After the sad passing of “The Greatest” – former world heavyweight Muhammad Ali – the tributes have been pouring in at an extraordinary rate.
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On the morning of the funeral, the casket will be paraded through the streets of Louisville, so fans from around the world can say goodbye.
The youngest daughter of boxing great Muhammad Ali has broken her silence on the death of her father, citing she has comfort in knowing he is no longer suffering.
Actor Will Smith, who portrayed Muhammad Ali in the movie Ali, and former world heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis are among eight pallbearers for the memorial service this week in Louisville. Ali’s family will accompany his body from Scottsdale, Arizona to Louisville, his hometown in Kentucky.
But when Foreman – who called Ali his “best friend” – joined the guys on the “TMZ Sports” TV show (airs tonight on FS1). we asked if Ali privately regretted taking things so far with his old foe.
The conversation took place shortly after Fox was diagnosed, while Ali had been diagnosed almost a decade earlier in 1984.
Official events start with a private ceremony on Thursday, followed by an Islamic service for the public at Freedom Hall, the site of Ali’s last professional fight in Louisville, where he defeated Willi Besmanoff on Nov 29, 1961. Manny Pacquiao, the Filipino world boxing champ of his time, captured Ali’s role best: “Boxing benefitted from Muhammad Ali’s talents, but not almost as much as mankind benefited from his humanity”.
“My dad was not only the best fighter ever, but also such a great man, and there will never be anyone else like him”, Ali said.
“The service, the funeral plans were done years ago by Mr Ali who discussed them personally”.
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But Ali’s athletic achievements didn’t define him – they were just part of a package and it was perhaps what he did outside of the ring that turned him into the man we know. “All family members were having a tough time“, he said. “I was shadow-boxing earlier in the day / I figured I was ready for Cassius Clay”, Dylan sang on the track, which he recorded after Ali defeated Sonny Liston in February 1964 to become heavyweight champion for the first time. Ali’s burial will be at Cave Hill Cemetery, according to Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer.
