LEGEND ALI ‘SHOOK UP THE WORLD’
Obama joins world in paying tribute to the boxing legend
PAYING tribute to boxing legend Muhammad Ali, US president Barack Obama said he “shook up the world and the world is better for it”.
In a heartfelt tribute, Mr Obama revealed he keeps a pair of Ali’s gloves in his private study at the White House, and said we are fortunate that “the Greatest chose to grace our time”.
Muhammad Ali, the selfproclaimed greatest boxer of all time, who brought poetry to the ring and the world with his words and deeds, died on Friday at the age of 74.
The three-time world heavyweight champion, who had battled Parkinson’s disease for 32 years, was admitted to hospital with a respiratory condition earlier in the week.
In a statement, Mr Obama and his wife Michelle said: “Mu-Mu- hammad Ali shook up the world. And the world is better for it. We are all better for it. Michelle and I send our deepest condolences to his famam ily.”
Fellow boxers and fans across the world mourned Ali’s death.
Welsh boxer Joe Calzaghe, the British former two-weight world champion, said Ali was his inspiration.
He told the BBC: “People loved him, he was someone completely different, backed it up in the ring and everybody wanted to tune in and watch him fight.
“He was a superstar. There’ll never be another Muhammad Ali. He was my inspiration, I tried to copy some of his moves and it is a truly sad day day. But I’m proud that my sport of boxing has probably the greatest allround sportsman of all time.”
Ali famously got in the ring g with another Welsh legend. In n July 1980, Sir Tom Jones wentt head to head with Ali in a mock k sparring session.
Luckily for Sir Tom, the former r world champion proved happy y to pull his punches that day – even taking a dive so the Welsh singing star could enjoy a brief moment of glory as one of the few men who managed to floor r the sporting legend.
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