Ghosts of Manila : The Fateful Blood Feud Between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier

When Muhammad Ali met Joe Frazier in Manila for their third fight, their rivalry had spun out of control. The Ali-Frazier matchup had become a madness, inflamed by the media and the politics of race. When the "Thrilla in Manila" was over, one man was left with a ruin of a life; the other was battered to his soul. Mark Kram covered that fight for "Sports Illustrated" in an award-winning article. Now his riveting book reappraises the boxers -- who they are and who they were. And in a voice as powerful as a heavyweight punch, Kram explodes the myths surrounding each fighter, particularly Ali. A controversial, no-holds-barred account, "Ghosts of Manila" ranks with the finest boxing books ever written.

When Muhammad Ali met Joe Frazier in Manila for the third, bloody act of their heoric trilogy of fights, the rivalry had spun out of control. More than a clash of personalities or fighting styles, the Ali/Frazier match-up had become a kind of madness, enflamed by the media and the politics of race. When "The Thrilla in Manila" was over, the hype no longer mattered: one man was left with a ruin of a life, the other was battered to his soul.

Mark Kram's remarkable book begins with the boxers themselves—who they are and who they were. Weaving together present and past, Kram explodes the hagiography surrounding both fighters&3151;particularly Ali—and presents readers with the rarest of literary accomplishments: a psychologically riveting study of two heroes, many myths, and the reality behind it all.

New York Daily News

[A] frequently spectacular meditation on Ali and Frazier.