Product Description

This evocation of the heavyweight champion and 20th-century icon concentrates on Muhammad Ali's early career, when he was still fighting as Cassius Clay. It begins with the fight between Floyd Patterson and Sonny Liston in 1962 and goes through to 1967 when Ali refused the Vietnam draft.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #160057 in Books
• Published on: 1999-12-10
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 352 pages

Amazon.co.uk Review
You'd think there wouldn't be much left to say about a living icon like Muhammad Ali, yet David Remnick imbues King of the World with all the freshness and vitality this legendary fighter displayed in his prime. Beginning with the pre-Ali days of boxing and its two archetypes, Floyd Patterson (the good black heavyweight) and Sonny Liston (the bad black heavyweight), Remnick deftly sets the stage for the emergence of a heavyweight champion the likes of which the world had never seen: a three-dimensional, Technicolor showman, fighter and minister of Islam, a man who talked almost as well as he fought. But mostly Remnick's portrait is of a man who could not be confined to any existing stereotypes, inside the ring or out.

In extraordinary detail, Remnick depicts Ali as a creation of his own imagination as we follow the wilful and mercurial young Cassius Clay from his boyhood and watch him hone and shape himself to a figure who would eventually command centre stage in one of the most volatile decades in our history. To Remnick it seems clear that Ali's greatest accomplishment is to prove beyond a doubt that not only is it possible to challenge the implacable forces of the establishment (the noir-ish, gangster-ridden fight game and the ethos of a whole country) but, with the right combination of conviction and talent, to triumph over these forces. --Fred Haefele

Amazon.co.uk Review
You'd think there wouldn't be much left to say about a living icon like Muhammad Ali, yet David Remnick imbues King of the World with all the freshness and vitality this legendary fighter displayed in his prime. Beginning with the pre-Ali days of boxing and its two archetypes, Floyd Patterson (the good black heavyweight) and Sonny Liston (the bad black heavyweight), Remnick deftly sets the stage for the emergence of a heavyweight champion the likes of which the world had never seen: a three- dimensional, Technicolor showman, fighter and minister of Islam, a man who talked almost as well as he fought. But mostly Remnick's portrait is of a man who could not be confined to any existing stereotypes, inside the ring or out.

In extraordinary detail, Remnick depicts Ali as a creation of his own imagination as we follow the willful and mercurial young Cassius Clay from his boyhood and watch him hone and shape himself to a figure who would eventually command centre stage in one of the most volatile decades in our history. To Remnick it seems clear that Ali's greatest accomplishment is to prove beyond a doubt that not only is it possible to challenge the implacable forces of the establishment (the noir-ish, gangster-ridden fight game and the ethos of a whole country) but, with the right combination of conviction and talent, to triumph over these forces. --Fred Haefele, Amazon.com

Customer Reviews

Remnick delivers knock out story
As a young boy Ali was my first hero. I can vividly remember all the hype before the first Liston fight and seeing the legendary 'Tale of the Tape' section in my local paper, and then watching the fight highlights on tv the next evening. Liston was superbad, the bookies didn't give Ali a chance, the rest is history. I've read just about everything ever written in book form about Ali, and this book is at the top of the pile. The book is more than a story of a boxer and a few of his most famous fights. It's about race, injustice and bigotry. It's also about boxing, and has great insights into what kind of people Liston and Patterson were. We will never see another like Ali, there is not a boxer in this world who is fit to lace his elegant white boots. I can only hope that Remnick goes the whole hog and does another book on Ali. Ali is probably the most famous and recognisable person alive in the world today. One would think that everything that could be has been written about Ali in the past, but Remnick has gone way beyond round 15 and conjured up another victory in the fight for justice in life, race and understanding why men go into the ring and risk everything just to be King of the World.

Evocative and splendidly entertaining
Muhammad Ali has always been a hero of mine, but it wasn't until I read this book that I fully realised the various stresses all pulling on the young man. From the racist attitude of the boxing press to the influence of the Nation of Islam, Ali rises above it all with a natural wit and a boxing style and elegance all of his own. David Remnick paints an evocative portrait of the time and gives a keen insight into the internal politics surrounding the fight game, the Black Muslims and the boxing press.

Remnick intersperses the book with well researched pieces covering the social history of boxing and the principal protagonists within the sport. This enhances the appeal of Ali and demonstrates just how he broke the mould when he burst onto the scene. The book also clarifies some of the myths surrounding the man and brings a new understanding to where and what he came from. It allows the reader access to the thought processes of Ali, Louis, Liston and Patterson and leads to a renewed sympathy for some of the great names of the fight game and their subsequent decline in later years.More than anything, the book makes you want to review your old fight videotapes and marvel at the skill of a man who surely was "The Greatest".

I wish Remnick would now complete the tale beyond 1967, I am sure that it would be an immediate bestseller.

A stand out sports book
Another super sports book written by an intelligent writer for an intelligent readership.
Remnick does a splendid job in placing Ali in the context of the history of his country and sport with a deft touch. Told as a story, you could almost believe that Remnick had created the great character that is Ali. What we know he did not create were the racial tensions that surrounded this young man as he made his way in boxing. We learn about both in this fascinating book that is totally satisfying. I cannot fault it.