From award-wining photographer Michael Brennan comes a book highlighting his extensive archive of powerful and sometimes very moving images from the world of boxing. They Must Fall: Muhammad Ali and the Men He Fought features images of not only Ali, the 'Greatest of All Time', but also of the men he fought in the ring. Brennan located former opponents for a special feature that ran over several pages in Sports Illustrated, to discover for himself where these great athletes ended up.
"Around 1978, I had been in Houston, Texas photographing former Ali opponent George Foreman who had then reinvented himself as a roadside preacher. On the plane back to NYC, I thought, 'if that's what George is doing I wonder what the rest of his opponents are up to?' I set out to track down as many of the old guys as I could find. I really had no idea what I was going to do with the project. My first old opponent was coincidentally Ali's very first professional opponent, a man called Tunney Hunsaker. He was, at that time, the Police Chief of Fayetteville, West Virginia. After finding eight or nine guys, through a friend I pitched the idea to a guy called Gil Rogin, then the Editor of Sports Illustrated. I'm not exaggerating when I say he was 'all over it' immediately. He then commissioned me to track down many more."
Willie Besmanoff, who fought Ali in 1961, became a youth counsellor. George Logan, who lost in a technical knockout in 1962, became a school truancy officer. When Brennen took photos of Joe Frazier in 1979, he was performing as a cabaret singer. Frazier fought Ali three times, winning the first fight in a famed Madison Square Garden match in 1971, but later lost in 1974 and 1975. Buster Mathis, who lost in 1971, went on to load trucks. George Foreman, who lost by a knockout in the 8th round in 1974, reinvented himself as a roadside preacher in 1978.
This unique book is a look through Brennan's archive with a spotlight on the 1970s. It will contain several never-before-seen photos. With text throughout by Michael Brennan, including his original 1981 Sports Illustrated essay, this is an eye-opening and fascinating account of Ali and the men who challenged him in the ring.
This edition also includes a special introductory essay by the late, great Jimmy Breslin.
Industry Reviews
"Now a book by Michael Brennan, an English photographer, breathes renewed life into a man who remains the most photogenic of sports stars. Millions of words have been written about him, but each of Brennan's pictures paints a thousand more." -- Rick Broadbent, The Times
"Great photographs...it's a book for Ali, for boxing and for photography fans.... Unrivalled." -- Steve Bunce, author and BBC Radio 5 Live boxing commentator
"Michael Brennan brings together a collection of portraits and stories of the men Muhammad Ali faced in the ring to create a fascinating portrait of the Greatest of All Time. " -- Miss Rosen, blind magazine
"A dozen films have been made around Ali's life; even more books written about it. Yet, the allure around Ali's larger-than-life persona remains enticing as it ever was. It was this allure which led photographer Michael Brennan to spend decades tracking down Ali's opponents, from former champions such as George Foreman and Joe Frazier, to forgotten names known only by their contribution to a 56 win tally." -- Esquire Magazine
"A murderer, a homeless man, a taxi driver: what do they have in common? They all boxed Muhammad Ali once. The award-winning photographer Michael Brennan speaks here about his search for the opponent of the "greatest"." - Benjamin Knaack, Spiegel Sport
"A picture is worth a 1,000 words. The photos tell the story. This is a good way to describe a book which has provided tremendous photo coverage of boxing legend Muhammad Ali." - Donald Hunt, Philadelphia Tribune
"The images take us beyond the ropes and across time, into the private lives of men who played vital roles in the history of our ancient sports." - Rob Chilton, Edgar Magazine
"The book, They Must Fall: Muhammad Ali And The Men he fought is a reflection of the impact of a man in sports history....Beyond the ropes, from afar or close, the face of the man who changed boxing is another and his life is another; hence, Brennan bet on going further and taking a historic step: follow closely the men who faced the king." - Mario Villagran, GQ Mexico
