In 1974 in Kinshasa, Zaire, two African American boxers were paid five
million dollars apiece to fight each other. One was Muhammad Ali, the
aging but irrepressible "professor of boxing." The other was George
Foreman, who was as taciturn as Ali was voluble. Observing them was
Norman Mailer, a commentator of unparalleled energy, acumen, and
audacity. Whether he is analyzing the fighters' moves, interpreting
their characters, or weighing their competing claims on the African and
American souls, Mailer's grasp of the titanic battle's feints and
stratagems--and his sensitivity to their deeper symbolism--makes this
book a masterpiece of the literature of sport.