Tributes have poured in from across the globe after family members confirmed Friday night that boxing legend Muhammad Ali died at a hospital in Phoenix, Arizona. He was 74 years old.
"Ali was one of the greatest human beings that I'd ever met in my life," boxer George Foreman told BBC's Radio 4. "If you met Ali and you (were) a reporter, after meeting him you would be a better reporter, a better actor, a better doctor. He brought out greatness in everyone. If you talk about black and white and Ali, you are considered rude. The man was bigger than black, he was better than white, he was just a human being."
Foreman was Ali's opponent during the the infamous "Rumble in the Jungle" in 1974. Ali won the match by a knockout in the eighth round.
"I thought I'd knock him out in one or two rounds," Foreman said. "All he would say is, 'Is that all you've got, George?' I'll remember that with the most fond memories. I was in the ring with one of the greatest human beings I've ever met in my life."
In a statement the Nelson Mandela Foundation said Ali was the former South African president and Nobel Peace Prize winner's "boxing hero."
"Madiba had great respect for his legacy and spoke with admiration of Ali's achievements," CEO of the Nelson Mandela Foundation Sello Hatang said.
Others took to social media to remember "The Greatest," including Ali's daughters, Hana and Rasheda. Hana Ali described her father as a "humble mountain" on Instagram and said he was the love of her life.
Rasheda Ali called her father "the greatest man that ever lived."
