>> ninan: going on. i'm reena ninan. whether muhammad ali was the greatest boxer of all time is debateac but no athlete has had as great an impact outside of his sport as muhammad ali. he passed away last night at a hospital near his home in phoenix. he 74 years old. in his final days, ali suffered from a respiratory ailment, a condition made worse by parkinson's disease, which he fought for more than 4030 years. the champ was born risel martin in louisville, kentucky. in 1942. in 19 scorb at 22 years old, he defeated sonny liston to become the world heavyweight champion. it was in this spotlight that cassius clay announced he was changed his name to muhammad ali, and converting to islam. ali refused to serve in the army during the vietnam war. he was found guilty of draft evasion and stripped of his title. the u.s. supreme court eventually overturned his conviction. in the 1970s, and early 80ss, his matches were international events. shortly after he retierkd ali was diagnosed with parkinson's disease suspected from thousands of blows to the head. it became hard for him to walk and speak. in 2005, ali was awarded the medal of freedom, bestowed by the president. in a statement today, president obama said: we begin our coverage tonight with carter evans in scotsdale, arizona. >> i had one hell of a rumble. >> reporter: muhammad ali died as he lived-- surrounded by people who loved him. but this time, it was only close friends and family. today, ali's daughter, hana, said in a statement, "our hearts arheartsare literally hurting be happy our daddy is free now." >> he would have been proud of them. >> bob gunnell was ali's close friend and was in the hospital when he passed away. he said his wife, lonnie, took him to a doctor tuesday with a small coff. they went home with medication. >> it didn't help. he checked into the hospital. we assumed it would be a short hospital stay. >> reporter: like it has been before. >> like it has been before. within 24 hours, it became worse, and lonnie called and i could tell in her voice there was an issue. >> reporter: ali's family flew to phoenix on friday to be by his bedside. his close friend john ramsey was also at the hospital. >> a lot of emotion last night. un, these kids, like their father, they're spurl. they had a lot of good stories. there were tears, there were hugs, there were laughs. it was good to see, you know, everybody in one room. >> reporter: at that point ali was on a ventilator and his organs were shutting down. >> it took a bad turn. it hit him hard, and muhammad's got off the mat a lot of times. he just couldn't do it this time. >> reporter: his family had to make a decision. >> muhammad was meticulous in expressing not only how he wanted to live but how he wanted to die. they were united in their front that that is not how their father wanted to live his life. >> reporter: they knew what he wanted. >> they've known how he wanted. >> reporter: so they made that decision yesterday to take him off life support. >> they did. it was hard. his daughter hana said inize tweet: it's so sudden, and you think about all the things you would have liked to have done or said. has that crossed your mind? >> even though muhammad didn't speak as eloquently and like he used to, and his speech was limited at times, his eyes and his motions spoke volumes. in his presence, his actions spoke volumes. and that's probably what i would have wanted to tell him is that he made me a better person. >> reporter: tomorrow, family members will accompany muhammad ali's body to his home town of louisville, kentucky. a memorial is set for thursday. a public service is going to be on friday. it will begin with a procession through town. bill clinton, billy crystal, and bryant gumbel are expected to deliver eulogies and thousands of people, reena, are expected to attend from around the world. >> ninan: thank you, carter. as tributes continue to pour in for muhammad ali, jericka duncan is in his childhood home town of louisville, kentucky. >> reporter: with boxing gloves in hand, seven-year-old kahari adams was one of the first to arrive at the muhammad ali center to pay his respects. his mother, tiffany, explained what ali's life meant to this chiewnt. >> you know, he kind of near and dear to my heart, as far as the plight of people of color and what he stood for. >> reporter: the memorial continued to grow, despite the rain. everyone seemed to have a story about ali's louisville lip, and how it changed history. >> he decided to stand on his own when he decide not to go with the draft, when he decided that he was going to be a legend for this city, this state, he just went for it. >> reporter: the condolences and remembrances from around the world are