Muhammad Ali honored with Day of Compassion in Louisville

Louisville marked a decade since Muhammad Ali's death by establishing an annual volunteer initiative in the heavyweight champion's name.

The Muhammad Ali Center hosted a ceremony Wednesday to introduce the Day of Compassion, which will encourage community service and acts of kindness each year on the anniversary of Ali's passing, ESPN reports. More than 100,000 people lined the streets for Ali's funeral procession in 2016, chanting his name as the cortege moved through the city.

Ali's widow recalls The Greatest's true legacy

Lonnie Ali, who co-founded the center with her late husband, told attendees that the three-time heavyweight champion's impact went beyond his ring accomplishments. "His greatness did not come from what he achieved for himself," she said during the hourlong event. "His greatness came from the way he treated those around him and how he uplifted them."

Former Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer recalled the global attention the city received when world leaders, athletes, and celebrities arrived to honor Ali. Former President Bill Clinton and actor Billy Crystal spoke at the funeral service, while Will Smith, who portrayed Ali in a 2001 film, served as a pallbearer.

Ali won Olympic gold and captured the heavyweight title three times after growing up in a modest west Louisville home. The U.S. Postal Service issued a stamp bearing his image earlier this year.

Source: espn.com