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Facing Ali

the Opposition Weighs in
May 25, 2016GlenAbbeyWarrior rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
Canadian sportswriter Stephen Brunt offers us a fresh perspective on Ali's legacy by doing something most of his biographers forgot to do: interview his opponents at length. Traveling the world to speak to over a dozen fighters, their perspectives give us a great look at one of boxing's biggest stars. From the big names (Foreman, Frazier, Holmes) to the obscure ones (Coopman, Blin, London), each pugilist has a unique story to tell. What I found to be the most interesting chapter was the one dealing with Chuck Wepner, the inspiration for the film Rocky and Ali's first fight after the Rumble in the Jungle. Published in 2002, the book is enhanced fourteen years later with the benefit of YouTube. After reading about each opponent, I constantly had the urge to stream the respective fight online, giving me the visuals to compliment the wonderful stories. A great boxing book!