I've scanned this image in from the October 1974 Super Sports edition of Esquire magazine, which I've kept all these years, mostly for this startling actual size photo of Muhammad Ali's massive right first. It's coming up the correct size on my screen, at more than 5 3/4 inches, or more than 14.5cm, into which my own puny effort of almost 4 1/2 inches simply disappears. But the reader may need to click on the image to see it in its proper size (and compare their own fist). The same issue of Esquire contained an adaptation from the late Wilfrid Sheed's 1975 portrait of Ali (see the first page below). Sheed was quite right to support Ali's belief that he was the most famous man in the world at that time. (Though an English-born American writer, Sheed was the son of a second generation Australian, Frank Sheed.)
From LIFE Magazine, December 1979, Special Issue, The 70s, "Favorites".
Ali at Heathrow Airport in late November 1974, at the time I met him at the New Victoria Theatre in London.
4 comments:
Dwarf's my fist.
Many great things about him even though he has those who try and detract from that. Too bad when he was in the ring no one knew about the damage being done to his brain. Even now I think we are just beginning to learn as the NFL has shown.
I love this picture. I saw it the first time in a Swedish newspaper back in the 90s. I ripped it out and saved it for many years but after several moves and homes I lost it. The plan was to frame it.
Is there any chanse to have a copy? Do you have the original page with the comment on the top?
It's interesting though that people defend him saying there's no proof his illness was from boxing and that he'd get it nevertheless
It was those last fights...remember the time on ' this is your life, Muhammad Ali' ..he should have stayed retired...but nope..he needed all the money and Glory..and ended up just like the version he mocked about fighters that don't know when to quit. He was his own worst enemy later in his career.
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