He recently denied rumors that he is close to death and can barely speak.

And Muhammad Ali appeared in good spirits on Saturday as he posted a beaming selfie online.

In the Instagram photo, the 72-year-old boxing great, who suffers from Parkinson's disease, was seen donning a red Louisville shirt to cheer on the Cardinals as they took on the Kentucky Wildcats.

Alongside the image, he wrote: '#Louisville Game Day! Go Cards!'

Ali, a three-time world heavyweight champion, set up his Instagram profile just three weeks ago. He has so far posted nine photos and has gained more than 120,000 followers.

In addition, he has more than 405,000 followers on Twitter and nearly eight million on Facebook.

The former athlete is believed to have watched his side triumph over Kentucky 44-40 at Papa John's Cardinal Stadium in the comfort of his own Louisville home. The team is now bound for a bowl game.

(dailymail.co.uk)

ANN.Az