Natasha Mundkur: Ali changed my life
Former President Clinton talks about Ali’s gifts
A farewell to the people’s champion
Bill Clinton: Remembering Ali
Ali’s gifts were inside all of us
In the second half of his life, he perfected the gifts we all have
— Former President Clinton during his eulogy
Former President Clinton takes the podium
Ali is bigger than ever
Crystal: Ali ‘never lost his sense of humor’
Still the greatest
Half a century and a lifetime of experience later, I am still awestruck and I am still convinced he is the greatest.
— Bryant Gumbel, during his eulogy of Muhammad Ali
Making us all a little better than we were
Billy Crystal brings laughs on a sad day
‘Impossible is never enough to knock us down’
Shaking up the world
You shook up the world in life, and now you are shaking up the world in death.
— Rasheda Ali-Walsh, daughter of Muhammed Ali.
Ali rewrote the rules
If Muhammad didn’t like the rules, he rewrote them.
— Lonnie Ali, during her eulogy
Valerie Jarret reads President Obama’s statement
Champions in attendance
Attallah Shabazz, Malcolm X’s daughter, takes podium
Rabbi Michael Lerner’s remarks
Moving chants from Buddhist monks
Native leaders are also present at service
‘The power of sainthood’
As we rode in the streets, I have never seen something like this. I witnessed the power of sainthood.
— Imam Zaid Shakir, during the Ali memorial service
A service much like Ali himself
The best way to honor Ali
All denominations present at the Ali memorial
When the talk turns to Hillary Clinton’s presidency
One of Ali’s greatest legacies
Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch remembers Ali’s greatness
Wisdom from the pulpit
Don’t give a teenager a phone and don’t give a preacher a microphone.
— Imam Zaid Shakir during the Ali memorial service
Ali, the unifier until the end
Sen. Orrin Hatch takes the podium
The winners circle and the mud
Rev. Cosby remembers Ali
Funeral procession draws 100,000 people
Louisville police estimate that more than 100,000 people turned out for Muhammad Ali’s funeral procession in his hometown.
Fans of the three-time heavyweight boxing champion lined the streets Friday for an emotional goodbye to famed boxer.
The miles-long procession spanned his life — from his boyhood home to the boulevard that bears his name and the museum that stands as a lasting tribute to his boxing triumphs and his humanitarian causes.
Memorial service ready to start
Ali brought us all together
Ali family arrives at memorial service
Today’s speakers at memorial service
Starting time for Muhammad Ali memorial service pushed back
The starting time for the memorial service for Muhammad Ali has been pushed back.
The service had been scheduled to start at 2 p.m. local time, but with the miles-long funeral procession still underway at 12:30 p.m., organizers at the KFC Yum! Center said the start time of the interfaith memorial service was pushed back by at least two hours.
The funeral procession didn’t get begin until nearly 90 minutes after its scheduled start time. The hearse is headed to Cave Hill Cemetery, where Ali will be buried.
From one great to another
Watch Muhammad Ali memorial live
Ali’s lessons of grace and kindness are on display
Hundreds lined the rail at Louisville’s Belvedere Plaza, overlooking Interstate 64, just next to the Muhammad Ali Center.
“Here comes the champ!” one man shouted as the funeral procession neared and the crowd fell silent.
The motorcade rolled to a stop.
“Ali! Ali! Ali!” the crowd screamed. People jumped and waved. Down below, the windows of limousines rolled down and arms stretched out to wave back.
Edward Fletcher swore he saw actor Will Smith wave at him.
The procession paused on the interstate for one minute in the shadow of the museum that will stand as a lasting tribute to the Louisville Lip’s legacy.
“My heart is racing,” said Mona Fletcher, Edward’s wife. “I feel like I should cry; they’d be tears of joy. What an honor, what a blessing I was able to witness this great moment.”
The Fletchers brought their 11-year-old granddaughter, Iyanna Cleveland, from their home in Atlanta.
Edward, a 62-year-old retired firefighter, said he admired Ali since he was a young boy. Ali taught him to be strong and have conviction, to believe in his own greatness and to rely on God, he said.
Alan Hensley, from Indiana, was standing against the rail when he saw Iyanna behind him struggling to see. He offered her his spot against the rail.
