(14 Sep 2012) SHOTLIST
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) Joe Louis Barrow II, son of boxer Joe Louis:
"Knowing you since I was a little boy has given me a ringside seat to history. Like my father, when you entered into the sport of boxing, the world was in turmoil, much like it is today. The two of you made opposite choices, my father choosing to volunteer in World War II and you, for religious convictions, refusing to serve in Vietnam. In different ways, you both defended the ideals of the Constitution. But time has shown that you were both on the right side of history. Like my father, your ability in the ring speaks for itself. But it's your character outside of the ring that speaks to the hope of the least and lost among us."
5. 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."
6. SOUNDBITE: (English) Dikembe Mutombo, former NBA star and National Constitution Centre trustee:
"He changed my life. I can never forget how inspired I was to see a black athlete receive such respect and admiration. He changed how the people of Zaire saw themselves, and in turn how the world saw them."
7. Pull out to wide of stage ++mute++
STORYLINE
Boxing great Muhammad Ali was honoured Thursday 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.
At the ceremony Thursday, retired NBA star Dikembe Mutombo recalled the impression Ali's visit made on him as an 8-year-old growing up in that country.
"He changed my life," said Mutombo, who also is a trustee of the Constitution Centre.
Since hanging up his gloves in 1981, Ali has travelled extensively on international charitable missions and devoted his time to social causes.
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