Louisville said goodbye to its most famous son with an overpowering show of love and pride.Tens of thousands took to the sweltering streets, cheering, applauding, fist-pumping, throwing flowers at Muhammad Ali ’s hearse.They were kissing it, touching it, shadow boxing with it, running alongside it the way the teenage boxer used to chase buses along the same stretches of tarmac, and filling the hot Kentucky air with a single chant of “Ali, Ali, Ali.”
At times so many people rushed the 18-strong motorcade on the 23-mile route past special landmarks in Ali’s life, it had to wind down to a crawl – giving people the chance to shake hands through open windows with family members and stars like Will Smith , who played Ali in the 2001 movie.
Even in death he was showing us he was The Greatest. This funeral was Ali’s farewell statement to the world. One he had planned meticulously for years. One he had said everyone was invited to.
And they came from every continent like pilgrims to a religious gathering to mourn the loss, but also celebrate the life of Ali, who died a week ago , aged 74, after battling Parkinson’s for more than 30 years.