pouring in on social media. actor and parkinson's activist "fox anmichael j. fox tweeted: n prime minister narenda modi called ali a source of inspiration who demonstrated the power of human spirit and determination. former heavyweight champion mike tyson said, "god came for his champion. so long, great one." ringo starr tweeted, "god bless muhammad ali. peace and love to all his family." from this street to this home where ali grew up, louisville is the only place in the country that offeraise full look into the champ's life in and out of the ring. so you say that muhammad ali had a way of communicating with his eyes? >> yes, he had very expressive eyes. >> reporter: the last time i saw muhammad, i told this story a couple of times. he was here at the center, and as muhammad normally does he welcomed peep to come and talk to him. and there was this young man who was battling leukemia, and when he saw muhammad, you could see his spirits were uplifted, and he spent about 15 or so minutes with muhammad, and the last thing that he said was, "i'm going to continue fighting, just like you did, champ. i'm going to continue fighting and i'm going to beat this disease." >> reporter: at a ceremony this morning, flages were lowered to half staff. mayor greg fischer: >> what the champ would want us to do right now is to spread that same message, follow his example, and live by the same six core principles that he lived by-- confidence, conviction, dedication, giving, respect, and spirituality. >> reporter: and the memorial behind me has been alive with muhammad ali's spirit all all day long. his goal, ultimately, was to encourage people to help others. well, he will unite people once again on friday. his procession will travel through louisville, all neighborhoods-- blark white, rich or poor-- something ali would have loved. reena. >> ninan: jericka duncan reporting for us from muhammad ali's home town, thank you. today in an interview for a 48 hours special on muhammad ali airing tonight on cbs, boxing great george foreman remembers his friend and former opponent, muhammad ali. >> i think the best part of muhammad ali, more than that of being a great athlete or even a great boxer, was his mere presence. he'd get into the ring, and you weren't fighting a boxer. you weren't fighting a slugger. you were having to contend with the presence of one of the greatest human beings that i've ever met in my life. he was a great man. how do you fight a great man because you don't hit him with a jab. you don't hit him with a right hand. you've got to hit them back with greatness. >> and didn't know that until after we fought. >> ninan: and we'll have much more on muhammad ali coming up in the broadcast. and be sure to tune in tonight as 48 hours presented a one-hour special "muhammad ali: remembering a legend." in another important story tonight, the bodies of four soldiers who were swept away as they crossed a fast-moving creek in fort hood, texas, have now been recovered. nine soldiers were killed. david begnaud is learning more about the soldiers who were lost. david. >> reporter: late today, cbs news confirmed the name of one of the nine soldiers who was killed in a training mission that turned into a tragic accident. that's what the military is calling it. it happened on thursday. the farther of notified his daughter was among the dead. gates joined the military 6.5 months ago. she was homecoming queen at her school in north carolina, a dancer since the age of three. she wanted to serve her country for the next 20 years with a smile, her dad said. gates and her colleagues died in ray creek here on forthood where the routine training mission was happening. apparently their 2.5-ton vehicle was overcome by water. it was flash flooding, the military says. a first responder told a local newspaper, the "kileen daily herald," when they first arrived they didn't spot anything in the creek but downstream they saw the military vehicle overturned in eight feet of water with the wheels sticking out. it took nearly 36 hours to find those nine bodies. reena there will be an investigation. the army confirms that. and i asked one official during that investigation to find out if something was done wrong, will you change or alter or suspend anything? and that official's answer was short and direct, "the training will continue." >> ninan: a heartbreaking update. david begnaud in fort hood, texas, thank you, david. devastating floods have killed at least 18 people across europe in recent days. in paris, the seine river reached its highest levels in 35 years. in other areas, its highest levels in over 100 years. at the famed louvre museum, over 250,000 artworks were moved to higher floors floors. in oregon, a freight drain of train derailed spilling oil into the columbia river gorge. 