Monday, June 9, 2008

Boxing Book

Title: The Fight of the Century
Author: Michael Arkush
Pages: 257

I just finished reading The Fight of the Century, a book written by Michael Arkush about the 1971 Muhammad Ali-Joe Frazier book.

It was a great read. The book went in-depth into the return of Ali from his hiatus from the sport after refusing induction into the military. The book talked about the city of Atlanta and how that fight against Jerry Quarry unfolded.

The book also went in-depth into the fight between the two combants that people around the nation had an opinion of in one fashion or another.

The fight not only had an impact in the boxing world, but it also had an impact both politically and socially.

There was so much history involved in the Ali/Frazier first and this is one of the best books I've ever regarding the first fight. The buildup to Ali/Frazier I was out of this world. You had arguably the greatest sporting personality of the day and the greatest fighter of the day in Ali and you had a low-key, hard-nosed fighter in Frazier.

Arkush's book relives a different and sometimes troubled time in American society, but it is a book well-worth it. It brings back memories for those that lived through it and educates those who wanted to learn what really happened leading up to and on that March night.

- Felix

No comments: