Lennox Lewis and Will Smith to be pallbearers at Muhammad Ali’s funeral in Kentucky
Former world heavyweight champion and Hollywood heavyweight will pay their respects at The Greatest's funeral
LENNOX LEWIS and Hollywood star Will Smith will be pallbearers at Muhammad Ali's funeral.
Brit great Lewis reigned as undisputed world heavyweight champion after beating Evander Holyfield in 1999.
Smith was nominated for an Oscar and a Golden Globe for his role playing Ali in the 2001 film of the same name.
The funeral of The Greatest, who died at the age of 74 last week, will be held in his hometown of Louisville, Kentucky on Friday.
Lewis, who shared a stage with Ali when he won the Sports Personality of the Century award in 1999, recently opened up on how much the sporting icon meant to him.
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In a Facebook post, London-born Lewis called his hero "one of the greatest citizens this world has ever known".
He wrote: "He was my source of inspiration, and along with my other hero, Nelson Mandela, served as a shining example of grace, dignity, and courage, through a lifetime of service to others.
"Those who would question his greatness have no understanding of the technical brilliance he brought into the ring, the courage he displayed outside of it, the voice he gave to the voiceless, or the risk he faced in order to do so.
"Because of Ali, the sport of boxing has given many, including myself, more than they could ever dream of.
"Ali gave to the sport of boxing, more than it could ever repay!"
There will be eight pallbearers in all including Jerry Ellis - the brother of Jimmy Ellis, Ali's former sparring partner.
The memorial service at the KFC YUM! Centre in the Kentucky city will be open to the public and streamed live on the internet.
Family spokesman Bob Gunnell said: "Everything that we're doing here was blessed by Muhammad Ali, and was requested.
"He was the people's champ, and he wanted the memorial service to reflect that."