Muhammad Ali the Greatest RIP Legend

[SugarBoxing]

Bowie, Prince, Ali, Kimbo - four horsemen of apocalypse!

[Master]

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

[Beanz]

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.

[SlimTrae]

Bowie, Prince, Ali, Kimbo - four horsemen of apocalypse!

Until now I didn't know about Kimbo. Until I googled Kimbo...its been all Ali.

Glad to read Kimbo wasn't a substance abuser. Street fighter to MMA. Great depth to have risen.

[Master]

Bowie, Prince, Ali, Kimbo - four horsemen of apocalypse!

Until now I didn't know about Kimbo. Until I googled Kimbo...its been all Ali.

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.

[Dia bando]

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.

[walrus]

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

[walrus]

Muhammad Ali has become too mainstream and with non black people I get the feeling that there admiration runs along the lines of "Yeah, Ali had a reason to complain, but today's blacks have no reason"

Even in the UK. Ali's death was the main news headline on the BBC and an extended slot at that. I think they forgot that Muhammad Ali was savage with white people



His mouth was reckless and I love it

They couldn't even wait till his body was cold to start lying when the evidence is out here "He was such a gentle giant! We loved him and this is what I shall tell my children."

No chump, he lit into y'all asses, y'all hated it and you're happy he is finally at rest so you can finally act un-bothered by all the old footage documenting the very Black Pride that y'all FEAR. They kill me with that mess

What I like EVEN MORE is he never took a single word of it back.

I don't recall Ali ever back-pedalling with his words. He said it, he meant it, and he stood by it to the end.

He was before my time, but he transcended generations with his bravery. This is what I looked up to with Ali. I wasn't around when he was THE fighter to beat, but the guts he had to defend our people was the bravest characteristic about him.

He was NOT afraid of these racist ass white boys.

This is why I'm going to refuse to watch the CNN and BBC coverage of him and all these other news outlets and their whitewashing of him. White folks didn't give a f*ck about Ali until he started shaking.

I know Ali used to shake his head in disgust at today's athletes and entertainers. They are a bunch of cowards with no substance even though they have more money and power than Ali and his fellow celebrities had at the time.

He actually went broke for standing up for what he believed in. He was truly the GOAT in more ways than one.

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 human

Now back to the topic RIP Ali thanks for your spirit

[SugarBoxing]

Glad to read Kimbo wasn't a substance abuser.

I feel like he was actually ... I would not claim though ... but there is some indirect evidence

[Master]

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

[Master]

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