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Ghanaians eulogize Muhammad Ali

Xinhua, June 8, 2016 Adjust font size:

Tributes have been pouring in from Ghanaians for boxing legend Muhammad Ali since his death last Friday at the age of 74 after developing respiratory complications.

In a tribute to the famous boxer, former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan said Ali became known as the "greatest" because of his off-the-ring activities which touched several lives.

"Muhammad Ali was known as 'the Greatest' not just because of his three world heavyweight titles, but because he fought some of his fiercest battles outside the boxing ring, on the side of the disenfranchised, the downtrodden and the disadvantaged," Annan said in a Facebook post.

He said Ali will continue to inspire generations to come to take up the fight against prejudice, injustice and discrimination adding that this perhaps will be his greatest legacy.

Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama and the presidential candidate of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) Nana Akufo-Addo have also extolled Ali.

President Mahama described him as a hero and truly "The Greatest" in a post on Facebook.

Nana Akufo-Addo in a tweet also described the ex-world heavyweight boxing champion as eloquent, brilliant, and principled and the greatest boxer of the modern era.

An international relation expert Rashid Pelpuo sees Ali as a man of principles with strong moral grounds and inspiration to many.

Pelpuo, who is also a Minister of State at the Presidency in charge of Private Sector Development AND Public Private Partnership said Muhammad Ali' s boxing prowess inspired him to be a boxer in the early years of his life.

Ali' s funeral will be held in his hometown of Louisville, Kentucky. Endit