14 cars jumped the tracks and several of them caught fire friday. nearby homes and schools were evacuated. it's unclear how much oil has spilled into the river. oil booms are in place as crews clean up the mess. the u.s. aircraft carrier "harry s. truman" has been launching air strikes against isis from the mediterranean sea. seth doane was on board fair rare look at the fight against isis at sea. >> reporter: u.s. navy fighter jets continued their assault today against isis, but from a new staging area. this aircraft carrier had been in the persian gulf. it was brought up through the suez canal and repositioned here in the eastern mediterranean sea. this is the first time that the u.s. navy has launched airstrikes from this part of the world since the iraq war in 2003. rear admiral bret batchelder told us the move shows flexible in the fight against isis. >> we continue to strike at the financial capabilities, the revenue-generating sources that they have there, their abilities to generate forces, and at their leadership. >> reporter: that can mean strike militants or banks? >> yes, it could. >> reporter: so far, 1800 combat missions, or airstrikes, have been flown from this carrier since it was deployed dealing a blow to the terrorist group. >> they do not have the same real estate or freedom to maneuver that they did when we arrived in december. >> reporter: we've just flown back from the aircraft carrier, and are now here in crete, where there is a nato base. reena, the uss "harry s. truman" will be heading home soon but it is keeping up the fight for now as this is such a crucial time in the battle against isis. >> ninan: and a crucial mission at that pim seth doane, thank you. when the cbs weekend news continues, we'll talk to one of the few men who fought against the few men who fought against muha i use what's already inside me to reach my goals. so i liked when my doctor told me that i may reach my blood sugar and a1c goals by activating what's within me with once-weekly trulicity. trulicity is not insulin. it helps activate my body to do what it's supposed to do release its own insulin. trulicity responds when my blood sugar rises. i take it once a week, and it works 24/7. it comes in an easy-to-use pen and i may even lose a little weight. trulicity is a once-weekly injectable prescription medicine to improve blood sugar in adults with type 2 diabetes. it should be used along with diet and exercise. trulicity is not recommended as the first medicine to treat diabetes and should not be used by people with severe stomach or intestinal problems or people with type i diabetes or diabetic ketoacidosis. trulicity is not insulin and has not been studied with long-acting insulin. do not take trulicity if you or anyone in your family has had medullary thyroid cancer or multiple endocrine neoplasia syndrome type 2 or if you are allergic to trulicity or its ingredients. stop using trulicity and call your doctor right away if you have symptoms of an allergic reaction, such as itching, rash, or difficulty breathing; if you have signs of pancreatitis such as severe stomach pain that will not go away and may move to your back, with or without vomiting or if you have symptoms of thyroid cancer, which may include a lump or swelling in your neck, hoarseness, trouble swallowing, or shortness of breath. medicines like trulicity may cause stomach problems, which could be severe. tell your doctor about all your medical conditions and any medicines you take. taking trulicity with a sulfonylurea or insulin may increase your risk for low blood sugar. common side effects include nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, decreased appetite, and indigestion. some side effects can lead to dehydration, which may cause kidney failure. with trulicity, i click to activate what's within me. if you want help improving your a1c and blood sugar numbers with a non-insulin option, click to activate your within. ask your doctor about once-weekly trulicity. feel free to be yourself all day.... just switch from denture paste to sea-bond denture adhesive seals. holds stronger than the leading paste all day... without the ooze. feel secure. be yourself. with stronger, clean sea-bond. to you, they're more than just a pet. so protect them with k9 advantix ii. it kills fleas, ticks and mosquitoes. k9 advantix ii. for the love of dog. don't let dust and allergies get and life's beautiful moments. with flonase allergy relief, they wont. most allergy pills only control one inflammatory substance. flonase controls six. and six is greater than one. flonase changes everything. yourbut the omega-3s in fish oil differ from megared krill