Ali Accepts Ford Grant

Jet, July 16, 2001

ALI ACCEPTS FORD GRANT: Boxing legend Muhammad Ali accepts a $5 million grant from the Ford Motor Company Fund on behalf of the Muhammad Ali Center in Louisville, KY. Presenting the check is Ford Vice President Janet Mullins Grissom and Ford Fund Vice President Sandy Ulsh. The former three-time heavy-weight champion envisions the center as a crowning achievement to his humanitarian efforts around the world.

The center--in partnership with the University of Louisville--will commemorate Ali's boxing career and will emphasize his philosophy, such as conflict resolution, not just his achievements, Ali's wife, Lonnie, said. "It's about values, it's about faith in oneself, it's about recognizing a common good, about sharing our strengths and our experiences with one another," she said.