Louisville ready to 'welcome the world' to Ali services

Muhammad Ali's hometown of Louisville is ready to "welcome the world" for this week's ceremonies honoring the late boxing legend, the city's mayor said today, offering more details about a huge public procession for "The Greatest."
Louisville, the largest city in the southern state of Kentucky and home to 600,000 people, will play host Thursday and Friday to the mass public celebration of the life of Ali, its most famous native son.
Ali, whose remarkable boxing career and civil rights activism made him one of the most indelible figures of the 20th century, died last week at age 74 after a decades-long battle with Parkinson's disease.

His death has prompted an outpouring of tributes for The Champ, who won three heavyweight titles and Olympic Gold during his illustrious years in the ring.
"This celebration for Muhammad will be a one-of-a-kind event for anywhere in the world (...) and for us," Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer said, calling on the city's residents to show the hospitality and compassion that Ali championed.
"Muhammad shook up the world and he showed everybody he was a world-class fighter and humanitarian, so now let's welcome the world."
The ceremonies will have three key moments: an Islamic prayer service open to all on Thursday, a long public funeral procession through the city on Friday, and a memorial service at a sports arena that same day.

Former US president Bill Clinton and comedian Billy Crystal are among those expected to speak about Ali.