Last goodbye to Muhammad Ali culminates with emotional memorial service (Reuters)

By Nick Carey and Steve Bittenbender LOUISVILLE, Ky. (Reuters) – Religious and political leaders of many stripes joined the sports world and tens of thousands of ordinary mourners on Friday to bid farewell to Muhammad Ali, the boxing champion who jolted America with his showmanship and won worldwide admiration as a man of principle. Ali, a once-controversial convert to Islam who lost three prime years of his boxing career for refusing U.S. military service during the Vietnam War, died a week ago at age 74 as one of the most respected men in the United States. Fans chanting “Ali!” and throwing flowers lined the streets of Louisville, Kentucky, for a funeral procession.