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| Muhammad Ali funeral: Tens of thousands to say farewell in Louisville | Muhammad Ali funeral: Tens of thousands to say farewell in Louisville |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| Tens of thousands of people are set to say a final farewell to boxing legend Muhammad Ali in his home city of Louisville in Kentucky. | Tens of thousands of people are set to say a final farewell to boxing legend Muhammad Ali in his home city of Louisville in Kentucky. |
| The heavyweight champion and rights activist died last Friday aged 74. | The heavyweight champion and rights activist died last Friday aged 74. |
| A procession will take Ali's body past key sites in his life, ahead of an interfaith memorial service. | A procession will take Ali's body past key sites in his life, ahead of an interfaith memorial service. |
| Actor Will Smith and ex-boxer Lennox Lewis will be among the pallbearers, while former President Bill Clinton will deliver one of the eulogies. | Actor Will Smith and ex-boxer Lennox Lewis will be among the pallbearers, while former President Bill Clinton will deliver one of the eulogies. |
| Tens of thousands are expected to line the streets for the procession, while free tickets for the 18,000-strong memorial service, taking place at a major sports centre, were snapped up within half an hour. | Tens of thousands are expected to line the streets for the procession, while free tickets for the 18,000-strong memorial service, taking place at a major sports centre, were snapped up within half an hour. |
| The motorcade procession will begin at about 09:00 local time (13:00 GMT) and take the coffin past his childhood home, the Ali Center, the Center for African American Heritage and then down Muhammad Ali Boulevard. | |
| The procession, expected to take about 90 minutes, will end at the Cave Hill Cemetery where Ali will be laid to rest in a private ceremony. | |
| The funeral service at the KFC Yum! Centre will begin at 14:00 local time. | The funeral service at the KFC Yum! Centre will begin at 14:00 local time. |
| Muhammad Ali: 1942-2016 | Muhammad Ali: 1942-2016 |
| The man who changed his sport and his country | The man who changed his sport and his country |
| 'No sportsman has touched more lives' | 'No sportsman has touched more lives' |
| Obituary: Muhammad Ali | Obituary: Muhammad Ali |
| Muhammad Ali in his own words | Muhammad Ali in his own words |
| What made him so great? | What made him so great? |
| Comedian Billy Crystal will also deliver a eulogy, while sports journalist Bryant Gumbel, the daughter of civil rights activist Malcolm X, Attallah Shabazz, and Ali's wife, Lonnie, and daughters, Maryum and Rasheda, are also expected to speak. | Comedian Billy Crystal will also deliver a eulogy, while sports journalist Bryant Gumbel, the daughter of civil rights activist Malcolm X, Attallah Shabazz, and Ali's wife, Lonnie, and daughters, Maryum and Rasheda, are also expected to speak. |
| Among those expected to attend the service are Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and King Abdullah of Jordan. | Among those expected to attend the service are Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and King Abdullah of Jordan. |
| President Barack Obama will not be there, as he is to attend his eldest daughter Malia's graduation. | President Barack Obama will not be there, as he is to attend his eldest daughter Malia's graduation. |
| But in a video message, he said: "This week we lost an icon. A person who for African Americans, I think, liberated their minds in recognising that they could be proud of who they were." | But in a video message, he said: "This week we lost an icon. A person who for African Americans, I think, liberated their minds in recognising that they could be proud of who they were." |
| White House senior adviser Valerie Jarrett - who knew Ali - will represent the president. | White House senior adviser Valerie Jarrett - who knew Ali - will represent the president. |
| Lennox Lewis, a former world heavyweight boxing champion himself, said it was an honour to be a pallbearer and that Ali's memory would never fade. | Lennox Lewis, a former world heavyweight boxing champion himself, said it was an honour to be a pallbearer and that Ali's memory would never fade. |
| "The term 'float like a butterfly, sting like a bee' will always be remembered. He is an icon and a legend of boxing," he said. | "The term 'float like a butterfly, sting like a bee' will always be remembered. He is an icon and a legend of boxing," he said. |
