Muhammad Ali and his wife, Lonnie, have both been honored in recent months with awards commemorating their humanitarian work and giving spirit.

At the Global Leadership Awards 2011 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Muhammad was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award. Though unable to attend, Muhammad was proud to be the recipient of the award, which was presented to him based upon his leadership and humanitarian work since retiring from boxing. The Global Leadership Awards 2011, an extension of the prestigious Malaysia Business Leadership Awards, was made possible by a collaborative project between The Leaders Magazine and The American Leadership Association.

Muhammad was also honored in July by the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE) with the NOBLE Award for Outstanding Leadership in Civil Rights. Friend of Ali and former Kentucky Governor John Y. Brown accepted the award on Muhammad’s behalf. NOBLE cited Mr. Ali’s courage and conviction during the civil rights movement, his role in increasing awareness about the needs of developing nations, his goodwill Missions to Afghanistan and Cuba, and his continuing humanitarian work as just some of the reasons they chose to honor him with the award.

Lonnie Ali, Muhammad’s wife and co-founder of the Ali Center, was recently presented with the Matthew T. Robinson, Jr. Award of Courage by the HollyRod Foundation in Los Angeles, CA. HollyRod Foundation was started by actress Holly Robinson Peete and her husband, former NFL player Rodney Peete. The Matthew T. Robinson, Jr. Award of Courage, named for Mrs. Peete’s late father who courageously battled Parkinson’s disease, was presented to Mrs. Ali in honor of her work at the Muhammad Ali Center as well her extensive dedication to other charitable and educational causes, including children’s rights and Parkinson’s disease research.