Scalpers slammed for selling Ali funeral tickets

Muhammad Ali's family have spoken of their "disgust" after revelations scores of tickets to his funeral are being offered for sale by scalpers.

The global sporting icon will be farewelled on Friday with a public ceremony at Louisville's 22,000-seat KFC Yum! Stadium with 15,000 free tickets offered to the public.

But within minutes of the final tickets being snapped up, money grabbers were quick to try and cash in on Ali's death offering them for sale online for hundreds of dollars.

The cash grab has left Ali's family and friends appalled.

A fan shows off tickets to Muhammad Ali's public memorial service. (AAP)

"I'm personally disgusted and amazed that someone would try to profit off of Muhammad Ali's memorial service," said Ali family spokesman Bob Gunnell told the New York Daily News.

"Obviously it's very disappointing that someone would try to turn a buck and make a dollar off of this solemn service to our great city hero and champion, Muhammad Ali.

"I haven't discussed this with the family because they have enough to worry about right now, but I'm sure they would be extremely disappointed."

The tickets have been offered online at sites such as Craigslist, with one post spruiking  six lower-level seats for $100 each.

Other posts offered to sell tickets to Thursday's Jenazah - an Islamic prayer service - at Freedom Hall.

Muhammad Ali fighting Joe Frazier. (AAP)

However, the scalpers were at least condemned by one poster who urged for the transactions to stop.

"The family of Muhammad Ali would rather see those seats sit empty rather than know some black-hearted whore profited from his death and disrespected his final wishes," the ad said.

Universally regarded as the world's greatest and most charismatic athlete, Ali died on June 3 at the age of 74 after a long battle with Parkinson's disease.

Friday's public event will feature actor Will Smith, who played Ali on the big screen, US media personality Bryant Gumbel, Billy Crystal and former President Bill Clinton.

Ali planned many of the details of his own funeral with the aim of giving one last gift to his adoring fans, rich or poor – free tickets.

Fans line up for tickets to Muhammad Ali's public service. (AAP)

Hundreds of fans, many chanting "Ali, Ali", lined up from as early as 6am on Wednesday for a chance to snap up one of the 15,000 free seats, four hours before the Yum! Centre’s box office was scheduled to open.

Such was the clamour for tickets, the box office opened early at 8.15am with every ticket snapped up by 9.20am.