Ali public funeral on Friday in Louisville: spokesman

A public funeral procession and memorial service for boxing legend Muhammad Ali will take place in his hometown of Louisville, Kentucky on Friday, a family spokesman said today.

Former US president Bill Clinton, comedian Billy Crystal and sports journalist Bryant Gumbel will offer eulogies for Ali, who died yesterday at age 74 after a long battle with Parkinson's disease.

A small family funeral will precede the public service on Thursday, spokesman Bob Gunnell told reporters in Scottsdale, Arizona.