Family spokesman Bob Gunnell announced the details of the memorial services on Monday. Ali’s family will accompany his body from Scottsdale, Arizona to Louisville, his hometown in Kentucky.
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Information about securing tickets for an Islamic prayer service on Thursday at Freedom Hall arena and an interfaith service at KFC Yum!
The boxer will be buried in a private service at the city’s Cave Hill Cemetery.
Former US President Bill Clinton will deliver a eulogy, while comedian Billy Crystal and journalist Bryant Gumbel are also expected to speak, according to The BBC.
Ali, dubbed the greatest boxer off all time by many, died after a respiratory illness that was complicated by Parkinson’s disease.
Geingob also recognised the criticism that Ali had endured from fellow Americans, including some from his own community for renouncing his birth name – Cassius Clay – who was the son of a slave owner, and during his conversion to Islam by taking on the name, Muhammad Ali. And the world is better for it. “We are all better for it. Michelle and I send our deepest condolences to his family, and we pray that the greatest fighter of them all finally rests in peace”, President Barack Obama said in a statement.
Ali died on Friday (03Jun16), at the age of 74, following a 32-year battle with Parkinson’s disease.
“All of his organs failed but his heart wouldn’t spot beating”.
Ali took on all challengers – even when onlookers didn’t give him a chance – and beat most, recording just five losses over the course of his professional career. “A true testament to the strength of his Spirit and Will!”
The incredible details of three-time heavyweight champion Ali’s final moments were made public by his daughter Hana in an emotional post on Twitter.
Just last year, Smith honored Ali at Sports Illustrated’s Sportsperson of the Year ceremony, where the Legacy Award was renamed the Sports Illustrated Muhammad Ali Legacy Award. “The Louisville Lip spoke to everyone, but we heard him in a way no one else could – as our brother, our uncle, and our inspiration”.
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Another makeshift memorial grew outside the Muhammad Ali Center downtown, a museum built in tribute to Ali’s core values: respect, confidence, conviction, dedication, charity, and spirituality.
