How the world paid tribute to Muhammad Ali

1. Boxing legend Muhammad Ali has died, aged 74
2. Three-time world champion, won 56 of his 61 professional fights
3. Mike Tyson led the tributes and said "God came for his champion"

How Ali wanted people to remember him

"I would like to be remembered as a man who won the heavyweight title three times, who was humorous and who treated everyone right," he once said.

"As a man who never looked down on those who looked up to him...who stood up for his beliefs...who tried to unite all humankind through faith and love.

"And if all that's too much, then I guess I'd settle for being remembered only as a great boxer who became a leader and a champion of his people. And I wouldn't even mind if folks forgot how pretty I was."

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'Ali was the greatest' - Foreman

"Muhammad Ali made you love him.

"The man was the greatest. Forget about boxing, he was one of the greatest men to appear on television, in the media."

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You can read more tributes to Muhammad Ali here.

No option but to agree

Mike Costello

BBC boxing correspondent

"No-one brought such colour, such controversy, such excitement to the world of sport. He beat Frazier, Foreman, Norton and Liston – three of them he beat twice – a record unmatched in the history of the heavyweight division. 

"Most sports stars would be content to have a single book written about their careers, Ali had books, songs, documentaries written about single fights within his career. 

"He told us right at the outset, and in the end we had no option but to agree, he was the greatest."

'Took on establishments and won'

Steve Bunce

BBC Sport boxing pundit speaking on Radio 5 live

"The king of the world is hard to sum up. He took on establishments and he won, he took on the greatest fighters of his generation and he won and he led not just his people, as he called them, he led the world - he truly was the king of the world. 

"Triumphant choirs? There aren’t enough singers left in heaven."

'An inspiration'

'My idol'

Arnold Schwarzenegger on Facebook

The world reacts to Muhammad Ali

The world reacts to Muhammad Ali

'A table for one'

Mike Costello

BBC boxing correspondent

"The enforced absence from the ring had had an enervating effect on Ali's movement and speed. Without the dancing feet, he was like the bird without wings. The best heavyweight in history might be the one we never got to see, the Ali of 1967-70.

"Even so, his claims to the accolade of The Greatest are unrivalled. No other heavyweight fought and beat opponents of the calibre of Frazier, George Foreman, Sonny Liston and Ken Norton. And three of them he beat twice.

"His performance, less heralded, against Cleveland Williams in Houston in 1966 might just be the best exhibition of heavyweight boxing ever assembled. Three rounds of artistic violence.

"And what must also be included in any debate about all-time rankings is the boxer's impact within and beyond his sport. Again, Ali belongs at a table for one."

'The double greatest'

So, simple question - how good was Ali?

Well this is what he once said of himself...

"I'm not the greatest, I'm the double greatest. Not only do I knock 'em out, I pick the round. I'm the boldest, the prettiest, the most superior, most scientific, most skilfullest fighter in the ring today." 

The front pages

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'The greatest'

Starting soon

BBC One

Tune in to BBC One now as there will be a documentary on Muhammad Ali starting at 21:30 BST.

'Most days I think about Muhammad Ali'

A 5 live listener said his father named him after the former heavyweight champion.

'A true champion'

The front pages

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'Ali will never die' - King

Don King, who promoted many of Ali's fights, including the Rumble in the Jungle, said: "It's a sad day for life.

"I loved Muhammad Ali, he was my friend. Ali will never die.

"Like Martin Luther King, his spirit will live on. He stood for the world."

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You can read more tributes to Muhammad Ali here.

The front pages

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'I wouldn't be boxing if it wasn't for Ali' - Haye

Former heavyweight world champion David Haye has been spaying his tribute to Muhammad Ali on the BBC News Channel: "It is a nice opportunity to see the world recognise his greatness.

"I wouldn’t be boxing if it wasn’t for Muhammad Ali. I realised the love and admiration my family had for him growing up and I was watching him and learning. I wanted to have what Ali had.

"He was the pinnacle of what a boxer could be."

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'The end of an era' - Klitschko

Kiev mayor and former heavyweight champion Vitaliy Klitschko: "Muhammad Ali's passing marks the end of an era in sports, an era in boxing. It is hardly possible to find a man who has done more to popularise this sport. It is hardly possible to find a man who has been followed by dozens and hundreds of millions of boys around the world trying to become like Muhammad Ali.

"I am grateful to fate for winning the title once owned by the great Ali.

"Muhammad Ali lives on in our hearts. He will live on for as long as we remember him."