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.
It is hard not to think of Nebraska without thinking of its greatest writer. Here is a marvelous piece by Capote, Remembering Willa Cather . I remember seeing a stage production of O Pioneers! and being deeply moved by its raw emotions. I had read My Antonia before, and soon found myself hooked, like Capote was by the simple elegance of her prose and the way she was able to evoke so many feelings through her characters. Much of it came from the fact that she had lived those experiences herself. Her father dragged the family from Virginia to Nebraska in 1883, when it was still a young state, settling in the town of Red Cloud. named after one of the great Oglala chiefs. Red Cloud was still alive at the time, living on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota, in the aftermath of the "Great Sioux Wars" of 1876-77. I don't know whether Cather took any interest in the famous chief, although it is hard to imagine not. Upon his death in 1909, he was eulogi
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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