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World mourns death of boxing legend Muhammad Ali

Dunya News

Media all over the world is paying respects to the last of his kind, Muhammad Ali 'The Greatest'

 LAHORE (Web Desk/AFP) — The legend won’t be returning.

Muhammad Ali, the three time heavyweight world champion in boxing died in a Phoenix hospital after he was admitted there on Thursday.

Media all over the world is paying respects to the last of his kind, Muhammad Ali ‘The Greatest’.

HOW WORLD MEDIA REACTED

CNN wrote:

BBC reported the Phoenix development: 

Ali spoke out for African-American civil rights in the 1960s, carrying on his fight against injustice and sacrificing prime years of his own career in the process.

"He is, without a question in my mind, the most transformative person of our time," boxing promoter Bob Arum told ESPN.

Ali, born Cassius Clay, beat Sonny Liston in 1964 to win the heavyweight title but was stripped of his titles in 1967 when he refused to join the US Army and fight in the Vietnam War. He was banned from boxing until 1970 and in 1971 the US Supreme Court ruled in his favor in sitting out the war.

 FOREVER THE GREATEST , Daily Mail stated:

The NY Times wrote:

George Foreman, Ali’s most famous knockout victim from the Rumble in the Jungle, noted Ali and his other main rival, Joe Frazier, in tweeting: "Ali, Frazier and Foreman we were 1 guy. A part of me slipped away."

The front page headline on Ali’s hometown newspaper, the Courier-Journal of Louisville, Kentucky, simply said, "The Greatest" with a photo of Ali in the ring.

Al Jazeera reported the death:

We lost a legend, a hero and a great man," said Floyd Mayweather, who retired as an unbeaten welterweight champion last year at 49-0. "He’s one of the guys who paved the way for me to be where I’m at."

India Olympic bronze medalist and now pro boxer Vijender Singh called Ali’s death "a great loss." "He is a legend who inspired me. There will be no other like Ali. He was the one and the only. But we will always keep learning from his boxing."

"I definitely feel the loss after his death. He s a legend around the world, a boxer everyone adored who made boxing interesting," retired Indonesian boxing star Chris John told AFP on Ali’s passing.

Ali embodied greatness,  Washington Post on Muhammad Ali

The Guardian updated with a montage:

US presidential candidate Donald Trump also joined the chorus. "Muhammad Ali is dead at 74!" he wrote on Twitter. "A truly great champion and a wonderful guy. He will be missed by all.

Chinese boxer Zou Shiming expressed his sorrow on social network Weibo, saying: "Why has his life been cut away? I still want to follow his path, I still wish I can one day win the championship and find the opportunity to pay homage to him. From now on, what a pity we won t see him again."

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s condolences over Ali’s demise to his fans and family were forwarded through Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s twitter handle as he recently underwent open-heart surgery in London and is taking some time off on doctors’ advise. 

"For the past half a century, he has been an inspiration for not only young American’s, but also young men and women of the world as a shining example of defying the odds with perseverance and a positive attitude," the handle wrote.

"His legacy has not only impacted modern boxing, he has also been an instrumental figure in changing social, political and religious narratives surrounding minorities in the West and for that we are in his debt. The world is truly poorer without him," PML-N reported on premier’s behalf.

CELEBRITIES LEFT BEWILDERED

Former world heavyweight champion Mike Tyson tweeted:

Former world champion, Manny Pacquiao stated on social media website:  

In an interview to NDTV, Mary Kom, Indian boxing star who also inspired a biopic, tearfully stated that Ali was her inspiration. "I was inspired by him to take up boxing," Kom said, barely audible of her breaking voice.

Don King, who promoted Ali’s epic victory over George Foreman in the "Rumble in the Jungle," said Ali will live on forever.

"He was tremendous, not just a boxer, a great human being, icon, and his spirit will never die, like Martin Luther King Jr. They inspired people to do what was right and stand their ground. That is why Muhammad Ali will never die."

From the cricket world, ‘the  god’, Virender Sehwag and Imran Khan stated:

Condolence messages start pouring in from the world of entertainment, Pain and Gain star, Mark Wahlberg stated:

Rishi Kapoor recalls the time when Ali called him a pretty boy: 

Baahubali: The Beginning actor, Rana Daggubati stated:

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