President Barack Obama yesterday led a flood of global tributes for boxing legend Muhammad Ali, as preparations were made for a final farewell to The Champ in his hometown of Louisville, Kentucky.
Ali, the three-time world heavyweight champion and colourful civil rights activist whose fame transcended the world of sports and made him an iconic figure of the 20th century, died on Friday at age 74 after a long battle with Parkinson’s disease.
The dazzling fighter had been admitted to an Arizona hospital last week with respiratory problems.
From political leaders to sports figures to Hollywood’s A-list, the world paused to remember “The Greatest”, whose remarkable career spanned three decades.
He is to be buried in Louisville next Friday.
The city lowered flags to half-staff in his honour early yesterday, as fans flocked to his modest childhood home, now a museum, to pay their respects and leave flowers.