(14 Sep 2012)
AP Entertainment
Philadelphia - 14 Sept 2012
1. Wide of boxing legend Muhammad Ali being escorted onto the stage and being seated next to his wife Lonnie Ali (in gold), UPSOUND: applause
2. Wide of Laila Ali (in pink) bestowing medal on her father, UPSOUND: applause, Ali looks at the medal and waves briefly to crowd, the group on stage then pose for photos
3. SOUNDBITE: (English) Lonnie Ali, wife of Muhammad Ali:
"It is especially humbling for Muhammad, who has said on many occasions, 'All I did was to stand up for what I believe.' This is indeed the case.
4. SOUNDBITE: (English) Laila Ali, daughter of Muhammad Ali:
"You know, my father loves people and people love my father, and I learned that at a very young age, as people would always come up to him wherever we went. My father has always lived his life to make this world better for others."
5. Pull out to wide of stage ++mute++
STORYLINE
MUHAMMAD ALI HONORED
Boxing great Muhammad Ali was honored Thursday (13 SEPT.) with the Liberty Medal for his long time role outside the ring as a fighter for humanitarian causes, civil rights and religious freedom.
Hundreds of people gathered on the lawn of the National Constitution Centre in Philadelphia to watch the three-time heavyweight title holder receive an honour that his wife, Lonnie Ali, called "overwhelming."
"It is especially humbling for Muhammad, who has said on many occasions, 'All I did was to stand up for what I believe,' " Lonnie Ali said.
The 70-year-old retired champ, hobbled by a 30-year battle with Parkinson's disease, did not speak but stood with assistance to receive the medal from his daughter Laila Ali.
He looked down at his medal for several moments and then waved to the crowd.
The award comes with a 100,000 US Dollar cash prize.
Ali was born Cassius Clay but changed his name after converting to Islam in the 1960s.
He refused to serve in the Vietnam War because of his religious beliefs and was stripped of his heavyweight crown in 1967.
A US Supreme Court ruling later cleared him of a draft evasion conviction, and he regained the boxing title in 1974 and again 1978.
One of his most famous fights took place in Zaire, now the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where he battled George Foreman in the "Rumble in the Jungle" in 1974.
Since hanging up his gloves in 1981, Ali has travelled extensively on international charitable missions and devoted his time to social causes.
Ali received the nation's highest civilian honour, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, in 2005.
He also has established the Muhammad Ali Parkinson Research Centre in Phoenix and a namesake educational and cultural institute in his hometown, Louisville, Kentucky.
The National Constitution Centre, which opened in 2003, is dedicated to increasing public understanding of the Constitution and the ideas and values it represents.
It awards the Liberty Medal annually to a person who displays courage and conviction while striving to secure freedom for people around the world.
Previous Liberty Medal recipients include rock singer and human rights activist Bono, former South African President Nelson Mandela and former President Jimmy Carter.
Six winners later received Nobel Peace Prizes.
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