Ali: Friend, Foe and Inspiration - the world reacts

Magician, beautiful, magnetic, the greatest - just some of the words being used to describe the boxing great Muhammed Ali who has died at the age of 74.

A fighter who at his peak, was arguably the most famous man on the planet. Muhammad Ali - the man who floated like a butterfly and stung like a bee.

Sportsworld has been paying tribute - hear from his friends, boxing rivals and fellow sports men and women who he has inspired.

American author and friend Davis Miller had a unique relationship with Ali. Friends for over thirty years, Miller was initially a fan, who knocked on his door to meet the boxing legend. It was the start of a special relationship.

Former boxing heavyweight champion Larry Holmes has admitted he tried not to hurt friend and opponent Mohammed Ali when he beat him in October 1980.
Holmes dominated Ali from start to finish, winning every round on every scorecard. At the end of the tenth round, Ali's trainer, Angelo Dundee, stopped the fight. It would be Ali's only loss without "going the distance" for a judges' decision.

Holmes explained just how they reacted to each other in the dressing room after the bout:

Mohammed Ali was perhaps the most famous Muslim sports icon. Maybe the second most famous was NBA legend Kareem Abdul Jabber. The former Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Lakers centre is the NBA's all time leading points scorer and like Ali he hasn't been afraid to speak up about political and religious issues.

Significantly Kareem stood up and supported Ali when arguably he was at his most vulnerable, when he refused to join up with the army during the Vietnam war:

Former Olympic sprint champion Gail Devers says Muhammad Ali inspired her to fight her Graves disease and walk again.

Now cast your mind back to 1996 and one of the most iconic moments of Ali's career out of the ring.

The world watched as Ali, dressed all in white, lit the Olympic flame in Atlanta.

One of the stars of those games was Devers, three-time Olympic champion for the United States Olympic Team.

Current WBC Cruiserweight Champion Tony Bellew says boxing owes everything to Ali, and without him, the sport would not be what it is today.