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Ali public funeral set for Louisville on Friday

– Conscientious objector –

Ali – born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr in Louisville on January 17, 1942 – dazzled fans with slick moves in the ring, and with his wit and engaging persona outside it.

He famously said he could he “float like a butterfly, sting like a bee” in the ring.

The fighter took the name of Muhammad Ali after converting to Islam in 1964, soon after he had stunned the sport by claiming the title with a monumental upset of Liston.

He was vilified in some quarters for that conversion and his outspoken stance on Vietnam and civil rights issues.

Ali’s refusal to serve in the Vietnam War saw him prosecuted for draft evasion, and led to him being effectively banned for boxing for three years of his prime, but the US Supreme Court overturned his conviction for draft dodging in 1971.

But he held firm to his beliefs and eventually earned accolades as an activist.

Ali received the highest US civilian honour, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, in 2005.

He represented the United Nations as a messenger of peace and was chosen to light the Olympic torch in 1996, his hands trembling due to Parkinson’s – a poignant moment for the sports world.

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