Probably not many boxing fans in this forum, but Norman Mailer wrote a great book on The Fight. And, there is also a great documentary, When We Were Kings, on the Ali-Foreman fight that is well worth watching even if you are not a boxing fan, as it captures the three-ring circus that formed around the fight. Ali is one of the few fighters to truly transcend the sport, and Taschen lavished quite a monograph on him, simply entitled G.O.A.T. for those who want to plunk down 3000 euros.
Welcome to this month's reading group selection. David Von Drehle mentions The Melting Pot , a play by Israel Zangwill, that premiered on Broadway in 1908. At that time theater was accessible to a broad section of the public, not the exclusive domain it has become over the decades. Zangwill carried a hopeful message that America was a place where old hatreds and prejudices were pointless, and that in this new country immigrants would find a more open society. I suppose the reference was more an ironic one for Von Drehle, as he notes the racial and ethnic hatreds were on display everywhere, and at best Zangwill's play helped persons forget for a moment how deep these divides ran. Nevertheless, "the melting pot" made its way into the American lexicon, even if New York could best be describing as a boiling cauldron in the early twentieth century. Triangle: The Fire That Changed America takes a broad view of events that led up the notorious fire, not...
Who can forget Humble {sic} Howard Cossell's call of this epic match?
ReplyDeleteThe Rumble in the Jungle got quite a build up but it proved that Foreman at that time did not have the stamina to last or the jab needed to wear down an opponent. There has been some talk that Trainer Dick Sadler slipped Foreman a mickey and that this is why he lost all pop in the 7th round. Don't know if it's true but Sadler worked for Ali in his next bout.
Foreman recommitted himself to conditioning and re-gained the championship thereafter with the Ol' Mongoose Archie Moore in his corner.
http://www.antekprizering.com/foremanmoore7984.html
I love to read American history books but old time boxing and baseball remain among my favorite reading.
I thought this might pull you back into the forum. Great fight, at least if you were an Ali fan. I just think Foreman was too young and too raw, seriously misjudging the "old man."
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