Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    LIFE ALI: A Life in Pictures
    LIFE ALI: A Life in Pictures
    LIFE ALI: A Life in Pictures
    Ebook134 pages52 minutes

    LIFE ALI: A Life in Pictures

    By The Editors of LIFE

    ()

    Read preview

    About this ebook

    For Muhammad Ali, the high drama that he generated within the boxing ring with his athletic prowess was more than matched by the drama that he generated outside of it, and it was stated by many that as the 20th century closed, he was the best known and the most beloved figure in the world. He was also the rare athlete of his day who was photographed equally inside and outside of the ring, and always, the images were striking and compelling.

    Now, in an all-new special edition, LIFE celebrates the legendary athlete and cultural icon in Ali: A Life in Pictures, featuring dozens of photographs from acclaimed photographers including Gordon Parks, Harry Benson, Marvin Lichtner, James Drake, The Bettman Archive and many more. Many of these images have come to be as synonymous with Ali as his best quotes, and many of these images have not been seen for years.

    All of the photos are accompanied by essays and commentary that take readers through four distinct stages of Ali's life - "Clay," "Ali," "Legend," and "The Greatest," and all together, Ali: A Life in Pictures is the ultimate commemorative keepsake that celebrates an icon in both words and photographs.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherLife
    Release dateJul 8, 2016
    ISBN9781683305873
    LIFE ALI: A Life in Pictures

    Read more from The Editors Of Life

    Related to LIFE ALI

    Related ebooks

    Biography & Memoir For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      Return Of The Pilgrim

      Mar 30, 2020

      Return Of The Pilgrim
      10 min read

    • Article

      Sports Collectors Digest

      Dec 21, 2021

      VP/GENERAL MANAGER, COLLECTIBLES Corinne Zielke EDITOR Jeff Owens JOwens@aimmedia.com EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Paul Kennedy EDITORS-AT-LARGE Larry Canale, Greg Bates GRAPHIC DESIGNER Ellie DeSautel ADVERTISING SALES Rich Murowski, 630-980-6570 RMurowski@ai

      1 min read

    • Article

      Actions Speak Loudest

      Feb 13, 2023

      Actions Speak Loudest
      2 min read

    • Article

      New Baseball Cards For (hopefully) A New Season

      Mar 19, 2022

      With the hopes of the Major League Baseball season being in full swing this summer, March and April are great months for the release of new baseball card products with some of the most iconic and long-running products hitting shelves in the lead up t

      5 min read

    • Article

      Where Are They Now?

      Apr 1, 2020

      Where Are They Now?
      2 min read

    • Article

      Ali

      Jun 9, 2016

      Ali
      35 min read

    • Article

      ‘Cassius X’ Captures The Spiritual Awakening Of Muhammad Ali

      Nov 19, 2020

      “The Greatest” is most known for his stunning knockouts and his braggadocio – but a new biography focuses on his conversion to Islam.

      2 min read

    • Article

      Ben Nighthorse Campbell

      Aug 30, 2022

      Ben Nighthorse Campbell
      6 min read

    • Article

      Nobody’s More Country

      Sep 19, 2022

      Nobody’s More Country
      5 min read

    • Article

      Poetic Justice

      Oct 23, 2017

      Poetic Justice
      18 min read

    • Article

      Hooking Off The Jab

      Dec 15, 2022

      Hooking Off The Jab
      3 min read

    • Article

      The Unexpected Cowboy

      May 1, 2022

      The Unexpected Cowboy
      7 min read

    • Article

      How We Roll

      Apr 1, 2024

      How We Roll
      3 min read

    • Article

      Job Man

      Dec 2, 2019

      Job Man
      8 min read

    • Article

      Don Weller

      Jul 20, 2021

      Don Weller
      13 min read

    • Article

      The Unknown Greats

      May 14, 2019

      The Unknown Greats
      6 min read

    • Article

      The best bad things

      Sep 29, 2020

      The best bad things
      12 min read

    • Article

      THE Wildest SHOW EVER STAGED

      Aug 15, 2023

      THE Wildest SHOW EVER STAGED
      11 min read

    • Article

      A Freak Like Me

      Nov 3, 2021

      A Freak Like Me
      6 min read

    • Article

      IVAN McCLELLAN

      Jan 18, 2022

      IVAN McCLELLAN
      4 min read

    • Article

      Books

      Apr 3, 2024

      Books
      16 min read

    • Article

      The Art Of Robert Osborn

      Jun 8, 2021

      The Art Of Robert Osborn
      5 min read

    • Article

      Soothing The Soul

      Dec 2, 2022

      This is not a column about whisky. It’s a column about friendship. Though I suppose in an existential way, it is a column about whisky, because isn’t friendship the essence of whisky? Sure, any of us can sit at a table and evaluate and contemplate a

      3 min read

    • Article

      A Hero For All Times

      Apr 18, 2023

      A Hero For All Times
      6 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for LIFE ALI

    0 ratings

    0 ratings0 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

      Book preview

      LIFE ALI - The Editors of LIFE

      Williams/Courier-Journal.

