Muhammad Ali’s body arrives in Louisville ahead of funeral

A public funeral for the legendary boxer is due to take place on Friday

Muhammad Ali’s body has been returned to his hometown of Louisville, Kentucky as the city prepares for a public funeral to commemorate the legendary boxing champion this week.

The sporting star and civil rights campaigner’s body arrived in the southern US city by aeroplane on Sunday afternoon, where a fleet of black cars arrived to take possession of the remains.

Louisville is expecting a huge number of fans arriving to pay tribute to Ali, who learned to box in a small local gym before going onto become the world-renowned champion and the first man to win heavy-weight titles three times.

His funeral will be held on Friday followed by a public memorial, full details of which are due to be revealed tomorrow. It is understood Ali himself helped plan the public service.

The family spokesman, Bob Gunnell, said Ali would want “people from all walks of life to be able to attend his funeral.”

Speaking at news conference in Arizona he added: "He'll be remembered as a man of the world who spoke his mind and wasn't afraid to take a chance and went out of his way to be a kind, benevolent individual that really changed the world."

Several commemorations for Ali have already taken place in Louisville. The city’s Islamic Centre held an interfaith service on Sunday night to celebrate the hometown hero, who famously became a member of the Nation of Islam in 1964, converting to Sunni Islam in 1975.

Muhammad Babar, a spokesman for the Louisville Islamic Center, said Ali would attend prayer services at the centre when visiting Louisville. Attendees at the service wrote notes to the boxer on a paper banner and were offered butterfly and bee stamps.

Members of the Louisville Islamic Center pray together before an inter-faith service to honor Muhammad Ali (Reuters)

People write on a poster during the Interfaith Memorial Service at the Louisville Islamic Center for Muhammad Ali (EPA)

Another memorial on Sunday at King Solomon Missionary Baptist Church in Louisville's west end, where Ali's father had been a long time member, saw churchgoers pay tribute to “The Greatest”.

The church features a painting by Ali's father, Cassius Clay Senior, and is a stone’s throw away from the pink house where the boxing champion grew up.

Members of the Louisville Islamic Center write messages on a memorial banner as they pay their respect to Muhammad Ali (Reuters)

During the two-hour service attended by Ali’s brother Rahaman, assistant pastor Charles Elliott III asked the congregation to stand to honor Muhammad Ali. In his tribute, Elliott said "there is no great man that has done more for this city than Muhammad Ali."

Ali died aged 74 on Friday night of septic shock due to unspecified natural causes his family confirmed. He had lived with Parkinson’s disease for 32 years and suffered from related health problems. He had been admitted to hospital on Monday with a respiratory ailment.

Additional reporting by Associated Press