oil. unlike fish oil, megared is easily absorbed by your body. megared. the difference is easy to absorb. >> we have just received distressing news, although, there were a lot of people figuring that we were coming close to the end. the story out of arizona, we understand right now, that muhammad ali, the former cassius clay, has passed away. >> ninan: one sports legend reporting on another, longtime los angeles dodgers announcer, vin scully, breaking the news of muhammad ali's death to dodger fans. earlier today, i spoke to one of the few men who ever beat ali in a heavyweight spite, his former sparring partner, larry holmes. larry, thank you for joining us. i want to talk to you about that 1980s win, where he came out of retirement, and you beat him. what was that moment like? >> it was terrible. it's one of the worst fights i ever had, you know, because being a sparring fighter for four years, hanging with the guy traveling,un exactly what he can do and what he can't do, and i knew he couldn't pete beet me. and the only thing i didn't want him to do was make me mad so i would forget about who i'm fighting. and he tried it to make me mad, so they could lose my-- my plan, whatever. but i kept my cool, and i didn't try to hurt him because i knew what he had. and after the fight, he was just as happy anyway. >> ninan: was he really? after you defeated him, he was still happy? >> yeah, because he was making jokes. i went in there and i said, "man, you know i love you man." he said, "why did you beat me up then?" >> ninan: he was a man, larry, who never backed down. what was it like for him as he struggled to deal with parkinson's? >> he tried not to have the parkinson's. i know he tried to do the things he was doing when he was well. because i seen him when he was well. >> and seen him with the parkinson's, and how he was-- how he talked to me i could tell, you know. and he didn't like having what he had. but, you know, there's nothing you can do about it, and that's what happened to him. but he didn't stop being muhammad ali. he still wanted to tell jokes. he still wanted to be-- you know, make people happy. >> ninan: larry, thank you for your time. >> you're welcome, take care. >> ninan: still ahead on the cbs weekend news, the fight that the call just came in. she's about to arrive. and with her, a flood of potential patients. a deluge of digital records. x-rays, mris. all on account...of penelope. but with the help of at&t, and a network that scales up and down on-demand, the hospital can be ready. giving them the agility to be flexible & reliable. because no one knows & like at&t. try duo fusion!ing antacids? new, two in one heartburn relief. the antacid goes to work in seconds... and the acid reducer lasts up to 12 hours in one chewable tablet. try new duo fusion. from the makers of zantac. >> ninan: tonight, we were one of muhammad ali's greatest fight. in 1964, the man who called himself "the greatest "was just a brash, young olympian named cassius clay. that's when he stepped into the ring against heavyweight champion sonny liston. jim axelrod has that story. >> don't even mention that defeat to me. >> reporter: hardly anyone gave the challenger a chance against sonny liston, a cold, brutal ex-con with a devastating left hook. even clay's ringside physician, fight doctor ferdie pacheco, was concerned. you were really worried liston of going to hurt cassius clay. >> not hurt him, kill him. >> reporter: but the brash cassius clay, full of confidence and trash talk, taunted liston all the way up to the bell. >> tonight, somebody will die at ringside from shock! >> reporter: to the mostly white male sportswriting corps, clay had no chance. >> cassius clay is the only man here who thinks he is going to win. >> reporter: but clay surprised no one more than liston, dancing, and opening up liston's face with jab after jab. >> he ran around here, ran this way, he ran that way. he looked like a crazy fighter. >> reporter: after six rounds, sonny liston had had enough, spitting out his mouthpiece before the seventh. the fight was over, but the new champ was just getting started. what's going through your head? >> sheer, unaloid, insane joy. >> reporter: this young african american, fighting in a south that still kept the best hotels off limits to him, scolded the writers. >> i shook up the world, now what are you going to say about that now, hun. >> reporter: the next day, clay announced he was a muslim, no secret to many in miami who had seen malcolm x. visiting the training sessions. cassius clay was now muhammad ali. >> ninan: next on the cbs weekend news, the classic prank muhammad ali pulled on ed bradley for "60 minutes." 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