A footbridge decorated with a memorial banner to Muhammad Ali in Louisville, Kentucky

Muhammad Ali's life will be celebrated with a traditional Islamic prayer service after thousands of tickets were snapped up for the boxing great's funeral on Friday. Members of Ali's family will attend the Jenazah at the Freedom Hall in his home town of Louisville, Kentucky, where Ali made his professional debut with victory over Tunney Hunsaker in 1960.

Ali public funeral to take place in hometown on Friday

A public funeral procession and memorial service for boxing legend Muhammad Ali will take place in his hometown of Louisville, Kentucky on Friday, a family spokesman says. Former United States president Bill Clinton, comedian Billy Crystal and sports journalist Bryant Gumbel will offer eulogies for Ali - the three-time world heavyweight champion who died yesterday aged 74 after a long battle with Parkinson's disease.