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battled for more than 30 years. Watt said: “It was sad to hear the news but I hate to think what his quality of life was like at the end.

“He was really ill. And one of the things you have to admire about him – and probably the toughest thing for anyone – was that when he was stricken down with the illness, he never complained about it.

“I remember him saying it was God’s will and he fought the illness in t he same way he fought everything else.

“He gave it 100 per cent. He kept it at bay for as long as he did. An amazing man.

“We’ve lost him now but we’ll be talking about him for years. He’s an obvious inspiration to everyone. You’ve got to say he’s the greatest heavyweight there’s ever been, that’s for sure – but it goes much beyond that.

“You have to put him down as one of the greatest human beings there has ever been for what he achieved in his career and outside of boxing. He was the most famous person in the world at one time so people sat up and took notice of what he was saying.”

Wat t knows Ali was much more than just a great sportsman and i n 19 67 he refused to join the US army to fight in Vietnam despite knowing it could land him behind bars.

He was sentenced to five years in prison and, while he stayed out on bail, Ali was banned from boxing for three years and had his Mike Tyson Pele passport taken from him. He wasn’t in the best shape when he returned to the ring but continued to defy the odds, beating Joe Frazier and George Foreman in the famous Rumble in the Jungle.

Watt said: “Ali rankled the establishment in America back then but he didn’t care, he spoke his mind. He showed tremendous courage in refusing to fight in the Vietnam War.