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Heartfelt tributes paid to boxer Muhammad Ali at emotional memorial service

Thousands of people have said a final farewell to Muhammad Ali at a emotional memorial service in his home town of Louisville.

The 74-year-old heavy weight champion was hailed as "the living, breathing embodiment of the greatest we can be" and remembered for being "bigger, brighter and more original and influential than just about anyone of his era" as a packed audience gathered to pay their respects to the sporting legend.

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Ali 'wanted to prove adversity can make you stronger'

Muhammad Ali "wanted young people from every background to see his life as proof that adversity can make you stronger", Lonnie Ali, Muhammad Ali's fourth wife, has said at his memorial service.

Adversity "cannot rob you of the power to dream and to reach your dreams", she added.

She also told mourners that Muhammad Ali "never stopped loving Louisville and Louisville never stopped loving Muhammad".

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