Family, friends and religious leaders paid tribute to Muhammad Ali at his public memorial service on Friday.
About 15,000 people -- from foreign dignitaries and an ex-president to Louisville residents -- attended the event at the KFC Yum Center. The ceremony began with a reading from the Quran, followed by sermons from a series of religious leaders, including the Rev. Kevin Cosby of St. Stephen Church in Louisville.
Ali's widow, Lonnie Ali, took the stage to thunderous chants of "Ali! Ali!"
In her first public remarks since his death, she talked about how Ali wanted his life and death to be used as a teaching moment.
She also recalled Joe Martin, the Louisville police officer who first taught a young Ali how to box when his bicycle was stolen when he was 12 years old. She said Martin handed him the keys to a future that he could scarcely have imagined.
"America must never forget that when a cop and an inner-city kid talk to each other, then miracles can happen," she said to massive applause.
Lonnie Ali said expressions of support have "come in every language, from every corner of the globe" since Ali's death on June 3.
Two of Ali's daughters, Maryum Ali and Rasheda Ali-Walsh, also paid tribute to their father with moving and personal remembrances. And Louisville radio host John Ramsey, a close friend of Ali and his family for years, also delivered a eulogy for the boxer and humanitarian.
Comedian and longtime Ali friend Billy Crystal brought the house down with a rousing, funny eulogy that included his famous impression of The Champ. But Crystal came back to earth when he recalled his 42-year friendship with Ali, who called him "little brother."
“He's a tremendous bolt of lightning, created by Mother Nature out of thin air, a fantastic combination of power and beauty," Crystal said.
Former President Bill Clinton closed out the memorial service, calling him a "man of faith" who took "perfect gifts we all have" and released them to the world.
"I think he decided something that I hope every young person here will decide," Clinton said. "I think he decided very young to write is own life story.”
Outside The Funeral
While thousands packed the inside of the KFC Yum! Center, many more were unable to get tickets and huddled under shade just outside the arena. Sweltering temperatures that hovered around 90 degrees did little to deter Ali’s fans from paying their final respects to the man many call “The Greatest.”
Harith Elsiddig, 27, came to Louisville from Chicago for Ali’s funeral. He called Ali an icon.
“He told people, ‘I don’t care what you think, this is who I am. I’m beautiful, I’m black, you hate it, you love it, that’s what I am,’” Elssiddig said. “That’s what’s so inspirational about him.”
Others echoed that sentiment. Many said Ali’s legacy comes from his life outside the boxing ring.
Nicole Trammell, a Louisville native, said Ali was much more than a fighter. “His personality and his character overrides all that,” she said.
Trammell said Ali showed people -- especially those growing up in poor neighborhoods like Louisville’s Parkland, where Ali's boyhood home remains -- that success can be attained regardless of where you come from.
“A lot of people don’t have that courage,” she said. “But he shows that it can be done.”
