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Will Smith, ex-boxer Lewis to serve as Ali pallbearers

Actor Will Smith and former professional boxer Lennox Lewis have been named as pallbearers at late boxing legend Muhammad Ali’s funeral, which will take place on Friday.

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Per a press release, eight people will serve as pallbearers at Friday’s service in Louisville, Kentucky, the icon’s home town.

In case you forgot, the A-lister was nominated for an Oscar for his role depicting the American athlete in the 2001 film Ali.

The three-time heavyweight world champion passed on early Saturday morning at the age of 74 in a Phoenix hospital in Arizona.

The memorial service will be open to the public and streamed live on the internet for those unable to attend.

The interfaith service will also include eulogies delivered by Bill Clinton, Billy Crystal, Bryant Gumbel, and Ali’s widow, Lonnie.

Well said! Our thoughts are with Muhammad’s friends and family during this trying time. Center, for which 15,000 tickets will be available.

The memorial service, at the KFC YUM! “He wanted everyone to be able to attend”, family spokesman Bob Gunnell said.

Ali’s daughter Laila who followed in his footsteps into the boxing ring, told ABC’s Good Morning America on Monday: “I’m obviously really sad”.

“Everything that we’re doing here was blessed by Muhammad Ali and requested”, he explained.

Smith honoured Ali at last year’s (15) Sports Illustrated’s Sportsperson of the Year ceremony, where the Legacy Award was renamed the Sports Illustrated Muhammad Ali Legacy Award.

The official cause of Ali’s death was septic shock due to unspecified natural causes, though his health problems were complicated by a long battle with Parkinson’s disease.

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The following day, Ali’s coffin which arrived in the city on Sunday aboard a private plane accompanied by his wife and other relatives, will be paraded through the streets for fans from around the world to say goodbye.

Muhammed Ali's pallbearers to include Will Smith and Lennox Lewis after 10 years of planning funeral