Slowed by advancing Parkinson's disease, Ali, who reigned over the boxing world in the 1960s and 1970s, will open the Muhammad Ali Center dedicated to his life and ideals on November 21, Lonnie Ali said.

"His life has made a much larger footprint on the world than merely his athleticism," she said.

Ali, 63, grabbed the world's attention when he parlayed a flashy, unorthodox ring style and a flair for poetry into a successful fight to capture boxing's greatest prize, the heavyweight championship, in 1964.

"Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee" was the way he described his ring strategy, taking him to a lifetime record of 56 wins in 61 fights before he retired his gloves in 1981.

That record, and Ali's great sportsmanship, led to his being named the century's greatest athlete by Sports Illustrated magazine and a number of other publications.

But it was as much his refusal to fight in the Vietnam War, his conversion to Islam and his post-career tours to dozens of countries promoting peace and personal growth that made him, as his wife said, "the most recognized human being on Earth".

He made special efforts to bring his message to children across Africa, Asia and the Middle East.

"Fighting was his profession, peace was his passion," former US secretary of state Colin Powell once said of Ali.

The non-profit Ali Center will feature numerous exhibits and presentations on his life, according to center president Michael Fox.

It is not a museum, Fox insisted, but rather a center of study and communication of Ali's ideals that will work in concert with the Muhammad Ali Institute for Peace and Justice at the nearby University of Louisville.

Supported by computer giant Microsoft, the center will have extensive facilities for online "distance learning", with programs and information in 19 languages, Fox said.

A special focus will be on conflict management and resolution, he said.

Lonnie Ali said that, despite his disease, her husband is excited about opening the center later this month.

Last week, Ali's daughter Laila, herself a boxer, told the Los Angeles Times that her father's Parkinson's disease has advanced significantly.

"I feel like the disease is progressing," she told the newspaper.

"He has his good days and his bad days. He's taking a lot of different medications. Sometimes, his speech is so slurred, you can't hardly understand him. But he definitely knows what's going on, that's for sure. He sees everything," she said.

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