Gordon Parks via Associated Press

The Greatest: Muhammad Ali turned 65 today

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The Greatest

Muhammad Ali turns 65 today. The heavyweight champion who shocked the world has moved from Michigan to the desert to be out of the cold. Visitors to his home in Scottsdale, Ariz., often find him absorbed in the past, watching films of his fights and documentaries on his life. His body is ravaged by Parkinson's disease and the effects of recent spinal surgery, so he can't really talk about himself anymore. But others can:

The daughter

Of all his children, Hana Ali may be the closest to her dad. "He needs people like we need the air to breathe," she said. "He knows how great he is, but at the same time he's very humble. He's shocked to see how people still love him and remember him. You see his eyes light up and it takes him back a moment when they chant `Ali, Ali.' It's like charging a battery up."

The circle

Gene Kilroy traveled the world at Ali's side as his business manager. Kilroy was known mostly for being the man who got things done. "I consider myself one of the luckiest guys in the world just to call him my friend," Kilroy said. "If I was to die today and go to heaven it would be a step down. My heaven was being with Ali."

The opponent

Larry Holmes was proudest of the black eye. He got it as an amateur the first time he stepped into the ring for a sparring session with Ali at his training camp in Deer Lake, Pa. "I didn't want to put ice on it," Holmes said. "Having him give me a black eye meant a lot to me."

The promoter

Bob Arum wonders if it was somehow partly his fault. A lot of the punches Ali took came on his watch. Arum promoted 25 of Ali's 61 fights. "He was full of life, like nobody I've ever seen in my life," Arum said. "Now to see what is essentially a shell of what was is hard. Every time I see him I'm glad to see him, but I feel terrible."

The shooter

Howard Bingham had no idea his life would change that day, in 1962, when he went to take pictures of a young fighter at a Los Angeles news conference. "My assignment that day was to cover this big loudmouth coming into town," said Bingham. "I had never really heard of him." Bingham has been with Ali ever since and calls him his best friend. "I can't believe that on January 17, 2007, he'll be 65," Bingham said. "It just doesn't seem real."