TRIBUTES have been paid to Muhammad Ali who has died at the age of 74, by a Bradford journalist who knew him intimately and covered all his fights.

And the mother of a girl from Wrose who suffered spina bifida and met "The Greatest" on a trip to Las Vegas where he gave her his Champion of Champions ring has also recalled his "magic".

Journalist John Rimington was a Fleet Street correspondent based in Las Vegas for 25 years and became close to the three times world heavyweight champion, who has died in hospital in the US city of Phoenix, Arizona, after being admitted on Thursday.

Ali had been suffering from a respiratory illness, a condition complicated by Parkinson's disease.

"During those Las Vegas years I met Muhammad Ali many times," said Mr Rimington, who now lives in Rawdon and is the author of The Last Hurrah - a book about Ali's ill-advised final fight with Larry Holmes.

"I attended all his fights on which I reported from ringside and interviewed him both before and afterwards. "I'll leave it to the boxing pundits to decide whether he was the best boxer of all time.

"But to me he was, as he so often boasted, The Greatest." In 1977 Mr Rimington sponsored a trip to Las Vegas for 13-year-old spina bifida sufferer Julie Collins from Wrose, Shipley, who was desperate to meet her singing idols The Osmonds.

He also arranged for her attend an "America Honors the Heavyweight Champions" ceremony at the Aladdin Hotel and when she asked for Ali's autograph the champ stunned everyone by giving her his Champion of Champions diamond-studded ring.

"As he left the stage Ali spotted Julie in her wheelchair and then presented the ring to her saying: "You deserve this more than me. You are a true champion against adversity," Mr Rimington said.

Then as he signed her autograph book he told the teenager: "Now don't you go and pawn that ring when you get back to England." "Julie replied: "No chance, I'll treasure it forever.""

Sadly, Julie died from her illness in 1995 age 32 after six years of marriage, said her mother Renee Collins, 79, of Shipley.

"But that was the best day of her life thanks to Muhammad Ali - he was a big fine looking fellow and an absolute gentleman," she said.

"He took Julie up on stage and she became a celebrity herself. "It just happened out of the blue and was magical, just like a dream.

"It's sad that he's died, but there are lots of wonderful memories of him," After her daughter's death Mrs Collins generously donated Ali's ring to the Variety Club of Great Britain to be auctioned in aid of its work with disabled and disadvantaged children.

Ali also provided a magical moment for young Pippa Midgley from Horsforth who was holidaying with her parents at Caesar's Palace Las Vegas in 1980 where the boxer when the boxer was promoting his upcoming fight with Larry Holmes.

"Ali picked little Pippa up and said: 'I'm the greatest, but you the cutest. You are going to be my lucky charm'," Mr Rimington recalled.

"Holmes then approached and tied to snatch Pippa from Ali's arms saying: 'Hey, that's my gal. She's the champ's sweetheart and I'm the champ.' "Ali did his famous side shuffle and said: 'I was here first, this kid's a knockout. If you want her you'll have to knock me out.'

"They then had a mock fist fight before Pippa piped up: 'My teacher told me big boys shouldn't fight over girls.'"

Mr Rimington said the 38-year-old Ali should never have stepped into the ring with Holmes, a battle which he lost on a technical knock-out in the 11th round and left him broken in his corner.

"He made an unwise decision to come out of retirement in an attempt to win the crown in for an unprecedented fourth time.

"Ali was a victim of his own incomparable fame and status. "People had such faith in him that if he said he was going to do something, no matter how illogical, they believed he would do as he said.

"His ego told him he could still win, but really he had no chance and the fight should never have happened. "But then he was, and will always be - The Greatest."

The only Yorkshireman to fight Ali was Richard Dunn, who travelled to Munich to face him for his WBC and WBA titles in May 1976. Ali floored Dunn five times before the bout was stopped in the fifth round. Paying tribute to Ali he said: "I absolutely loved him. He was great for boxing, great for sport and he was a hell of a man."

Despite his defeat, former scaffolder Dunn returned to Bradford to a hero's welcome and a procession through the streets in a convertible Rolls-Royce, a "lovely car", as he told a newspaper in 2009.

He fought just twice more before retirement, and has since moved to Scarborough. A sports centre in Odsal, Bradford, was named after the boxer.

Bradford man Graham Knowles recalled meeting Ali at a book signing in Leeds in 1992.

"He was charming and we had a really good chat as I'd got his book to be signed, but had also taken a photo of him and Elvis as I knew they were friends."