      Clay

      STEVE SCHAPIRO/CORBIS

      The young professional boxer at his mother’s house in Louisville, Kentucky, in 1963.

      OUTSIZE TERMS ARE OFTEN APPLIED TO those who have lived outsize lives—terms such as mythic . . . or titanic . . . or transcendent.

      Usually, upon closer inspection, it becomes clear that the actual life falls short of the modifier. Not so in the case of Muhammad Ali, a legend in his own or any other time. The high drama he enacted in the arena was more than matched by the drama he generated outside of it. A national hero as a broad-smiling Olympic champ, he came to be detested by many of his countrymen for his religious and political beliefs, then rose again as an idol not just in America but throughout the world. Indeed, it was said that he was, as the 20th century ended, perhaps the best known and most beloved figure in the world. Yes, it was an altogether extraordinary ­journey—from his birth as Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr., on January 17, 1942, in Louisville, Kentucky, to his death, in Phoenix, Arizona, from complications of Parkinson’s disease, on June 3, 2016.

      As millions mourned his passing, they returned to the story of his life and found themselves thrilled anew. He came from modest circumstances: His father, Cassius Marcellus Clay Sr., earned a living painting signs and the occasional mural, while his mother, Odessa Grady Clay, at times worked as a housekeeper. Cassius’s youth in segregated Louisville was far from easy, though his lot was better than that of many other black children in town. Although his family didn’t have much money, Cassius and his younger brother had food to eat, Sunday-best clothes (they were raised as Baptists, in their mother’s tradition) and a home that was lit with affection, though not without its problems. Years later, the parents’ marriage would be strained to the point of separation by Clay Sr.’s woman-chasing, along with drinking and occasional violence, but when Cassius was a child, the tensions were light.

      He was, as you might imagine, an exuberant boy: talkative, restless, a clown. He’d have his brother throw rocks at him just so he could dodge them. By the time he was four, he had all the confidence in the world, Odessa Clay told Thomas Hauser for his 1991 biography, Muhammad Ali: His Life and Times. Everything he did seemed different as a child. He even had measles and chicken pox at the same time. His mind was like the March wind, blowing every which way. And whenever I thought I could predict what he’d do, he turned around and proved me wrong.

      Cassius found his way to boxing through an incident involving a bicycle—a brand-new red-and-white Schwinn with a headlight and whitewall tires. He was twelve years old on the day that he and a friend left their bikes outside and went into the Louisville Home Show, a local black bazaar held in the Columbia Auditorium, to escape a downpour and take advantage of the free hot dogs and popcorn. When they exited the bazaar, they found that Cassius’s bike had disappeared. During a frantic search for it, the boy was told that there was a police officer in the boxing gym in the auditorium’s basement. Tearful, he went to report the theft. It was clear to the officer, Joe Martin, that the boy was looking to get even, and he made the suggestion that, first, it would be good to learn to fight.

      The policeman ran not only the gym but also a local boxing TV show called Tomorrow’s Champions. He taught the boy some beginner’s moves, and six weeks after joining the gym, the 89-pound Cassius Clay went on the show and swung clumsily to Victory No. 1—a split decision in a three-round bout. He took home four dollars.

      He announced, not for the last time, that he was destined to become the heavyweight champion of the world.

      THE ADOLESCENT CLAY EARNED A REPUTATION FOR single-minded intensity and a dogged devotion to training. He worked six days a week, building on raw talents: sharp reflexes and exceptional foot and hand speed. He learned to use the ring to stymie and wear down opponents. His style was unconventional and deceptively weak-looking, as he relied on his legs and kept his hands low and his head seemingly exposed to punches. When those punches were thrown at him, he would reel straight back to narrowly avoid the blow and then spring forward with a punch of his own.

      By the age of eighteen, he had built an impressive amateur record: 100 wins, eight losses, six state and two national Golden Gloves championships

      Enjoying the preview?
      Page 1 of 1