ACTOR Will Smith and former heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis will be among the pallbearers for Muhammad Ali’s funeral on Friday, joining a list of notable athletes, entertainers and politicians to mourn the boxing legend.
Former US president Bill Clinton, Turkish president Tayyip Erdogan and comedian Billy Crystal were among those previously announced as participating in public events as the world grieves the loss of the boxer, showman and antiwar activist who captivated global attention in the 1960s and 1970s.
One of the transcendent figures of the 20th century, Ali died on Friday at age 74. Family spokesman Bob Gunnell announced the details of the memorial services on Monday.
Smith played Ali in the 2001 movie of the same name, earning an Oscar nomination and becoming a family friend. Londonborn Lewis, who went on to represent Canada in the Olympics, is one of three boxers along with Ali and Evander Holyfield to have held the heavyweight title three times.
They will be joined by relatives and family friends in carrying the casket through Ali’s home town of Louisville, Kentucky on Friday.
More than 30 000 tickets will be distributed to the public for two memorials scheduled for Thursday and Friday in sports arenas in the city.
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