LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) 鈥� Muhammad Ali’s legacy extends beyond his stinging right jab, world titles and Olympic gold medal, to the heart and compassion he showed long after he left the ring, his wife Lonnie Ali said.
鈥淗e transcended boxing into every space you can imagine,鈥� she told The Associated Press this week ahead of the 10-year anniversary of on June 3, 2016, after a long battle with Parkinson鈥檚 disease.
鈥淢uhammad lived by this mantra: service to others is the rent we pay for our room here on earth,” Lonnie Ali said during an interview at The Muhammad Ali Center in Louisville, Kentucky. 鈥淗e showed up every day with kindness and empathy in his heart for people who are in need.”
Ali, in his hometown, rose to prominence as a trash-talking world champion boxer in the 1960s and began speaking about civil rights issues as his star was rising. He is widely regarded as the most famous and influential boxer of all time, winning the heavyweight title three times.
The Ali Center is sponsoring a 鈥淒ay of Compassion鈥� on Wednesday, the 10th anniversary of his death, to promote acts of service and caring. Lonnie Ali, who serves as the center’s lifetime director, said the hope is an expanding annual event to highlight works of service and volunteering.
The day will focus on one of “the core values that made up Muhammad Ali鈥� in an increasingly divided country, she said.
鈥淭oday, we are in a place where we are losing touch with our humanity and with each other,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 causing rifts, not just in families and communities, but in this nation. We鈥檙e becoming increasingly polarized and separated, and sort of retreating to people who think like us, look like us, and not really reaching out.鈥�
She also challenged political leaders to lead with compassion, noting the recent by the Supreme Court.
鈥淲e should always be thinking about how we can uplift a community, not how we can make it harder for them,鈥� Lonnie Ali said. 鈥淲e want equal representation in this country. You can鈥檛 have equal representation when you鈥檙e denying people voting rights, you can鈥檛 do that.鈥�
But there is hope, she said, and she saw that when the city of Louisville came together for a weeklong celebration of Ali’s life in 2016. The week was capped by a and past her late husband’s modest childhood home near downtown Louisville. Former President Bill Clinton and actor Billy Crystal spoke at his funeral, and Will Smith, who portrayed Ali in a 2001 movie, was a pallbearer.
The outpouring of love for Ali at his hometown funeral service was livestreamed to millions around the world. A decade later, Ali鈥檚 face for the first time, showing his enduring influence.
鈥淲e鈥檙e talking about people who traveled thousands of miles to come here, who had never met the man, never laid eyes on him personally, but wanted to … give their last respects to him: kings, princes, presidents, heads of state, celebrities, sports figures,鈥� Lonnie Ali said.
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