Boxing great Muhammad Ali saluted the nation's first black president at an inaugural soirée Monday. Ali, celebrating his 67th birthday, was the guest of honour at a party for 1,400 that included other celebrities and lawmakers.

Ali sat on the platform yesterday when Barack Obama was sworn in as the nation's first black president. Ali's wife predicted the occasion signalled the passing of a torch.

"He wouldn't have missed this for the world," Lonnie Ali said after Monday night's Bluegrass Ball, a celebration of her husband's 67th birthday. Kentucky is the family's home state.

Muhammad Ali carried the dreams of a generation during his prime as an athlete and later as a humanitarian.

"What's interesting is that Muhammad had time to grow into his role as being a world humanitarian," Lonnie Ali said.

Obama on the other hand "... will inherit the world on his shoulders, not just the US And it is a much heavier burden than I think Muhammad had to face."

She added: "But I think (Obama's) his shoulders are broad. He and Muhammad are really made of the same fabric."

Ali, who suffers from Parkinson's disease, was the guest of honour at the Bluegrass Ball.

Native Kentuckian and actress Ashley Judd and artist Simon Bull unveiled a birthday gift to Ali - a pair of portraits of the boxer and Obama.

The two appear in the painting depicting a close-up of Obama's face looking off into the distance.

Within the boundaries of the new president's visage is a depiction of Ali as a boxer gazing over a fallen opponent - signifying a debt that Obama owes Ali and his fighting spirit, according to a release by the Muhammad Ali Center, which commissioned the portraits.