'Muhammad Ali was The Greatest. If you just asked him, he'd tell you': Barack Obama pays powerful tribute to his hero, thanking the fallen Champ for 'gracing our time'

In a joint statement, President Barack Obama (right, with Ali) and the First Lady remembered the fallen icon as a man who 'stood up for us' and 'helped us get used to the America we recognize today'. 


The US leader admitted he was too young to know who Ali was when, aged just 22, he knocked out Sonny Liston in 1964. But the legendary boxer and civil rights activist became such an inspiration to Obama that the iconic picture of him 'roaring' over a floored Liston later hung in his office when he was running for senate (left). In a wonderfully candid post, Obama wrote today: 'Like everyone else on the planet, Michelle and I mourn his passing. But we're also grateful to God for how fortunate we are to have known him... for how fortunate we all are that The Greatest chose to grace our time.'