Muhammad Ali left an undisclosed hospital Tuesday night after 17 days and is now preparing to celebrate his 73rd birthday, a family spokesman announced this week.
The former three-time world heavyweight boxing champion entered a Louisville hospital Dec. 20 for a severe
urinary tract infection, the Courier-Journal reported. It was initially reported that the boxing legend entered the hospital at that time because of pneumonia, wrote the newspaper.
Ali's spokesman Bob Gunnell told the Courier-Journal that the boxer is now recovering at home and will celebrate his birthday on Jan. 17.
The boxer formerly known as Cassius Clay has suffered from Parkinson's syndrome for years. Parkinson's disease is a progressive, neurodegenerative disease that affects normal bodily functions such as breathing, balance, movement, and heart functions,
according to the Michael Stern Parkinson's Research Foundation.
Ali's brother, Rahman Ali, said in October at the premiere of the documentary "I Am Ali" that his brother's health had declined to the point where Ali was too ill to speak.
Ali, though, took to Twitter Oct. 14 to say that he was fine.
"Muhammad is doing fine at this point," Gunnell told the Courier-Journal in October. "His speaking style is lower in tone, and as the day goes on, he doesn't speak as well as he does in the morning. But Muhammad's a strong person for his age and for the disease he has."
Earlier in December, the Courier-Journal stated that Ali traveled to Las Vegas to watch his grandson play in a state championship high school football game.