This was one of several enticing books which had been languishing on my bookshelves, waiting for that opportune moment when it would receive my rapt and undivided attention and interest.
The edition of this book which I had access to was published in 1997, so it obviously does not cover the closing period of Ali's life, but I found it to be an illuminating and interesting read, which equipped me with a greater understanding of Ali the man, as opposed to Ali the legend or the myth.
Much of the text takes the form of quotations, and extracts from interviews with, various figures who knew Ali or came into contact with him. At times it occurred to me that the work relied too much on this material, and would have welcomed additional direct interpretation and subjective analysis from the writer himself, but at the same time the reminiscences of a diverse group of observers serves to deliver a balanced and rounded view of Ali the person and the boxer.
If I was to venture another criticism it would be that the coverage of Ali's early boxing career (his amateur days) is a touch thin. My perception was that the story moved somewhat hastily to him winning an Olympic gold and then initiating his professional career.
The turbulent and pivotal period of 1964-1970 is well covered, and here the recollections of people is invaluable, as it assists in understanding what an intricate position Ali found himself in. This was the section of the biography which I personally learned the most from, about Ali himself and also the social and cultural backdrop against which he operated.
As the book wore on, any minor reservations on my part gradually diminished, and the chapters chronicling the major boxing contests of the 1970s were nothing less than gripping and entertaining. There is a genuine sense of "time" and "occasion" in these passages, and it mattered little to me that some events are seemingly dismissed with little commentary. What mattered to me was the overall effect and what I discovered about that stage of his life and his boxing journey.
The information imparted about the business and promotional sides of boxing were also intriguing, eye-opening even. Life was indeed simpler, more informal and more "off the cuff" in those days.
As well as serving as an engrossing account of Muhammad Ali's life up to that point, the anecdotes, reflections and prose act as evocative portraits of the changing times, shifting attitudes, changing values and new forces.
The author and the contributors do manages to bring across the nobility and allure of boxing, as well as its occasional cruelty and destructiveness. I was fascinated by the chapters which examined the decline in Ali's career (the years 1976-1981), and this does not always make for comfortable reading. It is disconcerting to read about the fears for the boxer's physical wellbeing, and how long the situation was allowed to persist.
This biography quite bubbles and soars towards its conclusion. It pulls few punches, if you will pardon the pun. Aided by candid and honest opinions from some, it offers a clear insight and depiction of who the real Ali was, his journey in life, how he changed, and in what senses he remained the same, his flaws and his greatest genuine qualities. Also, what made him unique as a boxer and as a sportsperson.
