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Happy Birthday Muhammad Ali

- 8 years ago

The Champ would have turned 75 today. To celebrate, we revisit Reel Art Press’ Muhammad Ali: Fighter’s Heaven 1974; reliving the moment he trained for his momentous fight against George Foreman, the Rumble in the Jungle:

In October 1974, Muhammad Ali would attempt to regain the world heavyweight boxing championship title that was stripped from him when he refused the Vietnam draft seven years earlier. He faced the brutal, undefeated George Foreman in Zaire, Africa, the fight he had dubbed “The Rumble in The Jungle”.

Only weeks before, on August 11-12, photographer Peter Angelo Simon was invited to experience the private world of one of the most famous people on the planet as he prepared mentally and physically for the biggest challenge of his life. Muhammad Ali: Fighter’s Heaven 1974 presents these rare photographs, the majority previously unpublished, as a 176-page hardback book.

This two-day photo essay captures Ali the man, unguarded, away from the glare of the media spotlight at his Pennsylvania sanctuary. It includes a foreword by D A Pennebaker, foremost chronicler of American counterculture in the sixties, and an introduction by Peter Angelo Simon. “I shot 33 rolls in the two days. Ali said nobody had ever taken so many pictures of him.

I believe these photographs reveal aspects of Ali’s fascinating character not previously seen.” Few photographers got as close to the boxer behind the legend. This extraordinary book reveals the preparation for a seminal moment in cultural and political history. Order your copy now ISBN: 978-1-909526-38-9 176pp 270 x 220mm

About the author

Read Happy Birthday Muhammad Ali

Simon Skinner

Co-founder // Editor

Having spent many years working in various pockets of the music industry, and always with a camera in hand, Simon has worked with organisations such as Warner/Chappell, Food Records and ultimately, co-founding the innovative independent record label, Izumi Records before moving fully into the world of publishing in 2007. Amongst numerous other projects in the last decade, he has been responsible for a number of specialist photo trade magazines and journals for the filmmaking and photography communities, along with a coffee table book entitled, "Great Britons of Photography' which he produced with Peter Dench and Leica. Now heading up PhotoBite, Simon and the team have set themselves a task of delivering informative and inspirational content for photographers of all levels, from the beginner, shooting with smartphones, to the seasoned photographer and filmmaker.