by Jonathan Eig
“Let’s get a Rolls!”: Tim Shanahan, interview by author, January 12, 2014.
five bucks to urinate in a cup: Lowell Riley, interview by author, July 8, 2014.
“You know what the big story”: “Spaniard Opposing Ali Is Hardly a Fearsome Name,” New York Times, May 15, 1977.
“He doesn’t look like he can hit too hard”: Ibid.
“It’s been a vaudeville act”: Ali v. Evangelista, www.youtube.com.
already become a Muslim: “Ali’s New Family,” Jet, May 5, 1977.
white tails, white gloves: “White Tie and Tails for Ali’s Third Marriage,” Los Angeles Times, June 21, 1977.
brought Howard Bingham along: Hauser, with Ali, Muhammad Ali, 343.
knocked him out cold: Earnie Shavers, interview by author, November 28, 2014.
“Me and George Foreman”: Ibid.
“make July into June”: “The 15 Greatest Composite Punchers of All Time,” Boxing. com, http://www.boxing.com/the_15_greatest_composite_punchers_of_all_time.html.
“God didn’t make the chin to be punched”: “ ‘I Am Still a Pistol,’ ” Sports Illustrated, November 7, 1983.
“an act of criminal negligence”: Ferdie Pacheco, “The Thrilla in Manila,” in The Mammoth Book of Muhammad Ali, ed. David West (Philadelphia: Running Press, 2012), 359.
estimated 54.4 percent: “Ali Pondering Retirement, but Maybe Not Right Now,” New York Times, October 1, 1977.
opera singer who fakes the high notes: Ibid.
“Is this guy faking”: Earnie Shavers, interview by author, November 28, 2014.
collapsed on a table: Michael Gaffney, The Champ: My Year with Muhammad Ali (New York: Diversion Books, 2012), 49.
His hands hurt: “Ali Pondering Retirement, but Maybe Not Right Now.”
“Next to Joe Frazier”: Ibid.
if Ali insisted on continuing: Teddy Brenner, Only the Ring Was Square (Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1981), 144.
“Yes, I told him”: Ferdie Pacheco, interview by author, December 30, 2013.
“Quit, son”: Gaffney, The Champ, 49.
48. STAGGERED
to get Ali $8 million: “Ali’s Not Really ‘Bigger Than Boxing,’ ” New York Times, November 7, 1977.
“I am the savior”: Red Smith, “Spinks Gets Match with Ali Feb. 15,” New York Times, November 20, 1977.
“He’s about 235, 236”: Ibid.
“He lets his sparring partners bang him around”: Ibid.
“Hell Has Now Frozen Over”: Red Smith, “Hell Has Now Frozen Over,” New York Times, January 18, 1978.
“I’m just tired of the press”: “Superman a Patsy for Ali, but Spinks Silences Him,” New York Times, February 1, 1978.
“He’s troubled about something”: Ibid.
Ali had lost millions: “Ali, Despite Millions Won, Faces Toughest Test, Balancing Budget.”
“I spent a lot of it foolishly”: “The Rich Man — Poor Man,” Inside Sports, November 30, 1980.
“Ali’s got a costly personality”: “Ali, Despite Millions Won, Faces Toughest Test, Balancing Budget.”
wake-up call every morning at five: “He’s the Greatest, I’m the Best,” Sports Illustrated, February 27, 1978.
Veronica and the babies were with Ali: Ibid.
“It was the late 1970s”: Kevin Powell, “Ali: Hero to a Young Black Boy,” The Undefeated, June 8, 2016, https://theundefeated.com.
“I know what I’m doing!”: “Muhammad Ali v. Leon Spinks. 1978 02 15. I,” www.youtube.com.
“He was crazy, so I tried”: Leon Spinks, interview by author, August 17, 2015.
“Things that you see you wanna do”: Muhammad Ali, interview by Dick Cavett, n.d., www.youtube.com.
Pain ripped through Ali’s ribcage: “He’s the Greatest, I’m the Best.”
“That my round?”: Muhammad Ali v. Leon Spinks. 1978 02 15. I.”
“we’ve obviously seen the last of him”: Ibid.
tears in his eyes: “Spinks Defeats Ali to Capture Title,” New York Times, February 16, 1978.
“I want to be the first man”: Ibid.
49. CROWN PRINCE
beige Stutz Blackhawk: “Ali, at 36, Still Talks the Good Fight,” New York Times, August 4, 1978.
“They never saw Jesus, either”: Ibid.
launch an international organization called WORLD: Ibid.
“That happens to people who get hit too much”: Muhammad Ali, interview by Dick Cavett.
