammad.html? |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>[https://www.cbc.ca/sports/muhammad-ali-doctor-doubts-parkinsons-1.3619442 ''AP''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201112024309/https://www.cbc.ca/sports/muhammad-ali-doctor-doubts-parkinsons-1.3619442 |date=November 12, 2020 }} "Muhammad Ali's doctor doubts boxing led to Parkinson's", ''Associated Press'' via ''CBC'', June 6. 2016. Retrieved September 1, 2018.</ref><ref name="nytimes" /> Despite pleas to definitively retire, Ali fought one last time on [[Muhammad Ali vs. Trevor Berbick|December 11, 1981]], in Nassau, [[Bahamas]], against [[Trevor Berbick]], losing a ten-round decision.<ref>{{cite news |title=Ali to try again? |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1870&dat=19810816&id=9_EwAAAAIBAJ&pg=2603,113296&hl=en |newspaper=The Daytona Beach Sunday News-Journal |agency=Associated Press |date=August 16, 1981 |access-date=June 4, 2016 |archive-date=August 28, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210828083317/https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1870&dat=19810816&id=9_EwAAAAIBAJ&pg=2603%2C113296&hl=en |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=It's all over for Ali after loss |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2199&dat=19811212&id=XKUyAAAAIBAJ&pg=3700,2405394&hl=en |newspaper=Lawrence Journal-World |agency=Associated Press |date=December 12, 1981 |access-date=June 4, 2016 |archive-date=September 29, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210929102632/https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2199&dat=19811212&id=XKUyAAAAIBAJ&pg=3700,2405394&hl=en |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |first=William |last=Nack |author-link=William Nack |title=Not with a bang but a whisper |url=https://www.si.com/vault/1981/12/21/826243/not-with-a-bang-but-a-whisper-after-losing-to-trevor-berbick-a-subdued-muhammad-ali-softly-admitted-that-his-illustrious-career-had-come-to-an-end |magazine=Sports Illustrated |date=December 21, 1981 |access-date=June 4, 2016 |archive-date=June 9, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160609212952/http://www.si.com/vault/1981/12/21/826243/not-with-a-bang-but-a-whisper-after-losing-to-trevor-berbick-a-subdued-muhammad-ali-softly-admitted-that-his-illustrious-career-had-come-to-an-end |url-status=live }}</ref>