| The other pallbearers are family and friends, along with Will Smith, who portrayed Ali in the 2001 film about the boxer's life. | The other pallbearers are family and friends, along with Will Smith, who portrayed Ali in the 2001 film about the boxer's life. |
| Abi Ajram, 48, who has made a 4,000-mile trip from London to pay his respects, told PA: "I feel Muhammad Ali deserved the world turning up for him. He was the number one." | Abi Ajram, 48, who has made a 4,000-mile trip from London to pay his respects, told PA: "I feel Muhammad Ali deserved the world turning up for him. He was the number one." |
| The funeral service will be streamed live online. | The funeral service will be streamed live online. |
| One sour note was the report that some people were trying to sell the free tickets to the service on the internet. | One sour note was the report that some people were trying to sell the free tickets to the service on the internet. |
| Ali family spokesman Bob Gunnell said he was "personally disgusted" at attempts to profit from the event. | Ali family spokesman Bob Gunnell said he was "personally disgusted" at attempts to profit from the event. |
| 'Teaching moment' | 'Teaching moment' |
| The funeral events began on Thursday with a Muslim prayer service attended by 14,000 people. | The funeral events began on Thursday with a Muslim prayer service attended by 14,000 people. |
| Ali wanted the service, known as a Jenazah, to be "a teaching moment", according to Imam Zaid Shakir, who led it. | Ali wanted the service, known as a Jenazah, to be "a teaching moment", according to Imam Zaid Shakir, who led it. |
| Muslim scholar Sherman Jackson said: "The passing of Muhammad Ali has made us all feel a little more alone in the world. Something solid, something big, beautiful and life-affirming has left." | Muslim scholar Sherman Jackson said: "The passing of Muhammad Ali has made us all feel a little more alone in the world. Something solid, something big, beautiful and life-affirming has left." |
| Boxing promoter Don King, civil rights leader Jesse Jackson and singer Yusuf Islam, formerly known as Cat Stevens, were among those at the event. | Boxing promoter Don King, civil rights leader Jesse Jackson and singer Yusuf Islam, formerly known as Cat Stevens, were among those at the event. |
| American Muslims attending the service and watching on TV said they hoped that the public prayers would help Americans to become more familiar with Islam and its practices. | American Muslims attending the service and watching on TV said they hoped that the public prayers would help Americans to become more familiar with Islam and its practices. |
| In 1964, Ali famously converted to Islam, changing his name from Cassius Clay, which he called his "slave name". | In 1964, Ali famously converted to Islam, changing his name from Cassius Clay, which he called his "slave name". |
| He first joined the Nation of Islam, a controversial black separatist movement, before later converting to mainstream Islam. | He first joined the Nation of Islam, a controversial black separatist movement, before later converting to mainstream Islam. |
| In his boxing career, he fought a total of 61 times as a professional, losing five times and winning 37 bouts by knockout. | In his boxing career, he fought a total of 61 times as a professional, losing five times and winning 37 bouts by knockout. |
| Soon after retiring, rumours began to circulate about the state of his health. | Soon after retiring, rumours began to circulate about the state of his health. |
| Parkinson's Syndrome was eventually diagnosed but Ali continued to make public appearances, receiving warm welcomes wherever he travelled. | Parkinson's Syndrome was eventually diagnosed but Ali continued to make public appearances, receiving warm welcomes wherever he travelled. |
| He lit the Olympic cauldron at the 1996 Games in Atlanta and carried the Olympic flag at the opening ceremony for the 2012 Games in London. | He lit the Olympic cauldron at the 1996 Games in Atlanta and carried the Olympic flag at the opening ceremony for the 2012 Games in London. |
| He was crowned "Sportsman of the Century" by Sports Illustrated and "Sports Personality of the Century" by the BBC. | He was crowned "Sportsman of the Century" by Sports Illustrated and "Sports Personality of the Century" by the BBC. |