Mona Fletcher remarked that it was symbolic of what Ali stood for: grace and kindness, even if it cost him the best view.
More tributes to the champ
Turkish president cuts short funeral trip
An estimated half-million line the streets
The long line of greatness
Some chant, others quiet as Ali hearse sets off
Hundreds lined the streets of a busy Louisville road as a hearse carrying the casket of Muhammad Ali left the funeral home for a miles-long procession around the city.
There were a few chants of “Ali!” as the cars left, but most were quiet and reverent as the champ went by. Kenneth McGlothlan chanted “Ali!” as the procession started. He said he felt joyous today and that this week in Louisville has been a celebration of “a great life.”
Children came with their parents and stood in the increasing heat waiting for the procession to begin nearly 90 minutes after its scheduled start time.
Just before the procession began, the streets were blocked off and people were allowed to stand on the road just feet away from Ali’s casket. One woman threw rose petals on the street as the procession went by.
The crowds in Louisville are growing
Ali wouldn’t have wanted this
Crowds gather for Ali procession
The Champ united us all
Funeral procession carrying Ali’s casket begins
The funeral procession carrying Muhammad Ali’s casket through the streets of Louisville has begun.
The 17-car motorcade is expected to take Ali’s body on a 19-mile route past his boyhood home, the gym where he first learned to box and the museum that bears his name.
The burial at Cave Hill Cemetary is to be followed by an interfaith memorial service in the afternoon.
Funeral procession carrying Ali’s body begins
The funeral procession carrying Muhammad Ali’s body through the streets of Louisville has begun.
The miles-long procession is expected to take his body past the boyhood home where he shadowboxed to the boulevard that bears his name and the museum that stands as a tribute to his boxing triumphs and his humanitarian causes outside the ring.
Filipino fans pay tribute to Muhammad Ali
Filipino fans remembering boxing legend Muhammad Ali gathered near the site of his epic “Thrilla in Manila” fight with Joe Frazier for an art-and-photo tribute Friday.
The display near Araneta Coliseum at Ali Mall was launched hours before Ali’s burial in the United States. Ali died June 3 at age 74.
Outside the venue, a cutout picture of Ali stood in a boxing ring. Fans crowded around a screen playing videos of the 1975 match. At the mall, memorabilia including boxing gloves with Ali’s autograph, an original souvenir program and a gold commemorative coin were on display.
The Oct. 1, 1975, heavyweight championship, one of the greatest boxing matches in history, was won by Ali on a technical knockout at the jam-packed arena in Manila’s suburban Quezon city and was watched by a worldwide audience.
Some facts about the fight:
— It was the third fight between Ali and Frazier. The boxers had split the first two bouts, neither of which compared with the grueling rubber match. Ali retained the title when Frazier, who could not see, was kept by trainer Eddie Futch from answering the bell for the 15th round. When it was over, a physically and emotionally drained Ali said, “It was the closest thing to death.”
— Then-Philippine dictator Ferdinand Marcos reportedly wanted to hold the bout in the Manila metropolis to deflect international and domestic attention from political restiveness and growing Muslim and communist insurgencies after placing the entire Philippines under martial rule three years earlier.
— Before the fight, Ali’s preparations were upset when he introduced his mistress as his wife to Marcos and his wife, Imelda. Ali’s wife, Belinda Ali, saw the introduction on television, flew to Manila and engaged Ali in a prolonged shouting match in his hotel.
— Sports commentator Ronnie Nathanielz, assigned by Marcos to act as government liaison to Ali, said that one day a Muslim religious man carrying a cane limped into Ali’s hotel suite. After talking to the man for about 15 minutes, Ali wrote the man a $25,000 check. “Champ, you don’t even know that man and you gave him $25,000,” Nathanielz recalled saying. He said Ali replied: “He is a religious man, he won’t cheat me. And even if he cheats me, God will take care of him.”
— Why the Ali Mall? After the fight, the arena owner, Jorge Araneta, was so ecstatic he told Ali he would build a mall and name it after him. Ali was delighted and came back the next year for the mall’s grand opening.
