Muhammad Ali hospitalised with pneumonia

Boxing great Muhammad Ali was hospitalised with a mild case of pneumonia that was caught early and should result in a short hospital stay, an Ali spokesman said.

The three-time world heavyweight champion, who is battling Parkinson's disease, is being treated by his team of doctors and is in stable condition, said his spokesman, Bob Gunnell.

"He went into the hospital this morning," Gunnell said in a phone interview yesterday. "He has a mild case of pneumonia and the prognosis is good."

Gunnell declined to say where the 72-year-old Ali is hospitalized. No other details are being released due to the Ali family's request for privacy, he said.

Ali appeared in public in September to attend a ceremony in his hometown of Louisville for the Muhammad Ali Humanitarian Awards. He did not speak.

Ali retired from boxing in 1981 and devoted himself to social causes. He traveled the world on humanitarian missions, mingling with the masses and rubbing elbows with world leaders.

Ali received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President George W. Bush in 2005.

The Muhammad Ali Center, in Louisville, is dedicated to Ali's humanitarian causes and also showcases his boxing career.

Ali and his wife, Lonnie, have homes in Paradise Valley, Arizona; Berrien Springs, Michigan; and in Louisville.