COUNTY NEWS: Sussex pays its respects to Muhammad Ali

A large mural has been painted on the wall of a Shelter charity shop dedicated in his memory.

Stuart Purgailis, manager of the Royal Hotel in St Leonards, has also created a memorial to Ali with the help of his regulars.

He said: “We have got a number of people from Hastings and st Leonards Ex-Boxers’ Association who come to the pub regularly and they put some money together for the memorial. We then got some flowers for the tribute.

“Ali was a role model for a lot of people because he had the commitment and power to stand up for his beliefs.

“He stood up against the Vietnam War, refusing to fight in Vietnam. Because of this he was stripped of his boxing titles.

“Ali was a great ambassador for the rights not only of black people but for everyone. He was brave enough to put himself at risk so we think he deserves a fitting tribute.

“He was an icon and I don’t suppose there will be another sportsman like him.”

Ronelle Mortimer, who works at the Shelter charity shop in St Leonards, said: “We have a customer who comes all the time to our shop and he asked if it would be okay for him to paint the mural outside. We told him we’d be happy for him to do it.

“The painting is brilliant and customers who’ve come in since it was finished have commented, saying it was a lovely thing to do. In fact, we’ve had a lot more customers come in because of the mural.”

Muhammad Ali, who died aged 74 after a 30-year battle with Parkinson’s disease, was born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr.

He was and still is widely regarded as one of the most significant and celebrated sports figures of the 20th century.