LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) – Muhammad Ali traveled the world as a fighter and humanitarian, but he always came home to Louisville.
His Kentucky hometown was where Ali, as a gangly teenager, began to develop his boxing skills – the dazzling footwork and rapid-fire punching prowess. The three-time world heavyweight boxing champion never forgot his roots, returning to his old West End neighborhood and visiting high school classmates even after becoming one of the world’s most recognizable men.
Now the focus shifts back to Ali’s hometown as the world says goodbye to the man who emerged from humble beginnings to rub elbows with heads of state.
Ali, slowed for years by Parkinson’s disease, died Friday at age 74.
His funeral is scheduled for Friday afternoon in Louisville.