LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Like his lightning jab, news of Muhammad Ali's death spread quickly around the world. An outpouring of emotion spilled over into his beloved hometown of Kentucky.
For one remarkable week in June 2016, Louisville was the center of a ceremony honoring the three-time boxing heavyweight champion and humanitarian known as “The Greatest.”
Eight years later, the Muhammad Ali Center has opened an exhibit documenting those heart-pounding days. It includes photos, 3D displays, and videos documenting events and emotions.
Curator Beth Goldie said it was bittersweet but important to put it together.
“We haven't yet acknowledged Muhammad's death in the exhibit, but we felt this was a really important story to tell as part of his story and part of his legacy.” She spoke before the opening.
Visitors will first see an acrylic panel surrounded by more than 1,000 silk roses. It symbolizes the flowers that worshipers threw into Ali's hearse as his funeral procession headed to Louisville's Cave Hill Cemetery, said Goldie, senior manager of curation and collections at the Ali Center. . . An inscription on a panel that looks back on those days says that Ali's death “transcended borders and cultural divides, sending ripples across the continent.”
There is a striking black and white photograph of Ali taken in the 1990s. Ali's own words are displayed, including a comment that he wants to be remembered “as a man who never disrespected those who looked up to him.” The video shows news reports and footage from the memorial service for the man who died at the age of 74. Photos show a large crowd paying their respects. A photo taken days after Ali's death shows a sign honoring him at New York's Madison Square Garden, where Ali had his historic first fight against Joe Frazier.
Ali's wife, Lonnie Ali, said Louisville was “the perfect venue for the world that week.”
“From the moment the plane touched down in Louisville, marking Mr. Muhammad's final homecoming, the entire city of Louisville wrapped its arms around us with love and support,” she said in a statement.
Within hours of his death, a temporary monument was erected in his name at his boyhood home and downtown cultural center. Mourners flooded Louisville. Days later, as the funeral procession progressed, an estimated 100,000 people lined the road, chants of “Ali, Ali” rang out. His burial was followed by a star-studded memorial service. Comedian Billy Crystal praised Ali as “a tremendous lightning bolt that Mother Nature created out of thin air, a wonderful combination of strength and beauty.”
Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg called the celebration of Ali's life “one of the most powerful, impactful and culturally significant events” ever held in the city. ing.
“Those who took part in the celebration will remember it forever,” he said in a statement.
Greenberg, who was a prominent local businessman at the time, said people can now relive those days, or experience it for the first time, through the exhibit.
Located near the banks of the Ohio River, the Ali Center features exhibits that pay tribute to Ali's outstanding boxing skills. But its main mission is to preserve his humanitarian legacy and promote his six core principles: spirituality, giving, faith, confidence, respect and dedication, the magazine said. There is.
The new exhibit, titled “The Greatest Remembered,” will be permanent, and Goldie said the plan is to keep it fresh by rotating new items on display.
While the exhibit was going up, Keith Polk watched up close a replay of the fight between Ali and Leon Spinks, when Ali won his third heavyweight title. The Florida man was on his way to see the solar eclipse in New York with a friend. His stop at the Ali Center was like a pilgrimage to honor Ali.
“Well, if there ever was a hero, he was a hero,” Polk said.
Polk, 73, watched the memorial service on television and said it was the perfect tribute to Ali.
“The world stopped for his fight,” he said. “When he was gone, the world stood still even more, and we recognized our superiority.”
Ronnie Ali, also from Louisville, said she wants the exhibit to show people how the outpouring of love for her husband “has brought not just this city but the world together.”
“This exhibit is a way for us to continue to share and express our gratitude for the week of love, remembrance and unity,” she said. “This is also an opportunity to show everyone that we can come together for the benefit of everyone.”
