“God has come for his champion” – the sporting world pays tribute to Muhammad Ali

Muhammad Ali, three-time heavyweight champion of the world and arguably the most famous sportsman on the planet, has passed away at the age of 74.

Ali battled Parkinson's disease for 32 years and earlier this week was admitted to a hospital in Phoenix, Arizona for a respiratory illness. It was confirmed on Friday night that the legendary boxer had been placed on a life support machine, and his family flew in to be at his bedside as they said goodbye. To a world of fans Ali was rightly nicknamed 'The Greatest'. Among his near-endless list of memorable fights was the vanquishing of Sonny Liston, the Thrilla in Manilla against Joe Frazier, and 1974's Rumble in the Jungle, where he beat George Foreman in eight rounds to win back the title. It is virtually impossible to quantify the contribution Ali made to boxing, and some of the sport's biggest names past and present have been paying tribute to the champion. https://twitter.com/MikeTyson/status/738957087477227521 https://twitter.com/GeorgeForeman/status/738976875440021504 https://twitter.com/GeorgeForeman/status/738985710137409537 https://twitter.com/amirkingkhan/status/738986693584392192 https://www.instagram.com/p/BGOTCgFx3Sm/?taken-by=floydmayweather https://twitter.com/SkySportsNewsHQ/status/738993520917254144 https://twitter.com/Tyson_Fury/status/738974876178993152 https://twitter.com/HitmanHatton/status/738980927309774848 https://twitter.com/RealRoyJonesJr/status/738952030161502208

But it's not just boxers who felt inspired in their sport by Ali...

https://twitter.com/CathyFreeman/status/738957047157293056 https://twitter.com/George_North/status/738964997460492289