Muhammad Ali

Over forty years ago, Peter Angelo Simon photographed Muhammad Ali in the rural Pennsylvania sanctuary he called "Fighter's Heaven" as he prepared for the most crucial contest of his career.

Here was the contentious iconic global personality in his peaceful non-public retreat - the calm eye of the public hurricane which was most of his life - and Simon was able to record aspects of Ali virtually unknown. Ali was facing the greatest challenge of his professional life. In a month he would try to take back the heavyweight boxing championship title from the awesomely powerful, undefeated George Foreman in Africa. How did Ali prepare for this critical fight? In two days at Ali's rural training camp, Simon took more pictures of Ali than the champ had ever experienced. The pictures show how Ali blended a surprising range of activities to prepare not only his body, but his spirit. These photographs are a historic record of Muhammad Ali's imaginative formula for success.

Many of these photographs have never before been published. They show the range of Ali's activities and the complexity of his character. In these pictures we glimpse Ali's discipline and determination, his humour and playfulness, his displays of confidence and self-regard, and, perhaps most surprisingly, his moments of calm and introspection.

About the Author

Peter Angelo Simon has explored many forms of photographic expression in his wide-ranging career. His work has been featured in books, advertising campaigns, corporate communication, and magazines worldwide, including the New York Times Magazine and Smithsonian. His photographs have been exhibited in museums and galleries internationally. 250+ colour and black and white photographs