Muhammad Ali: The Life of a Legend

by Fiaz Rafiq, Rasheda Ali (Foreword by)

Overview

Muhammad Ali is one of the most remarkable sports personalities and celebrities of our time. He is a legend who transcended boxing and rose above all sport. A man of mythic proportions, Ali rose to become a prominent feature of our cultural landscape.

Through exclusive accounts from family members, close friends, associates and adversaries, Fiaz Rafiq has compiled a compelling and intriguing insight into a sporting legend. Muhammad Ali's story is an epic one, one of bravery, courage, hope, skill and indomitable will. Muhammad Ali: The Life of a Legend is an oral biography of the greatest icon of world sport who continues to influence millions.

Among those interviewed include, George Foreman, Larry Holmes, Chuck Wepner, Joe Bugner, Angelo Dundee, Don King, Jim Brown, Lou Gossett Jr., Dr. Harry Edwards, Butch Lewis, Sugar Ray Leonard, Evander Holyfield, some close family members and some of the top sports journalists who worked with Ali, and many more.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781909715936
Publisher:	Birlinn, Limited
Publication date:	07/07/2020
Edition description:	New in Paperback
Pages:	352
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.10(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

Fiaz Rafiq is a professional sports and entertainment writer for more than half a dozen national newspapers. For fifteen years, he was a chief columnist for a best-selling combat sports magazine, MAI, and also contributed to Men’s Fitness, Muscle & Fitness and Impact: The Global Action Movie Magazine.

Fiaz co-authored My Brother, Muhammad Ali: The Definitive Biography of the Greatest of All Time with Rahaman Ali. He remains close friends with more than one member of Muhammad Ali's family.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments iv

Foreword Rasheda Ali v

Preface vii

Introduction xi

Chapter 1O Family 1

Muhammad Ali Jr. 3

Rasheda Ali 11

Hana Ali 16

Maryum Ali 19

Chapter 2 The Journalists 25

Robert Lipsyte 28

Bert Sugar 45

Jerry Izenberg 56

Neil Leifer 64

Dave Kindred 75

George Kalinsky 91

Gary Smith 101

Chapter 3 The Opponents 107

George Foreman 110

Larry Holmes 116

Joe Bugner 121

Ron Lyle 137

Chuck Wepner 142

Richard Dunn 158

Chapter 4 Friends and Associates 163

Angelo Dundee 165

Bobby Goodman 175

Don King 186

Jim Brown 192

Walter Beach 197

Fred Williamson 202

Dr. Harry Edwards 209

Jhoon Rhee 224

Louis Gossett Jr. 232

George Dillman 237

Jose Sulaiman 253

Leon Gast 260

Butch Lewis 282

Alex Wallau 299

Murad Muhammad 306

Sugar Ray Leonard 321

Evander Holyfield 324

Jimmy Walker 327

Appendix - Muhammad Ali Timeline 333

Author Biography 336

Editorial Reviews

"A thoroughly absorbing read with intriguing insights into 'The Greatest' by those who know him best."

Daily Star

"Lets Ali admirers, friends and former foes speak for themselves, as well as providing fascinating insights...essential reading."

Men's Fitness

"A forensic examination of the greatest sportsman of his era, through the eyes of the people who knew him best, and an essential addition to the library."

The Independent

"An impressive collection of first-hand testimony from friends, rivals, contemporaries, scribes and his closest family illuminate Ali for a new generation while rekindling the memories for those that have always known he was The Greatest."

New York Daily News

Ali was the quintessential sports icon and media star who in his 20-year boxing career played into his image as a larger than life athlete who basked in the spotlight,but was actually an intensely private man. Particularly poignant in the book are the interviews with four of Ali’s adult children... Rafiq digs into Ali’s technical prowess up close with interviews with his opponents... giving the inside view unscripted recollections of Ali’s boxing style: the knockouts, the rope-a-dope strategies, and Ali’s mental tactics in the ring...Rafiq’s interview sessions with sports journalists are also revelatory'

New York Journal of Books

"An obsorbing, insightful look at the most significant sporting figure of modern times. Conversations gives a fresh perspective on a genial man, his boxing legacy and the 'Greatest's' role in landmark changes of 20th century history."

Daily Mail