'I just want to get to Heaven, and I've got to do a lot of good deeds to get there' -Lonnie Ali on her husband

Lonnie Ali, Muhammad Ali’s fourth wife, delivered the first of nine tributes at her husband’s memorial service on Friday in Louisville.

“From wherever you are watching, know that we have been humbled by your heartfelt expressions of love,” she said.

Lonnie, who married Ali in 1986, recalled the story of 12-year-old Cassius Clay having his Schwinn bicycle stolen in Louisville. He complained to a policeman, the late Joe Martin, who happened to operate a boxing gym in his spare time. Martin became Clay’s first trainer.

“America must never forget, when a cop and an inner city kid talk to each other, miracles can happen,” Lonnie said.

Later in her eulogy, Lonnie said: “He was drawn to the poor and the forgotten. Muhammad fell in love with the masses and they fell in love with him.”

Washington Post