Muhammad Ali: Ringside - Hardcover

Miller, John; Et Al

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1852278528 ISBN 13: 9781852278526

Publisher: Virgin Books, 1999

Synopsis

A collection of Muhammad Ali memorabilia through the decades, from when Cassius Clay was a lanky Gold Gloves winner to his epic world-stage matches with Joe Frazier, George Foreman and Ken Norton, to his courageous ongoing battle with Parkinson's disease and the legend he created along the way. Each section is accompanied by a written piece contributed by writers such as Alex Haley, Toni Morrison and Norman Mailer who offer insights into what made Ali "the greatest" and the impact he has had around the globe.

About this title

Product Description

VG condition book with dust jacket. DJ is clean, has fresh colours and has little wear to edges. Book has clean and bright contents.

Review

Muhammad Ali once claimed that he would take on any fighter in any state in any country in the world and this glossy, richly illustrated tome certainly acts as a testament to that claim.

After an introduction by veteran black actor James Earl Jones, a friend of the boxer, the book takes us through Ali's turbulent career as a hot-headed young fighter who threw just as many verbal punches as he did physical ones. In fact his early demeanour bears a striking parallel to Sheffield star Prince Nazeem, who has, quite understandably, been compared with Ali on more than one occasion. Ali's boasting and "I am the greatest!" claims won him criticism and adulation in equal measure, but it seems from the lightweight yet revealing interviews throughout the book that this mindset was not so much a choice but a necessity, given his upbringing and colour. What this book attempts to show us is that throughout his career, Ali was an inspiration to people all over the world, regardless of their colour, because of his sheer will to succeed in whatever he did, from punches to poetry (a hobby that was lambasted by critics).

Those looking for an in-depth personal biography will be disappointed; it doesn't tread any new ground but it does offer a fresh and well put together analysis of the boxer, complete with details of his fights and many reproduced posters for all his bouts. As an overview of a career in boxing it does the job well, but what it really serves to highlight is the lasting endurance of Ali's fighting spirit . Despite succumbing to Parkinson's disease which has since, physically at least, reduced him to a shadow of his former self, it is clear that he is man with a few rounds left in him yet and can still float like a butterfly and sting like a bee. --Jonathan Weir

Edition details

• Publisher: Virgin Books
• Publication date: 1999
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1852278528
• ISBN 13: 9781852278526
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 128