Muhammad Ali is to be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame.
Muhammad Ali is to be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame
The late boxing legend - who died in 2016 at the age of 74 following a battle with sepsis - is regarded as the greatest heavyweight boxer of all time and will be honoured by World Wrestling Entertainment later this year when the organisation holds the 25th ceremony.
In a statement, WWE said: "Known simply as 'The Greatest' Ali's influence transcended sports as his work as an activist, artist, and personality established him as one of the most renowned figures in the entire world."
During his career, the posthumous inductee competed in 'The War of the Worlds' WWE match against Antonio Inoki and was a special guest referee in the WrestleMania I main event in 1985.
As is the tradition, Muhammad is the only celebrity named for induction, but previous stars to receive the honour include Donald Trump, Mike Tyson, and William Shatner.
The event is set to take place on April 5 at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia and Muhammad's widow, Lonnie Ali, is scheduled to speak at the ceremony
The news comes just days after his only son has vowed to continue his father's legacy.
Muhammad Ali Jr - whose mother is Khalilah Ali - has opened up about the late three-time heavyweight champion abandoning him as a child in the documentary ‘My Father Muhammad Ali’, in cinemas now, and despite his troubled upbringing, he's vowed to carry on his father's name.
He told The Sun newspaper: “I was born with the name Muhammad Ali, so I had to be protected because, later in life, my father said, ‘This is Muhammad Ali — when I’m done, he’ll take over’.
“Now I’m taking over the legacy. I’m going to keep the legacy going. I am Muhammad Ali Jnr. got bullied because the other children wanted to know if I could fight like my dad.
“I never showed my technique to anybody and I never will.”
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