Fans pay tribute to Muhammad Ali at torch tower

ATLANTA — People in metro Atlanta are remembering Ali at the torch tower in southeast Atlanta. That's where Muhammad Ali lit the torch at the opening ceremony of the 1996 Olympic games.

Fans have been stopping by the torch tower where a pair of boxing gloves hang, and one fan Channel 2's Nefertiti Jacquez spoke with says he counted every step he took to get to the monument.

With his camera in tow Ray Cornelius made the trek up Fulton Street and walked 800 steps.

"I said, 'How many steps am I away from greatness?'" Cornelius said.

Cornelius, a Muhammad Ali fan, was determined to see exactly how close he lived to the Olympic monument near Turner Field.

"This is where Ali lit the Olympic cauldron for the 1996 Olympics," Cornelius said.

For Cornelius, the monument is more than just a relic of the past Olympic games. He says, it's a reminder of how great Ali was and what he stood for.

"I was thinking, 'Has anyone left anything for Ali?" and I come around the corner and bam this is what I see," Cornelius said.

Someone left a pair of boxing gloves hanging from the monument hours after Ali's death was announced.

Cornelius says it took him exactly 800 steps to the torch tower.

Cox Media Group