It was more than the long-awaited showdown between two superb athletes
in their prime, more than the ultimate test of speed and artistry versus
power and endurance. It was more than a boxing match, much more. The
first meeting between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier at Madison Square
Garden on March 8, 1971, transcended the world of sports to become a
major international media spectacle with tremendous social and political
overtones.
In The Fight of the Century, sportswriter Michael Arkush delves behind
the scenes to explore the richly textured history and the ongoing impact
of one of the most important sporting events of all time, a battle not
only between two undefeated champions, but between two competing views
of a nation still reeling from the turbulent 1960s.
Arkush draws from interviews with Ali's trainer, Angelo Dundee; his
doctor, Ferdie Pacheco; and more than 100 others to examine how the
fight, watched by more than 300 million viewers around the world,
ushered in a new era of sports marketing. From then on, every game would
be turned into an "event," powered by over-the-top hype and carefully
staged pageantry.
This sweeping real-life saga features insightful portraits of both
fighters. The outspoken Ali, coming back to boxing after a
three-and-a-half-year ban for evading the military draft, was already
one of the best-known human beings on the planet--a hero to millions,
though certainly a thorn in the side of America's power structure.
Frazier, by contrast, did not feel compelled to constantly weigh in on
the political issues of his time, though he did refuse to call his
opponent by his adopted Islamic name, instead referring to him as
Cassius Clay.
Among many telling details in this fascinating account, you'll discover
why Ali's favorite foil, Howard Cosell, who had defended the champ
passionately during his exile, did not call the fight, and how a
prominent Hollywood agent and a California businessman teamed up to
promote the event. You'll also learn how a little-known Georgia
legislator helped make Ali's comeback possible.
Complete with photos of both fighters at the peak of their careers, The
Fight of the Century is very likely the most dramatic, compelling, and
moving sports story you will ever read.