1,100 times: Boxing statistics compiled by CompuBox, Inc.
“selling their souls”: “Spinks Picks Ali as Next Foe; Blacks Oppose South Africa Site,” New York Times, March 9, 1978.
“He just can’t say no”: “Ali, at 36, Still Talks the Good Fight.”
“I asked Ali”: Louis Farrakhan, interview by author, August 8, 2015.
“I know what I’m doing”: “Ali, at 36, Still Talks the Good Fight.”
“If I fought after this”: Ibid.
“What can Ali do”: “Ali, Spinks, and the Battle of New Orleans,” New York, October 2, 1978.
“Muhammad Ali decided one day”: Hunter S. Thompson, “Last Tango in Vegas,” in Early, ed., The Muhammad Ali Reader, 194–95.
running a mile, smoking a joint: Larry Kolb, interview by author, December 23, 2016.
“Come on, man, I’m Leon”: “Spinks Free on Bond in Drug Case,” New York Times, April 22, 1978.
“Spinks got drunk every night”: “One More Time to the Top,” Sports Illustrated, September 25, 1978.
“a match between a novice”: Red Smith, “The Fist Is Courage,” New York Times, August 7, 1978.
tried to bribe Spinks: FBI memo, September 6, 1978, FBI Vault.
“my last day in a training gym”: “Ali Winds up Training with a Poem about Spinks,” Syracuse (NY) Post Standard, September 14, 1978.
couldn’t go on fighting much longer: “The Champ Goes to Muhammad Tonight,” Syracuse Post Standard, September 15, 1978.
“I wasn’t training to beat”: “Ali Winds up Training with a Poem about Spinks.”
“The stars were for Ali”: Ishmael Reed, “The Fourth Ali,” in Early, ed., The Muhammad Ali Reader, 203.
50. OLD
“I’m tired of people telling me”: “Boxing’s ‘Brown Bomber’ Honored,” Altoona (PA) Mirror, November 10, 1978.
“He was still tickled to death”: Veronica Porche, interview by author, December 20, 2016.
“Get me a Jewish lawyer!”: Tim Shanahan, interview by author, January 12, 2014.
“I just thought he was a national treasure”: Robert Abboud, interview by author, December 17, 2014.
Richley summarized: Robert Richley, interview by author, December 8, 2014.
“build a fence”: Robert Abboud, interview by author, December 17, 2014.
big pay cut: Michael Phenner, interview by author, January 3, 2017.
“Michael Phenner saved us”: Veronica Porche, interview by author, December 20, 2016.
paying medical bills out of pocket: Michael Phenner, interview by author, January 7, 2014.
Ali got $1 million: “Ali in Fast’s ‘Freedom Road,’ ” New York Times, October 29, 1979.
persuaded by Herbert Muhammad to donate: Veronica Porche, interview by author, May 26, 2016.
donation was arranged: Michael Phenner, interview by author, January 3, 2017.
to endorse Orangina: Michael Phenner, interview by author, January 7, 2014.
“He was extremely naive”: Barry Frank, interview by author, November 11, 2015.
“the kindest, most pure heart”: Veronica Porche, interview by author, May 26, 2016.
heavier the better: Ibid.
“Mike, how much do you think”: Michael Phenner, interview by author, January 7, 2014.
$500,000 of Well Fargo’s money: “The Big Boxing Con,” Sports Illustrated, February 18, 1985.
“A guy used my name”: Hauser, with Ali, Muhammad Ali, 424.
“And they’ll be in th
e stores”: “The Once and Always Champ,” New York Times, July 1, 1979.
Muhammad Ali Institute of Technology and Theatrics: Ibid.
“It got to the point”: Michael Phenner, interview by author, January 7, 2014.
Phenner and Frank told Ali: Ibid.
234 pounds: “Alzado Finds a Tarkenton in Ali,” New York Times, July 15, 1979.
hadn’t run one mile: “Ali Is the Same until He Enters Ring,” New York Times, March 13, 1979.
“What did Abraham Lincoln”: “Ali Didn’t Really Need the Mike,” New York Times, March 9, 1979; Larry Kolb, interview by author, December 19, 2016.
interview in New Zealand: Muhammad Ali, interview by Bob Jones and Pete Montgomery, n.d., www.youtube.com.
“I’m through boxing”: Ibid.
ten more years: “Ali Is the Same until He Enters Ring.”
“greatest fighter of all times”: Muhammad Ali, interview by Bob Jones and Pete Montgomery.
“The fact is”: Red Smith, “This Time Ali Means It, Maybe,” New York Times, August 8, 1979.
