Ali: The Official Portrait of the "Greatest"

“Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee; the hand can’t hit what the eye can’t see.”
—Muhammad Ali

The Official Portrait of the Greatest of All Time: Ali is a magical, larger than life depiction of Muhammad Ali’s illustrious life and career that is sure to become a collector’s item.

This coffee table hardcover book takes the reader on a chronological journey spanning Ali’s life and times, featuring some of the most captivating and poignant photos ever taken of the self proclaimed “Greatest of All Time.”

It covers every major highlight of Muhammad’s life from his teenage years to his conversion to Islam and his refusal to be drafted into the Army, to his diagnosis of Parkinson’s Disease and his current vocation as an ambassador of peace. All of these events are wrapped around detailed highlights of every one of Muhammad’s fights.

Ms. Hajeski does a masterful job of using some of Ali’s most famous and unforgettable quotes and poems that not only helped define him as the ever-self–promoting, entertaining fighter, but also as a man. These passages are well placed throughout the book accentuating the pages like exclamation points.

Called “arrogant, cocky, and brash” Ali was never at a loss for words—but there was always a method to his madness, a neverending self promotion machine.

“I’m the king of the world! I’m pretty! I’m a bad man! I shook up the world!” said Muhammad Ali after shaking up the boxing world by upsetting the so-called unbeatable Sonny Liston.

The author not only uses Ali’s words, she lends keen insight from people who were closest to him.

“In private, Muhammad was a quiet person. He was always contemplating something. But, in front of the people he was a magician. He was the most accessible athlete of his era.”
—Angelo Dundee

“No matter what God gives you, you have to stand up to his test. There’s a reason. There’s a reason that the Parkinson’s has affected his voice. It doesn’t affect everybody’s voice who gets Parkinson’s. Maybe it was to sort of quiet him down.”
—Lonnie Ali, Ali’s current wife.

Although many called him a radical, he constantly fought for what he believed in. His fights in the ring were nothing compared to his fights to stand up for his convictions especially those that centered on his life in the nation of Islam.

“I believe in the religion of Islam. I believe in Allah and peace.”

“You lose nothing when fighting for a cause. . . . In my mind the losers are those who don’t have a cause they care about . . .”

Ms. Majeski reminds us that Ali was also a man of the world—perhaps the most popular and recognizable figure of all time, and he knew it. But he took this as a responsibility, not as an honor.

“You can go to Japan, China, all the European, African, Arabian and South American countries, and man, they know me. I can’t name a nation where they don’t know me.”

This magnificent book is not just about Ali the extremely talented, cocky fighter. The reader will walk away with a much clearer understanding of Ali the man—a man of life and of peace, a man with a message and a man who fought and continues to fight for everything he believes. And even though Parkinson’s has taken his voice, he refuses to stay silent.

“We have one life; it soon will be past; what we do for God is all that will last.” and
“I wish people would love everybody else the way they love me. It would be a better world.”

The Official Portrait of the Greatest of All Time: Ali is a knockout! A must have for all boxing fans and fans of Ali.