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Fighter's Heaven : inside the camp where Muhammad Ali remade his legacy / Todd M. Mealy ; foreword by Gene Kilroy
- Format:
- Book
- Author/Creator:
- Mealy, Todd M., author.
- Language:
- English
- Subjects (All):
- Ali, Muhammad, 1942-2016.
- Ali, Muhammad.
- Fighter's Heaven (Orwigsburg, Pa.).
- African American boxers.
- Boxers (Sports)--United States.
- Boxers (Sports).
- Boxing--Training--Pennsylvania--Orwigsburg--History--20th century.
- Boxing.
- Boxing--Training.
- Pennsylvania.
- United States.
- Genre:
- History
- Physical Description:
- 1 online resource : illustrations (some color)
- Place of Publication:
- University Park, Pennsylvania : The Pennsylvania State University Press, [2026]
- Summary:
- "The missing chapter in the story of Muhammad Ali. When his three-year ban for protesting the draft came to an end, Muhammad Ali returned from exile determined to reclaim the heavyweight championship crown. But he was fighting for more than a title. He was shaping the next chapter of his public identity—one that would define him not only as the Greatest in the ring but as a global icon. In 1972, Ali built a training camp in the mountains of Pennsylvania, a rustic compound he named Fighter’s Heaven. There he prepared for some of the most consequential bouts of his career, ultimately reclaiming the heavyweight title twice. Yet the camp was more than a training ground. It became a sanctuary—a place where children gathered, celebrities visited, activists strategized, and Ali explored business ventures and political commitments. Within its cabins and along its wooded trails, Ali did not just refine his boxing technique; he cultivated a generous and deeply human persona that captivated the world. Fighter’s Heaven retraces Ali’s footsteps through this extraordinary place, revealing how a secluded mountain retreat became the staging ground for his comeback and the foundation of his enduring legacy. Drawing on personal letters, memoirs, and new interviews with those who knew Ali best, historian Todd M. Mealy offers an intimate, behind-the-scenes portrait of Ali during these pivotal years that shaped one of the most transcendent figures of the twentieth century"-- De Gruyter Brill
- Contents:
- I don’t need to train to beat bums like him
- I need to get myself a training camp
- The furrier
- The mountain air is good here
- He has fallen in love with trees
- Muhammad’s mountain
- Fisticana
- The Ken Norton roast
- I ain’t comin’ out of these mountains
- Come up on my mountain
- My own fountain of youth
- The ghetto whopper
- Rope-a-dope
- I’m not in the best shape
- The Ali gang
- Most accessible superstar in sports
- The spirit’s on the mountain
- A house up here for everybody but God
- The third coming
- Magic
- I retire myself
- Home of champions
- Notes:
- "A Keystone book"
- Includes bibliographical references and index
- Online resource; title from PDF title page (De Gruyter Brill, viewed September 21, 2026)
- Other Format:
- Print version: Mealy, Todd M. Fighter's heaven
- ISBN:
- 9780271102641
- 0271102640
- 9780271102658
- 0271102659
- OCLC:
- 1614462559
- Publisher Number:
- CIPO000429508
- Access Restriction:
- Restricted for use by site license
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