Muhammad Ali: His Life and Times

This volume is a biography of American former professional boxer Muhammad Ali (b. 1942). Ail is generally considered among the greatest heavyweights in the sport's history. Through accounts of noteworthy admirers and close-associates, this work chronicles Ali's life and times. The author follows Ali through his growth from a brash, boisterous heavyweight contender to a highly devoted man of God who brings happiness wherever he goes. For fight fans, all of the classic bouts from Liston I to Manila are covered; anecdotes to be especially savored are those leading up to the first Liston fight, where Ali was arguably out of his mind in the extent to which he went in taunting his opponent, as well as the unadvised beating Ali suffered at the hands of Larry Holmes in the twilight of his career. The author also recounts Ali's relationship with Malcolm X and the Nation of Islam at the beginning of his first reign as heavyweight champion and to his conscientiously objecting to fighting in Vietnam. Showing "warts and all", this portrayal also shows Ali as an unfaithful husband, at times a cruel tormentor, as a foolhardy spendthrift, and as a confused and angry young man, as he transitions into his Muslim persona.