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George Foreman and Larry Holmes named among Muhammad Ali honorary pallbearers

Larry Holmes (left) and George Foreman (right) will be pallbearers
Image: Larry Holmes (L) and George Foreman (R) will be pallbearers

Boxing greats George Foreman and Larry Holmes have been named among the honorary pallbearers for Muhammad Ali's memorial service on Friday.

They will be joined by Louisville mayor Harvey Sloane, former Kentucky governor John Y. Brown and Ali's brother, Rahman Ali, on the 14-man list.

It was announced earlier this week that actor Will Smith, who was nominated for an Academy Award for his portrayal of Ali in the 2001 movie of his life, will also be a pallbearer, along with British former world heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis.

The funeral is to be held in Ali's hometown of Louisville, Kentucky, at 2pm local time (7pm BST) on Friday.

People formed long queues in the town on Wednesday as all 15,000 tickets to the memorial service were distributed.

Lewis, who is the last undisputed world heavyweight champion, said Ali was "like a father" to him and also described him as his hero.

He said: "I am humbled, and honoured, beyond words to help see my hero, Muhammad Ali, off to his final resting place."

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Ali died in Phoenix, Arizona, at the age of 74 last Friday evening, having been admitted to hospital earlier in the week with a respiratory condition. He suffered with Parkinson's disease for 32 years.

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