That's my gut feeling too ... that someone took advantage of him, and I wonder who really got that big paycheck.
Meh - he has Parkinsons, not Alzheimers. He should be as congnitively aware now as he has ever been and I think he probably just wanted to do a public appearance. The Champ knows what people are going to think.... he's a master at assessing public opinion.
I don't see any real opportunity for a big paycheck and believe me, if there's anyone who knows about getting taken advantage of for a big paycheck it's Muhammed (Cassius Clay) Ali.
The world knows he has Parkinsons. I think he probably just wanted to hear the roar of the crowd again.
Why not? How many times have you ever had 50,000 people standing and cheering for you? I'll be it feels pretty good.