The Associated Press

LOUISVILLE - Minority-run companies will be awarded a "significant share" of construction work on the Muhammad Ali Center, center officials said.

A management team overseeing construction includes three minority-owned companies.

Center officials, however, declined to set a specific percentage of work that will go to companies run by blacks, women and the disabled.

"We have a commitment from our (board of) directors to achieve maximum minority ... involvement with this project," center President Michael Fox said.

The center is being designed as a tribute to the three-time heavyweight boxing champion from Louisville, including his humanitarian efforts.

Fox and other officials estimate the Ali Center's construction will cost $20 million, with another $10 million to $12 million to build exhibits.

Work is scheduled to start this fall, with an opening in spring 2005, Fox said. The center will be built atop a 450-space parking garage now under construction.

The management team also plans to work with such groups as the Justice Resource Center, the local chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and the Louisville Minority Business Development Council to find qualified minority firms.