article: The former world heavyweight champion died late on Friday at a hospital in the US city of Phoenix, Arizona, having been admitted on Thursday. He had been suffering from a respiratory illness, a condition that was complicated by Parkinson's disease. Ali's funeral will take place in his hometown of Louisville, Kentucky, said his family. Latest updates and tributes Obituary: Muhammad Ali Muhammad Ali in his own words Latest tributes Nick Bryant: How Ali changed his sport and country Foreman: "One of the greatest human beings" Tributes for the heavyweight great have been pouring in from across the world. "Muhammad Ali shook up the world. And the world is better for it," said US President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle. Former President Bill Clinton - husband of Democratic frontrunner Hillary - said the boxer had been "courageous in the ring, inspiring to the young, compassionate to those in need, and strong and good-humoured in bearing the burden of his own health challenges". Republican presumptive presidential nominee Donald Trump, meanwhile, tweeted that Ali was "truly great champion and a wonderful guy. He will be missed by all!" 61 fights over a professional career lasting 21 years 56 wins including 37 knockouts 3 times crowned World Heavyweight Champion 1 Light-heavyweight Olympic gold medal 31 straight wins before being beaten by Joe Frazier George Foreman, who lost his world title to Ali in the famous "Rumble in the Jungle" fight in Kinshasa in 1974, called him one of the greatest human beings he had ever met. American civil rights campaigner Jesse Jackson said Ali had been willing to sacrifice the crown and money for his principles when he refused to serve in the Vietnam war. Born Cassius Marcellus Clay, Ali shot to fame by winning light-heavyweight gold at the 1960 Rome Olympics. Nicknamed "The Greatest", the American beat Sonny Liston in 1964 to win his first world title and became the first boxer to capture a world heavyweight title on three separate occasions. He eventually retired in 1981, having won 56 of his 61 fights. How great was he? Muhammad Ali timeline Online tributes to Ali Crowned "Sportsman of the Century" by Sports Illustrated and "Sports Personality of the Century" by the BBC, Ali was noted for his pre- and post-fight talk and bold fight predictions just as much as his boxing skills inside the ring. But he was also a civil rights campaigner and poet who transcended the bounds of sport, race and nationality. Asked how he would like to be remembered, he once said: "As a man who never sold out his people. But if that's too much, then just a good boxer. "I won't even mind if you don't mention how pretty I was." Ali turned professional immediately after the Rome Olympics and rose through the heavyweight ranks, delighting crowds with his showboating, shuffling feet and lightning reflexes. British champion Henry Cooper came close to stopping Clay, as he was still known, when they met in a non-title bout in London in 1963. Cooper floored the American with a left hook, but
summary: Boxing legend Muhammad Ali - one of the world's greatest sporting figures - has died at the age of 74.