51. HUMPTY DUMPTY
blue plastic chair: “A Lecture by Muhammad Ali: The Topic Is the Greatest,” New York Times, November 22, 1979.
“My knowledge”: Ibid.
Carter had considered using Ali: Hauser, with Ali, Muhammad Ali, 396.
“Maybe I’m being used to do something”: “Ali Re-evaluating Stance on Boycotting Olympics,” Boston Globe, February 4, 1980.
“I’m not here to push nothing on nobody”: “Ali Shifts Gears on Tour to Urge Olympic Boycott,” Boston Globe, February 4, 1980.
never would have undertaken his African campaign: “Muhammad Ali Says African Trip Was a Success,” New York Times, February 11, 1980.
“the most bizarre”: “Diplomacy: Ali’s Whipping,” Time, February 18, 1980.
wanted to fight John Tate: “Ali, in ‘Retirement,’ Wants to Fight Tate,” New York Times, March 1, 1980.
“I still don’t think”: “Ali’s Retirement,” New York Times, March 2, 1980.
“Ali can’t fight no more”: “Holmes, Ali and a Trainer,” New York Times, July 7, 1980.
Veronica Ali said she opposed her husband’s return: “Ali Injured by Sparring Partner,” New York Times, March 9, 1980.
“The last three fights or so”: Veronica Porche, interview by author, December 20, 2016.
“twitched a little”: Veronica Porche, interview by author, May 26, 2016.
“I thought he wasn’t walking good”: “Too Many Punches, Too Little Concern,” Sports Illustrated, April 11, 1983.
“He’s only flesh and blood”: Rahaman Ali, interview by author, October 19, 2016.
“Ali should not try to come back”: “Ali’s Comeback,” New York Times, March 2, 1980.
“It’ll be a sad day for boxing”: “Man Here Wants a $7 Million Payday,” New York Times, March 7, 1980.
three rounds with . . . Luis Acosta: “Ali Injured by Sparring Partner.”
needed ten stitches: “Ali to Fight LeDoux May 30 in Minnesota,” New York Times, May 6, 1980.
“interview with fourteen-year-old Michael Morris”: “14-Year-Old Interviewer Successfully Takes on Ali, 38,” New York Times, June 29, 1980.
“You think I’d come back now”: “A Miracle in Las Vegas,” New York Times, August 22, 1980.
he could get it for them at a discount: “Holmes Goal: Punch away Ali’s Shadow,” New York Times, September 28, 1980.
Everyone liked him: Gene Kilroy, interview by author, September 30, 2015.
build a $500,000 house: “Holmes Goal: Punch Away Ali’s Shadow.”
if he drove too fast or drank too much: Larry Holmes, interview by author, December 13, 2015.
“fucking freeloaders”: Ibid.
“would pick Joe Louis out of his wheelchair”: “The Impression,” Inside Sports, November 30, 1980.
“I don’t care if he gets hurt”: Ibid.
strenuous physical examination: “Ali-Holmes Now Set for Las Vegas,” New York Times, July 18, 1980.
“Only Allah knows about my brain”: “Ali: Brain Damage Report Is ‘Crazy,’ ” Reno Gazette-Journal, June 3, 1980.
“used to be an electrifying speaker”: “Ali Showing Some Signs of Brain Damage,” Capital Times (Madison, WI), June 4, 1980.
“Just about everyone who is”: Ibid.
Two reports emerged from the Mayo Clinic: Hauser, with Ali, Muhammad Ali, 404–5.
Dr. Howard’s memo: Ibid., 405.
dyeing the gray out of his hair: “Ali: Ready, Willing, but Is He Able,” New York Times, September 29, 1980.
Witherspoon was excited: Tim Witherspoon, interview by author, August 10, 2015.
“When we were in the ring”: Ibid.
“Ali showing some signs of brain damage”: “Ali Showing Some Signs of Brain Damage.”
“He’s just a shell”: “Ali: Ready, Willing, but Is He Able.”
“I corrected it”: Hauser, with Ali, Muhammad Ali, 414.
thyroid drug and a weight-loss drug: Ibid., 489.
thirty different kinds of pills: Pete Dexter, “The Impression,” Inside Sports, November 30, 1980.
“As sure as you hear my voice”: Ibid.
brick wall at eighty-five miles an hour: “Gary Wells Attempts Caesars Palace Fountain Jump,” September 15, 1980, www.youtube.com.
“He’s 29 again”: “Better Not Sell the Old Man Short,” Sports Illustrated, September 29, 1980.
“Now that I got my weight down”: Ibid.
“He couldn’t run”: Hauser, with Ali, Muhammad Ali, 410.
