King of the World, Muhammad Ali - David Remnick

“I am the king! King of the world!”: These were the words that Cassius Clay roared from the ring in Miami on the night of February 24th 1964, as he celebrated his victory over Sonny Liston, a victory that only he had believed in. This quote is accompanied by one of the most famous boxing photos of all time – Clay is climbing onto the ropes, gloved fist aloft, mouth agape and eyes bulging with the pure adrenaline of the moment. A defining moment captured on film, and the pivotal moment around which this excellent analysis of his life and times is based. However, this is far more than just the life story of Muhammad Ali – that is a topic ...  Read the complete review

King Of The World is a fascinating book that explores the turbulent political atmosphere of sixties America through the prism of boxing, or more specifically the World Heavyweight Championship. The book focuses on three men; Floyd Patterson, Sonny Liston and Cassius Clay/Muhammad Ali. Remnick provides an excellent and insightful background to each of these figures and charts the course of their lives (and encounters with one another) through the decade. The book begins with a beautifully written introduction to Patterson. Patterson was a shy boy from a nightmarish section of Brooklyn. Remnick tells us that the young Floyd wanted to hide because he felt so ...  Read the complete review

I thinks its kind of sad that the figure we see now of a shaking wreck of a man was once the king of the world.And it was the craft that made him that broke him.The newer generation just see this old man in a mess wobbling up to the podium to light the Olympic torch. The irony is that it was a barrage of punches to the brain from one of the worlds most dangerous and most exploited sports that has left him this way.No greater sacrifice some might say where as I say where are the people who sponged of him now. A lot of his poetry was written for him as was his political stances on Islam and the army. Most black men were proud to fight for America in Vietnam as ...  Read the complete review

I was in a book sale when I walked passed this book only to find myself walking back hastley picking up the book and spending 25p on a book that I will forever cherish. There are few people who capture hearts and mind and even though I am know avid boxing fan. With Muhammad Ali, it?s different there?s something about him that draws you to him. Although, I may never have watched a boxing match I certainly have read about him and although Ali is no longer the person he was, what he did for the world of boxing will forever live on. This book ?King of the World? focuses on Ali?s early career right upto the point where he refused to fight in 1967 against ...  Read the complete review

This is a great biography, every bit as good as Thomas Hauser's acclaimed book Ali His Life and Times. You probably need to be a fan of boxing, or at least of Ali, but it's definitely worth a read. As the short description says, the book centres on the fights with Sonny Liston that made Ali into a household name. The chapter describing the first bout, when the 7-1 shot shook up the world by beating the previously unbeatable Liston, is gripping even 35 years after the event. The book is well researched and very well written. Unlike the interview style of Hauser, Remnick does most of the talking, and does so fluently. He is very thorough, tracing ...  Read the complete review