By Martin SyedNorman Mailer, perhaps his most eloquent chronicler, once described Muhammad Ali as “beautiful”. Over recent decades, particularly since his descent caused by Parkinson’s disease, the image of Ali has been carefully sanitised. But the real Ali, the man who shocked, outraged, fascinated and ultimately endeared the world, was a polarising and controversial figure. Of all Ali’s title bouts, this remains the most electric. The real Ali, the man whose explosive stances subtly altered American history, was drowned in a deluge of misleading sentimentality.

Source: The Times September 11, 2022 23:17 UTC