Muhammad Ali dead: The boxing icon explains his 'recipe for life'

He was asked what he wanted people to think of him when he's gone

When asked how he would like people to react to his death, Muhammad Ali responded by telling them his "recipe for life".

It was 1972 and Ali was being interviewed by journalist David Frost, later to gain fame for his interview with the former US President Richard Nixon.

Frost asked Ali: "What would you like people to think of you when you're gone?"

In response, Ali said: “I’d like for them to say he took a few cups of love.

"He took one tablespoon of patience, one teaspoon of generosity, one pint of kindness; he took one quart of laughter, one pinch of concern.

"And then, he mixed willingness with happiness, he added lots of faith and he stirred it up well. Then he spread it over a span of a life time and he served it to each and every deserving person he met.”

Applause followed, and a voice said: "Thank you Muhammad Ali. Thank you very much!"

The three-time boxing champion was famous throughout his career not only for boxing, but also for his way with words when speaking in public.

Other metaphors used by the boxer included: “Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee”, “I done wrestled with an alligator, I done tussled with a whale" and "I'm so mean, I make medicine sick".