Muhammad Ali: Float Like a Butterfly Sting Like a Bee

by Muhammad Ali

There have been a number of sports heroes in the 20th Century who became bigger than life by both deeds and fable - Babe Ruth, Joe Louis, Jesse Owens, Joe DiMaggio, and, more recently, basketball icon Michael Jordan. But no athlete weighed so heavily on the public's consciousness as Muhammad Ali.A three-time world heavyweight champion, who first captured our imagination by successfully predicting the round he would dispose of his ring rival, Ali never fit the stereotype role we had shaped for the king of boxing. If the heavyweight champion ideal was Louis - carry a big punch in the ring but walk softly outside the ropes - Ali turned the model upside down.Where he once divided America with his social and religious beliefs, Ali, his body now ravaged by Parkinson's syndrome, has become a unifying force the past decade, a symbol of peace and hope in carrying the torch at the 1996 Olympic Games. In an age of superstars without a public conscience Ali was truly unique. He cavorted with presidents and kings, but was always more comfortable with the common man. Quite simply, "The Greatest"

Genres: Nonfiction, Sports

Hardcover

First published September 1, 2001

About the author

American prizefighter Muhammad Ali, originally Cassius Marcellus Clay, Junior, won the world heavyweight title in 1964, but as a result of his refusal to allow the Army to induct him during the Vietnam War, people stripped him of his title and from 1967 from competing banned him to 1970; he later regained the title two more times in 1974 and 1978.

This former professional boxer, philanthropist, and social activist lived.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muhamma...

Reviews

[BonStevenson · Rating 5 out of 5]

The man, the myth and the legend. Yes, all in his own mind. But it was the truth. And he fought like the dickens to make it so. Love this book. Sports at its greatest from the greatest of all time in the boxing ring. A must read for sports fans.

[Liam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Classy biography/career retrospective with a lovely selection of high quality pictures from inside and outside the ring. Touches on his enduring legacy which truly transcended boxing.

[John Seaborne jr]

I really enjoyed the book. The book was very descriptive, more so than the movie.

[Shelby Ray · Rating 4 out of 5]

From my childhood I have memories of old sporting events, amount them are Ali- Jimmy Young boxing match. I didn’t like him then, as everybody I was around hated him. Love him or hate him he’s a part of our history.