It has often been suggested that Ali may have been suffering symptoms of his long-standing illness by the time he fought Holmes in Las Vegas, with his speed and reflexes having gone.
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Hollywood star Will Smith and Britain’s former world heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis will help to carry Muhammad Ali’s coffin to his funeral.
“When we think about the legacy of Muhammad Ali, what he did in the ring is not what we think about”. The Dalai Lama was invited but sent regrets that he would be unable to attend.
Family spokesman Bob Gunnell announced the details of the memorial services on Monday.
Ali’s funeral has been scheduled for Friday in Louisville, Ky.
“Everything we’re doing here was blessed by Muhammad Ali and was requested”, Gunnell said.
The services will take place at the KFC Yum!
As previously reported, Muhammad, who was known by many as “The Greatest” and “The People’s Champion”, died on Friday, June 3, from septic shock due to unspecified natural causes at age 74.
Final touches were put to the plans just days before Ali died in Phoenix, Arizona on Friday evening local time after he had been admitted to hospital with respiratory problems following a 35-year battle with Parkinson’s disease. He noted that Ali’s daughter said The Greatest’s heart kept beating a half-hour after the rest of his organs failed. “He was the people’s champ, so we wanted the memorial service to reflect that”.
Lieberman was among those who diagnosed Ali in 1984 and became a good friend as well as his physician. The service will accommodate up to 15,500 people.
The service for the Rumble in the Jungle icon will be streamed around the world to his millions of adoring fans – some of whom have placed flowers, cards and signs outside his childhood home.
Many of these kids never even saw Ali fight.
Former US president Bill Clinton, comedian Billy Crystal and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan are among a number of identities set to speak at the public funeral.
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The procession will then proceed along the city’s main streets, including Muhammad Ali Boulevard, to Cave Hill Cemetery, passing locations that were significant to the former champion.
