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. SELLING POINTS: . Exclusive never-before-seen photos of Ali and other stars of the ‘70s boxing scene . Celebrates one of the greatest heavyweight champions of all time, as well as those who went up against him in the ring . This edition also includes a special introductory essay by the late, great Jimmy Breslin 22 colour, 147 b/w images