Veronica Ali had felt confident: Veronica Ali, interview by author, May 26, 2016.
unable to run a mile: “Muhammad Ali Still Doesn’t Know He’s 38 Years Old,” New York Times, October 4, 1980.
collapsed on the side of the road: Larry Kolb, interview by author, November 20, 2015.
“The dumb nigger”: Larry Kolb, interview by author, December 10, 2016.
“dehydration” and “thyroid”: Tim Witherspoon, interview by author, August 10, 2015.
“Oh, God,” he thought: “Doom in the Desert,” Sports Illustrated, October 13, 1980.
“You start punching”: “The Event,” Inside Sports, November 30, 1980.
340 punches to Ali’s 42: Statistics compiled by CompuBox, Inc.
“I love you”: “The Event.”
“I may return”: “Muhammad Ali Still Doesn’t Know He’s 38 Years Old.”
52. THE LAST HURRAH
painkillers and antidepressants: Toxicology report, Southern Nevada Memorial Hospital Pathology Department, October 10, 1980, Nevada State Athlete Commission.
could not be punished: “Ali Retires, but Only in Nevada,” New York Times, December 30, 1980.
“It would have been an awful precedent”: Ibid.
“We rushed it”: Sig Rogich, interview by author, December 9, 2015.
paid him only $6.83 million: Michael Phenner, interview by author, January 7, 2014.
“from any and all monies”: Newfield, Only in America, 166.
Phenner cried: Michael Phenner, interview by author, January 7, 2014.
“In two or three years”: “Ali’s Manager: ‘I Don’t Think He Should Fight,’ ” Santa Fe New Mexican, October 7, 1980.
“You’re my brother!”: “Muhammad Ali Talks Man Out of Jumping,” Los Angeles Times, January 20, 1981.
“held the heavyweight boxing championship”: “Joe Louis, 66, Heavyweight King Who Reigned 12 Years, Is Dead,” New York Times, April 13, 1981.
“Once I happened to walk along”: Louis, “How I Would Have Clobbered Clay.”
weighing 249 pounds: “Not with a Bang but a Whisper,” Sports Illustrated, December 21, 1981.
“Nobody will ever do it five times”: “At 39, Ali Has More Points to Prove,” New York Times, November 29, 1981.
“lethargy, weakness and shortness of breath”: Ibid.
lost his sense of smell: “Too Many Punches, Too Littl
e Concern.”
refused to step on a scale: Larry Kolb, interview by author, December 23, 2016.
“sizzle and dance”: “Not with a Bang but a Whisper.”
“I’ll handle him so easy”: “The Greatest Gives Thanks,” New York Times, November 27, 1981.
“Do I sound like got brain damage to you?”: Ibid.
Don King was assaulted: “Dark Clouds over Nassau,” New York Times, December 9, 1981.
King alleged that the beating: “Berbick First Has a Price to Fight Ali,” New York Times, December 10, 1981.
convicted felon: “More on Cornelius,” New York Times, January 15, 1982.
“He’s a promoter”: “Ali’s Mystery Promoter,” New York Times, December 11, 1981.
Ali seemed unsure: Ibid.
suitcase filled with $1 million cash: Larry Kolb, interview by author, December 23, 2016.
“It was close, it was close”: “Muhammad Ali v. Trevor Berbick. 1981 12 11,” www.youtube.com.
“You can’t beat Father Time”: “Muhammad Ali’s Moment of Truth,” New York Times, December 12, 1981.
“At least I didn’t go down”: “Ali Quits the Ring Again,” New York Times, December 13, 1981.
53. TOO MANY PUNCHES
“We are here”: Larry Kolb, interview by author, December 31, 2016.
Tallying Angel: Ibid.
sat in the locker room: “Cobwebs in the Gym,” New York Times, November 15, 1982.
“clinging together as cobwebs of dust do”: Ibid.
“My life just started at forty”: Ibid.
punches pounded his headgear: Ibid.
“What does the boxing profession think”: “Boxing and the Brain,” New York Times, June 12, 1983.
“the principal purpose of a boxing match”: “Boxing Should Be Banned in Civilized Countries,” Journal of the American Medical Association, January 14, 1983.
“It’s possible”: “Too Many Punches, Too Little Concern.”
“acting depressed of late”: Ibid.
Forgotten to whom he was speaking: Hauser, with Ali, Muhammad Ali, 430.
“They read this as normal?”: “Too Many Punches, Too Little Concern.”
“It was all consistent with brain damage”: Dr. Ira Casson, interview by author, November 23, 2016.
mischievous look crossed Ali’s face: Larry Kolb, interview by author, December 22, 2016.