Facing Ali: The Opposition Weighs In

Facing Ali: The Opposition Weighs In

by StephenBrunt (Author)

Synopsis

Muhammad Ali cast a blinding light on his sport, on the tumultuous times he in part initiated, on all of those who surrounded him, and who surround him still. That includes the fighters brave enough to stand alone, across the ring from the greatest heavyweight champion of all time. Ali's own story has been told again and again, but the stories of those who faced him have, by and large, been ignored. For each, the moments alone with Ali changed their careers, changed their lives, and affected them for ever. "Facing Ali" tells the story of fifteen men from around the world, from famous names like Joe Frazier, Joe Bugner, George Foreman and Henry Cooper to lesser lights like Tunney Hunsaker and Jurgen Blin. Each man, many for the first time, tell their stories in their own words. The resulting book offers a unique perspective on what it was really like to fight Ali, and gives new insights into the character of the most famous man on the planet.

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More Information

Format: Hardcover
Pages: 320
Edition: First Edition
Publisher: Sidgwick & Jackson Ltd
Published: 08 Nov 2002

ISBN 10: 0283073527
ISBN 13: 9780283073526

Media Reviews
Makes it clear that boxing sure could us an Ali today--or any day. -- Kirkus Reviews
Brunt does an excellent job of bringing his subjects out of the shadow of the Greatest, recounting their often poignant tales of life before and after their dates with the champ. In the end, of course, we learn more about Ali. What stands out is their almost unanimous expression of affection for Ali. A worthy addition to any boxing collection. -- Library Journal
Brunt provides penetrating and honest profiles of 15 fighters from around the world who faced Muhammad Ali, and he produces a book that should become one of the essential works for understanding the legendary fighter...Facing Ali should be as coveted as other recent popular works on Ali to which it compares favorably, such as David Remnick''s King of the World and Mark Kram''s Ghosts of Manila. -- Publisher''s Weekly
Booklist snippet:

Between the perspectives on Ali and the witty, elegant retelling of 15 fighters'' lives, this is a must for boxing fans. -- Booklist
Brunt does an excellent job of bringing his subjects out of the shadow of the Greatest, recounting their often poignant tales of life before and after their dates with the champ. In the end, of course, we learn more about Ali. -- Library Journal
Between the perspectives on Ali and the witty, elegant retelling of the 15 fighters'' lives, this is a must for boxing fans. --Booklist
Brunt provides penetrating and honest profiles of 15 fighters from around the world who faced Muhammad Ali, and he produces a book that should become one of the essential works for understanding the legendary fighter. Brunt is amazingly sensitive to and respectfulof each fighter''s own words, no matter how factually wrong or self-serving they might be. Facing Ali should be as coveted as other recent popular works on Ali to which it compares favorably, such as David Remnick''s King of the World and Mark Kram''s Ghosts of Manila. -- Publishers Weekly
Facing Ali contains a number of touching moments, but Stephen Brunt does not sentimentalize a brutal sport. -- Columbus Dispatch

More books have been written about Muhammad Ali than any other athlete in history. The strength of Canadian sportswriter Stephen Brunt''s Facing Ali is that it manages to unearth fresh details about the man who called himself the Greatest while providing a series of compelling stories outlining the lives of 15 prizefighters. -- Houston Chronicle
Facing Ali is not only a fine read, it succeeds in finding a new angle to the Ali story. -- Cleveland Plain Dealer


Brunt knows the sport of boxing cold and has given a voice to those whose customary mode of expression is their fists. -- Quill & Quire, Canada's Magazine of Book News and Reviews

A Sports Illustrated Book-of-the-Year Pick
This book should become one of the essential works for understanding the legendary fighter.
Publishers Weekly, Starred Review
These are men of substance, worth getting to know. Brunt does them justice, but the author has done something even more impressive: He has found something new to report about Muhammad Ali. Sports Illustrated
Brunt does an excellent job of bringing his subjects out of the shadow of The Greatest, recounting their often poignant tales of life before and after their dates with the champ. In the end, of course, we learn more about Ali.
Library Journal
Makes it clear that boxing sure could use an Ali today--or any day.
Kirkus Reviews 2002 Canadian Sportswriter of the Year:
FACING ALI has winner writtern all over it. --Bert Sugar, former editor, The Ring
Author Bio
Stephen Brunt is Canada's premier sports writer and commentator. He is lead columnist for the Globe and Mail and won a Michener Award for his piece on negligence and corruption in boxing, and was nominated for the National Newspaper Award for his account of a meeting with Muhammad Ali.