Muhammad Ali’s hometown is set for his farewell
Muhammad Ali will return to his old Kentucky neighborhood one last time.
Ali’s body will ride in a miles-long procession spanning his life — from his boyhood home where he shadowboxed and dreamed of greatness to the boulevard that bears his name and the museum that stands as a lasting tribute to his boxing triumphs and his humanitarian causes outside the ring.
Louisville is accustomed to being in the limelight each May when the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs captures the world’s attention. But the send-off for the three-time heavyweight champion and global advocate for social justice looms as one of the city’s most historic events.
“We’ve all been dreading the passing of The Champ, but at the same time we knew ultimately it would come,” Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer said in a statement. “It was selfish for us to think that we could hold on to him forever. Our job now, as a city, is to send him off with the class and dignity and respect that he deserves.”
Ali died June 3 at 74 after a long battle with Parkinson’s disease. Friday’s procession and memorial service follow a traditional Muslim funeral service held Thursday afternoon. The faithful traveled from all over the world to pay their respects.
Thousands more are expected to line the procession route Friday to wave a final goodbye to the city’s favorite son. The motorcade is set to begin at the funeral home and head north onto the interstate. It is to pause briefly as it overlooks the Muhammad Ali Center in the heart of downtown.
The cars are then scheduled to head west onto Muhammad Ali Boulevard, pass the Kentucky Center for African American Heritage and visit his childhood home on Grand Avenue. Then it is to turn toward his final resting place. Officials predict a 90-minute tour.
The procession is to end at Cave Hill Cemetery, where his family and closest friends will gather for a private burial.
At 2 p.m local time, thousands will gather at the KFC Yum Center a final send-off.
The service is to feature a eulogy by former President Clinton, a longtime friend, and remarks by comedian Billy Crystal, television journalist Bryant Gumbel and the champ’s wife, Lonnie. The king of Jordan and president of Turkey are to attend.
President Obama was unable to make the trip because his daughter, Malia, is graduating from high school. Valerie Jarrett, a senior White House adviser, is to read a letter Obama wrote to Ali’s family at the service.
The memorial is expected to draw 15,000 people and will bookend a weeklong series of planned services and spontaneous celebrations.
The Ali Center stopped charging people for admission. A tour company began impromptu tours of Ali’s path through the city. Businesses printed his quotes across their billboards. City buses flashed “Ali - The Greatest” in orange lights across their marquees. A downtown bridge said it would be lighted the rest of the week in red and gold: red for his gloves and gold for his Olympic medal.
How can the storied life of a man revered by fans worldwide be encapsulated in a two-hour service? As it turns out, Ali called the shots.
Years ago, the champ signed off on how he wished to say goodbye to the world. One of his mandates was that ordinary fans attend, not just VIPs. Thousands of free tickets were snatched up within an hour, many fans waiting hours for the chance to witness history. “Everybody feels a sense of loss with Ali’s passing,” said Mustafa Abdush-Shakur, who traveled from Connecticut to pay tribute to him. “But there’s no need to be sad for him. We’re all going to make that trip.”
Taking part in remembering Muhammad Ali
Ali’s eldest daughter remembers her father
To the world, Muhammad Ali was the brash and buoyant heavyweight fighter bestowed with many monikers: the floating butterfly, the Louisville Lip, the Greatest.
To Maryum Ali, the eldest of the boxer’s nine children, he was “all of the above,” she said. But he was also a teacher, a spiritual guide. Above all, he was Dad.
Maryum Ali, 47, the daughter of the fighter’s second wife, Khalilah Ali, was very close to her father. She would regularly drive from her home in Los Angeles to visit him at his home in Arizona, she said.
The Japanese pro wrestler who almost got Muhammad Ali’s leg amputated
If you’ve never heard of the fight that almost got one of Muhammad Ali’s legs amputated, it doesn’t mean that you’re a bad sports fan. It probably just means that you’re not Japanese.
In 1975, well-rested from his victory in the “Thrilla in Manila” fight against Joe Frazier, Muhammad Ali met the president of the Japan Amateur Wrestling Assn. at a party. After finding out who the man was, he boasted: “Isn’t there any Oriental fighter to challenge me? I’ll give him $1 million if he wins.”