Boxing icon Muhammad Ali returning home for birthday

LOUISVILLE (Kentucky): Muhammad Ali is coming home to celebrate another milestone – his 70th birthday.

The iconic heavyweight boxing champion will bask in the limelight once again at a private birthday bash on Saturday at the Muhammad Ali Centre in downtown Louisville. Ali turns 70 on Jan 17.

The party will double as a fundraiser for the centre – a cultural and education hub that also features a museum focusing on Ali’s long career as a boxer, social activist and humanitarian.

Ali Centre spokeswoman Jeanie Kahnke said on Saturday that the former boxer will be surrounded by old friends and people who made a difference in his life, including his longtime trainer Angelo Dundee. The party will feature a dinner, entertainment and speeches.

She described it as a “retrospective look and celebration” of Ali’s life.

“It’s significant for anyone to turn 70 years old,” Kahnke said. “But for such a global icon, who has literally touched the lives of millions of people, it’s a momentous event to celebrate.”

A few tickets remained available for the Us$1,000-per-person event, she said.

Kahnke said that Ali and his wife, Lonnie, are looking forward to returning for the celebration. The Alis have a residence in Louisville but have recently been staying at their home in Arizona, she said. Ali is battling Parkinson’s disease.

A series of community events - titled “seven days for seven decades” - will be offered from Jan 15-21 at the centre, touching on both the serious and fun sides of Ali.

The events include a “compassion fair” and workshops focusing on examples of compassion throughout the world. An exhibit will delve into the lives of people with dual African American and Native American ancestries. There will be screenings of films based on Ali’s life.

“We really want to thank the community that has supported and loved and embraced Muhammad,” Kahnke said.

The centre opened in 2005 and draws about 85,000 visitors a year.

Ali, who began his boxing career as an amateur in Louisville in the 1950s, won a gold medal in boxing in 1960 at the Rome Olympics. He went on to become a three-time world heavyweight champion.

He first won the title by defeating Sonny Liston in 1964. Ali was then stripped of his boxing title in 1967 for refusing to be drafted for military service during the Vietnam War.

He regained the title in 1974 when he defeated George Foreman in Zaire. Ali’s last title came in 1978 when he defeated Leon Spinks. Ali had three epic fights against his chief rival, Joe Frazier. – AP