Book Review-- Ghosts of Manila

For those who are interested in the real story about Muhammad Ali, and his continual caustic invectives spewed against Joe Frazier, this book by Mark Kram is a must read.

Kram, who was a boxing writer for Sports Illustrated during the heyday of the three Ali-Frazier fights, pulls no punches in describing in great detail how Ali, first betrayed Frazier's trust, then in a mean-spirited way constantly insulted the noble Frazier, like a petulant child plucking the wings off a fly. Ali called Frazier "ugly" and a "gorilla," and he said Frazier smelled so bad it would be an insult to America if Frazier remained the world heavyweight champ.

Frazier says to this day, "He doesn't know how he hurt my children with the things he said about me."

As for Ali's claim he got the best of Frazier in their three fights, Frazier replies, "Look at him now and look at me. Who looks like he took more punches?"

For the past several years, the media in America has propagandized a bogus revisionist history concerning Ali's actions during the 1960's and 70's. This culminated with a shaking and obviously sick Ali holding the Olympic torch over a huge flame in Atlanta at the 1996 Olympic Games, to which a disgusted Frazier replied "I'd like to throw him right into that flame."

Perhaps the monumental distortion concerning Ali's past is due to a click of "Ali Groupies" blindly fawning over Ali's mammoth celebrity. Or possibly it's because a ring of grabby writers quest to make big bucks by penning Ali biography (again and again.....ad infinitum). Or maybe (I favor this reason the best) it's simply because some members of the press are just plain stupid. But the real picture of Ali's past is not a pretty one, as Kram is not reluctant to point out.

For reasons only known to them, certain press peons try to portray Ali as an "important world figure," whose actions changed for better the world in which we now live.

Kram points out in his introduction, "Important world figure is commonly the description that travels with him (Ali) these days. Countless hagiographers never tire of trying to persuade us that he ranked second only to Martin Luther King, but no compelling argument with which to support that claim. Ali was no more a social force than Frank Sinatra. Nor was he especially complex, unless you happen to view instant contradiction of utterance as deep. The politically fashionable clung to his racial invective as if it were the wisdom of a seer. Today, such are the times, he would be looked upon as a contaminant, a chronic user of hate language and a sexual profligate."

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