NCW Libraries

"It was more than the long-awaited showdown between two superb athletes in their prime, more than the ultimate test of speed and artistry versus power and endurance. It was more than a boxing match, much more. The first meeting between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier at Madison Square Garden on March 8, 1971, transcended the world of sports to become a major international media spectacle with tremendous social and political overtones." "In The Fight...

The Last Round tells a story that sounds vaguely familiar: a working-class boxer, second-generation immigrant family, living the big city, scraping together a meager boxing career. He achieves enough success to catch the interest of listening ears. Flash forward a few years, and, suddenly, the working-class hero boxer is aiming to fight the boisterous, tough-talking world heavyweight titleholder. . . and to the surprise of everyone, the absolute underdog...

Jake Huard, a local kid, is a shipbuilder's son who wants to prove to his father, not to mention himself, that he can cut it as a Naval officer. But at the Academy he runs afoul of a hard-nosed training officer named Cole who does all he can to drive Huard out of the school. They end up settling their differences in the boxing ring during the Academy's annual competition.

Ten boxing champs pay tribute to Ali and discuss their encounters with him in and out of the ring.

"In 1975 two legends of boxing clashed in the ring in Manila, Philippines. Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier has already met in two previous bouts, with each claiming a victory. In their third and final match, the two titans of boxing battled for 14 punishing rounds. The fighters gave everything they had to defeat one another and claim the championship. With action-packed illustrations, now you can take a ringside seat and watch the two legendary fighters...