Mailer (January 31, 1923-November 10, 2007) sprung on the American literary scene in 1948 as a 25 year old with the publication of his first book, “The Naked and the Dead”, which sold more than a million copies in its first year and was on the NYT Best Seller list for 62 weeks. It was named by the Modern Library as one of the 100 best English language novels of the 20th C. While he went on to write 12 novels most prominently “The Executioner’s Song” about the mass murderer Gary Gilmore and outstanding non-fiction, he was perhaps best known for his outlandish behavior. He was convicted of stabbing his wife with a penknife, and he ran unsuccessfully for Mayor of NYC. A major character in the 1970’s and 80’s, he was also a major literary influence, credited with being an originator of the New Journalism, a long form essay in which the writer is often an active participant in the events and action of the topic. “The Fight” is a superb example of this technique.
The book chronicles the Rumble in the Jungle, the 1974 heavyweight boxing championship fought in Kenshasa, Zaire between Muhammed Ali and George Forman. Ali was one of America’s legendary athletes, heavyweight champ from 1964-1970 defeating Sonny Liston, Joe Frazier, and others to reign supreme—a loud mouthed, brilliant, beautiful Black man— until his title was stripped from him after he embraced Islam, changed his name from Cassius Clay to Muhammed Ali, and refused military service in Vietnam (“No Viet Cong ever called me Nigger!). Unable to fight while his conviction for draft dodging was appealed (and ultimately tossed out by the Supreme Court) this fight would answer the question of whether he still had the stuff or whether he was finished. The $5million promised to each fighter didn’t hurt either!
Forman came to the Rumble undefeated in 35 bouts and widely regarded as the hardest puncher in boxing’s history. At 25, three years younger than Ali, he was highly favored to win, and he looked like the solid favorite during training.
Mailer, often referring to himself in the book in the third person, was in Zaire early in the boxers’ training and then for the bout itself. Welcomed into both boxers’ inner circles, he had unique acess to the training, mindset, and predictions from both camps, and in “The Fight” he wrote a briskly moving, highly stylized account of the run up and the match itself.
Spoiler Alert: Muhammed Ali won the bout with a knockout in the eight round after demonstrating his superb skills and ability to both punch and take a punch through the first seven rounds. He reigned another six years as Heavyweight champ and went on to become one of America’s great personalities as well as being declared the Sportsman of the Century by Sports Illustrated and the Sports Personality of the Century by the BBC. His death from Parkinson’s in 2016 was widely mourned.
Foreman, in contrast, didn’t regain his title after two attempts and retired from boxing three years later. He went on to become a minister and an entrpreneur before making a comeback and winning back his title. He reigned as Heavyweight Champ from 1994-1997, the oldest boxing champion in the sport’s history. He died in 2005 at 76 widely known from his TV ads.
This is a great story and a book that, while far from perfect (way too much Norman!), tells it well. Ali and Foreman, both Olympic gold medalists, both champions met in a 4AM bout in the middle of Africa and put on a great performance. Through the wonders of the internet, I was able to watch the whole bout on You Tube, and it was a perfect accompaniment to Mailer’s fine book. Highly recommended!
