Compete Coverage: Muhammad Ali dies

marcelus clay, he’s young he’s handsome, ali: they know it!. reporter: he’s a poet, he’sa prophet and many people believes he will be the next heavy weight champions of the world. … i saw sonny liston a few days ago, ali: ain’t he ugly. … the world champ should be pretty like me. he was much more than that. … boxing legend muhammad ali has died at the age of 74. here he is lighting the torch at the 1996 olympic games in atlanta. the legendary boxer who proclaimed himself “the greatest” die yesterday in scottsdale, arizona. a family spokesman say muhammad ali had been at a hospital since thursday suffering from respiratory problems. good afternoon and thank you for joing us. i’m evan folan. josie ortegon has the day off. in the coming days muhammed ali’s remains will be taken to his hometown of louisville, kentucky. this ahead of his public funeral friday — which will include former president bill clinton and his longtime friend billy crystal. muhammad ali was no stranger to the borderland. in may of 2000, the champ visited el paso and juarez, he teamed up with the christ for mexico mission in juarez to help feed the hungry. ali got the help of global village to bring in a truck load of food. food that would help feed thousands of children i in juarez. it all went down at the ki romero gym. abc-7 reporter julio cesar chavez went back to that gym today. we’re going to have that story in just bit. right now, tributes are pouring in around the world from fans of the legendary boxer — whose legacy has become much more than what he did with the gloves on. polo sandoval has the latest from the late champion’s hometown of louisvlle, kentucky. he begins our compete coverage. i shook up the world, i shook up the world. in the boxing ring — muhammad ali brought grace and power. i’ll be pecking and a poking – pouring water on his smoking his wit — always packed a punch as well. float like a butterfly sting like a bee muhammad ali — the world champion boxer known as “the greatest” passed away at an arizona hospital friday. his family’s spokesman says he died of septic shock due to unspecified natural causes. ali was diagnosed with parkinson’s disease in 1984. his funeral will be in his hometown of louisville, kentucky friday. it will be open to the public. muhammad ali was trying the people’s champion, and the celebration will reflect his devotion to all races, religion, and backgrounds. ali was born cassius marcellus clay junior in 19-42 and began fighting at age 12. after discovering the nation of islam in the politically turbulent 19-60s clay changed his name to muhammad ali. he retired in 19-81 — a three time world champion and an olympic gold medalist. he won the adoration of fans around the world – who admired him both for his boxing accomplishments and his humanitarian work. one of those fans — president obama — put out this message on twitter: “he shook up the world, and the world’s better for it — rest in peace, champ. back in louisville – the city that once segregated african-americans… is lowering flags in his honor. this man says ali funded his program to help the city’s hungry. he been great in the ring but i think he was more greater outside of the ring of encouraging others to be the best that they can be. in louisville kentucky, i’m polo sandoval. stay with abc-7 for a special edition of “20/20 saturday”. coming up 7, “muhammad ali: the greatest o all time only here on abc-7. ali spent years after his retirement working for charity, and that work brought him to cd. juarez he met with hundreds of people at a gym where he helped a local community. abc-7 reporter julio- cesar chavez went to the gym this morning, he joins us live from our newsroom. julio – it was little more than 16 years ago when muhammad ali came to the borderland, visiting a juarez gym as part of a charity event and delivering food and clothing to the community. ali’s visit to the kiki romero gym brought people together from all over juarez, he stayed for hours shaking hands and signing autographs he donated thousands of pounds of protein powder to help organizations feed the juarez hungry. the local boxing club ecstatic, welcoming him to their home their coach even getting a signed glove, now he says, it’s his most prized possession. “pues es una tristeza que se no haya ido una historia del boxeo a nivel mundial” he says it’s a shame the world has lost a boxing legend, the best of all time.” from coach martinez and the entire kiki romero gym, may the champ rest in peace thank you, julio. our very own darren hunt got to meet ali during his visit to the borderland. that memory is still fresh in darren’s mind. “he didn’t say anyhing. h talked very slowly. he didn’t speak to me. but you knew he understood what he was saying. and it was hard to see him that way. because you remember him as this beautiful atrhlete — the spped and the power. the get that opportunity is som,ething i’ll never forget.” we’ll hear more from darren coming up on abc-7 at 6. including what he told the champ and his response. we we’ll hear more from darren coming up on abc-7 at 6. including what he told the champ and his response. we want to thank darren for sharing his story. some of the most famous — not only people in the sporting world — but world leaders are offering condolences. basketball legend michael jordan said: “this is a sad day for me – and for the world. muhammad ali was bigger than sports and larger than life. he said he was ‘the greatest’ and he was right. manny pacquiao tweeted the iconic photo of ali’s first – round knock out of sonny liston: “we lost a gian today. boxing benefited from muhammad ali’s talents but not nearly as much as mankind benefited from his humanity. our hearts and prayers go out to the ali family. may god bless them.” s and as polo sandoval showed us: president obama tweeting: “he shook up the world, and the world’s better for it. rest in peace, champ.” of course, boxers here in the borderland are also mourning the loss of a legend. abc-7’s sports anchor luke lyddon spoke with a few earlier today and has their reaction. hey luke. hey evan– its clear muhammad ali is a boxing legend that will be remebered forever but also a man that connected with so many people across the entire world. i spoke with retired professional boxer herman delgado and 2 time gold glove champion bobby joe valdez earlier today. they told me what they will never forget is how muhammad ali never backed down for what he believed in and always stayed true to himself– no matter what anyone said. “put verbatim here” taking a live look outside from the middle east feast. the 51 year old “put verbatim here” taking a live look outside from the middle east feast. the 51 year