A good read, but a good amount of revisionist history. Also, something that has ALWAYS bothered me is Fraziers claim to Ali's illness and suffering today. Ali fought tougher men then Joe did, and sustained MANY beatings in his life. His fights with Joe were a fraction of the cause of his state today, and Joe clings to it desperately, like the victory that ties the series and lets him forget he came up second best in history to a man he hated. I understand why he's bitter, and I can't imagine how it would burn to come up short in the final fight against a man you so despise. But the claims he ruined Ali, gave him Parkinsons, and all that, is just sour grapes and is unfortunate to read. Ruined the book for me, though it was a good yarn, and I always have time for Frazier, who was one of the most fun fighters to watch ever.
I think it was Frazier who put Ali in bad health. No one hit Ali more often than Frazier did. He had the style to get in close and bang him at will. He had Ali pissing blood after their fight in Manilla. It wouldn't surprise me if Joe's left hook permanently crippled Ali. Also, wasn't it shortly after Manilla when Ali's speech began to slur?
That much damage in boxing is cumulative. Frazier did his part for sure, but Shavers, Foreman, Holmes, and Norton sure helped. It'd be delusional to think what Ali suffers today came from Manila alone. Ali was pissing blood after Manila, and he did plenty of medical damage to Frazier himself. Manila damaged both fighters, but Ali went on the more physical punishment, and Frazier never again took a sustained beating.