Bowie, Prince, Ali, Kimbo - four horsemen of apocalypse!
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Bowie, Prince, Ali, Kimbo - four horsemen of apocalypse!
Muhammad Ali: Lennox Lewis and Will Smith to carry coffin at funeral
Britain's former world heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis and actor Will Smith will be pallbearers at Muhammad Ali's funeral on Friday.
London-born Lewis, 50, became undisputed world champion in 1999, while American Smith, 47, played Ali in the 2001 film of the same name.
Three-time heavyweight world champion Ali died last Friday at the age of 74 in hospital in Phoenix, Arizona.
His funeral will be held in his home town of Louisville, Kentucky.
"I am humbled, and honoured, beyond words to help see my hero, Muhammad Ali, off to his final resting place," said Lewis, in a statement.
"Ali has always been an enormous inspiration to me, not only in my boxing career, but also in life. His journey began 74 years ago, and in that time, he not only transformed the world of sport, he used sport to transform the world."
The other pallbearers will be Jerry Ellis, the brother of Jimmy Ellis, Ali's former sparring partner and fellow world heavyweight champion, Ali's cousins John Grady and Jan Wadell, nephew Ibn Ali, former brother-in-law Komawi Ali and family friend John Ramsey.
Friday's service, which will be attended by a number of world leaders, heads of state and celebrities, will be open to the public and streamed live on the internet. It starts at 19:00 BST.
Muhammad Ali: Lennox Lewis and Will Smith to carry coffin at funeral - BBC Sport
Hugh Mcllvanney a great writer and certainly amongst the best, possibly THE best sports writer said after his defeat at the hands of Joe Frazier
"The world would be uninhabitable if all of us dreamt on the epic scale of Ali, but it would be a considerably drabber place if one among us had not done so"
It is easy to dismiss such things as trite and over sentimental but Mcllvanney himself acknowledged that Ali's own heroic vision of himself was in some ways bizarre. It was validated though when he was able to retain that mystique even after defeat. Ali was not just mouthing platitudes when he spoke of the noble Joe Frazier a great man, a great hitter and later in Manila insisting he didn't want anybody putting Frazier down because he could not have withstood what Joe had that night.
Ali knew he was just a man but he dared to create something bigger with real hard work and substance unlike many of the so called dreamers today.
He was a real man, a real fighter with an unreal ability to take punishment but he first had to put an image into peoples heads a template, an icon that they would remember and he could use in creating and sustaining the mystique of a new kind of fighter, an entertainer that could sting,punish, baffle and frustrate in equal measure. The Williams fight ,it's not his greatest fight because he is not being pushed and tested but as an exercise in creating greatness it's pretty instructive.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W5UW0wfAYbM
Until now I didn't know about Kimbo. Until I googled Kimbo...its been all Ali.Quote:
Originally Posted by NVSemin
Glad to read Kimbo wasn't a substance abuser. Street fighter to MMA. Great depth to have risen.
Same here! I thought NVSemin was crazy when he wrote it. I liked Limbo and his fights on you tube.Quote:
Originally Posted by SlimTraeUntil now I didn't know about Kimbo. Until I googled Kimbo...its been all Ali.Quote:
Originally Posted by NVSemin
Glad to read Kimbo wasn't a substance abuser. Street fighter to MMA. Great depth to have risen.
Ali was and is a icon he done more for boxing than any other fighters past or present.
The World has lost some spark Ali had a way about him in and out the ring.
This day has come he will be missed, back in the 60s watching him on TV with my Dad, great memories.
I was kid I was mesmerised by this man, never seen a fighter like him, and probably never will in my life time RIp The Greatest
Muhammad Ali.
It's very sad he struggled with such a terrible illness for so many years. Ali was before my time but I've probably watched all of his fights or at least all those I found on u tube and video. The guy was bigger than life. I don't think he was the best well perhaps in the sixties but he was one of the greats of all time. Damn did he know how to promote and put on a show. Probably never see anyone like him again. Oddly, his daughter just spent two months in jail as an undercover inmate looking to improve prison conditions. It was filmed for American tv. She seemed like a very nice person, I hope she and all of his family are well
Dude why you have to take a piss on everything. We are honoring a great boxer no one is saying anything about race. Damn @denilson200 you really are a shitty humanQuote:
Originally Posted by denilson200
Now back to the topic RIP Ali thanks for your spirit
I feel like he was actually ... I would not claim though ... but there is some indirect evidenceQuote:
Originally Posted by SlimTrae
http://ichef.bbci.co.uk/live-experie...i033380357.jpg
Key Points
Thousands have gathered in Ali's hometown of Louisville, Kentucky, for his funeral
Ali, a heavyweight champion and civil rights activist, died last Friday aged 74
Actor Will Smith and ex-boxer Lennox Lewis are pallbearers
Former president Bill Clinton will deliver a eulogy
Tickets to the funeral were free and many have gathered outside the sports centre to pay tribute
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/world-us-canada-36501382