Then he was fighting Henry Cooper at Wembley, but this week Ali is in the UK for a series of visits to raise money for his charity in the US – The Muhammad Ali Centre in Kentucky.

The 67-year-old former champion suffers from Parkinson’s disease and this is widely believed to be his last visit to Britain. Next week he plans a trip to Ireland to visit his ancestral home in Ennis.

In the evening there will be a dinner in honour of Ali at Old Trafford, attended by the boxing star, alongside Manchester United players. All the proceeds are to go to Ali’s charity, and those attending have paid up to £1000 to attend, although Ali will not be speaking.

Carl Holness, chief executive of the company, said: “it’s been a dream of mine for years to get him over here, and it’s taken me more than 12 months to plan and put things together. We had to give them references from people like George Foreman, Joe Calzaghe and Ricky Hatton before he would agree to come.

On the fundraising trip Ali will appear at events including the European Jumping and Dressage Championships at Windsor Castle and a lunch at Stoke City FC’s Britannia Stadium.