Muhammad Ali pallbearers will include Will Smith and Lennox Lewis

Los Angeles Times ^ | June 7, 2016 | Chuck Schilken

[EveningStar]

Actor Will Smith and former world heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis will be among the eight pallbearers at Muhammad Ali’s memorial service Friday in Louisville, Ky.

The legendary boxer died June 3 following a long battle with Parkinson’s disease.

Other pallbearers at the service will include Jerry Ellis — brother of the late Jimmy Ellis, who was Ali’s former sparring partner and former world heavyweight champion — and several relatives and close friends.

Smith received an Oscar nomination for playing the title role in the 2001 movie “Ali.”

[longfellow]

smith is finally useful.

[Celerity]

There is some joke around here about his carrying dead weight...

... that wasn’t his ridiculous cross-dressing son.

Also, these dirtbags will do ANYTHING to get in front of a camera. I wonder if the pallbearer positions were sold at a celebrity auction.

And I kinda hope that Al Sharpton is so “front and center” in this that he’s actually in the casket.

[WENDLE]

I’m tired of the Cassius Clay post mortem. He was a great prize fighter but that’s as far as it went with me.

[Eddie01]

The Prince of Bel air.

“smell ya later”

[EveningStar]

Also, these dirtbags will do ANYTHING to get in front of a camera.

Who are the dirtbags you're talking about?

[I want the USA back]

Bury him already! I’m sick of hearing about him.

[Vendome]

Kewel....

[IncPen]

Who are the dirtbags you're talking about?

Well, if it's a contest I'd say Ali won this round...

[Ketill Frostbeard]

I get as much entertainment and information without a TV as I did before, but get far less crap because I have to make the conscious decision to link to it.

[Gay State Conservative]

I've seen it claimed here on FR that Cassius Clay supported Reagan.If that's true it's the *only* positive thing I can think of about him.Everything else I know says he was a worthless punk.

And yes,I (like many here) served a full hitch during the Vietnam era,although I was never ordered to SE Asia.Many gave *all*,I gave *a little*,Cassius Clay gave absolutely nothing!

[Vermont Lt]

I am not sick of it, but I can understand why some are.

I think it can be pawned off on a slow news cycle. The primaries are over and there is really not much going on that the networks WANT to cover.

But, he was also the most well known person in the world for a long time. Bigger than the Pope, several Presidents, and other athletes.

Based on those things, I can understand the attention. Next week it will be something else.

[Eddie01]

The Point: He converted to Islam.

If he was Christian, he’d get an obligatory mention followed by...

...this just in, deaf barista spills coffee on hand of Croat service detail chief, mistkes compliment for death threat.

[lodi90]

Get ready for another Wellstone funeral. This one will be a doozy.

[longtermmemmory]

I think this is just a distraction circus to keeps eyes of the catastrophic jobs report, the enfuriated voters, the insane (really insane establishment pundits) and anything to do with Mr. Michelle Obama.

[2banana]

It doesn’t sound like an islamic burial...

[Political Junkie Too]

Maybe Howard Cosell's daughter can cover it on TV.

-PJ

[WENDLE]

True. Or “ it’s windy in Chicago”.

[Eddie01]

LOL

[oh8eleven]

Many gave *all*,I gave *a little*,Cassius Clay gave absolutely nothing!
I'm a 'Nam vet and as wary as I was of Ali and his CO claim, the way he lived out his life was enough proof for me that he was sincere.
What really frosts me are the scumbag draft dodgers who went to Canada AND came back under Jimmy Carter's amnesty. I despise all of them to this day.