Muhammad Ali and the Greatest Heavyweight Generation [Paperback]

Tom Cushman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2009

Tom Cushman, one of boxing's great sportswriters, followed the 'Ali generation' of fighters from New York to Las Vegas, Nassau to Zaire, reporting for the Philadelphia Daily News from 1966 1982 and for the San Diego Tribune, 1982 1992. Muhammad Ali and the Greatest Heavyweight Generation chronicles the behind-the-scenes stories of the great athletes in boxing's biggest-and-best age their victories and struggles, crimes and passions, heydays and swansongs.

This collection of essays, gleaned from Cushman's personal files as well as his recent research, brings to light the backgrounds of the fighters, in and out of the ring: Liston's tragic death, Foreman's rise from hell to heaven, Holmes's crushing defeat and his great heart, Everett's murder and everywhere, always, the unforgettable voice and charismatic volume of the astounding Muhammad Ali.

Columnist Bill Conlin, Philadelphia Daily News, writes in the book's Preface:

This [is] history of the rarest sort the view of a man who not only had lived in the time and recorded the events, but now, a quarter of a century later, who was able to interpret both the athletic imprint left by these dynamic men and the sociological impact of their triumphs and tragedies.

Besides the compelling stories of boxing's back stage, Muhammad Ali and the Greatest Heavyweight Generation includes previously unpublished photographs from the personal collections of Cushman and others, as well as classic images from veteran newspaper photographers.

Also contains a 16-page photo insert.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Written by an outstanding sportswriter/columnist, this book chronicles the richest age in the 120-year history of gloved prizefighting s heavyweight division. Baby-boomer fight fans are spoiled, conditioned as they are to believe that the division should ALWAYS be populated by the likes of Ali, Frazier, Foreman, Norton, Quarry, Bonavena, Terrell, Shavers, and the like. The truth is it has happened once and only once. Tom Cushman s stirring remembrance of that time and those personalities is a great read for those who saw it and those who can only wish they had. --Jim Lampley, HBO Boxing Commentator

Tom Cushman, the sportswriter who knew every square of the old square jungle. During the time I was in boxing and he was writing, he tried to help make boxing better. --George Foreman, Two-time World Heavyweight Boxing Champion

Tom Cushman is introspective and the best writer in any phase of sports that I have ever known. This book reflects just that. --Bob Knight, Hall of Fame basketball coach

About the Author

Tom Cushman was born in St. Louis in 1934. He received his BA from Southeast Missouri State University and graduated from University of Missouri s School of Journalism. For over 40 years, he worked as a reporter for the Colorado Springs Gazette Telegraph (1959 1966), as reporter and eventually staff columnist for the Philadelphia Daily News (1966 1982), as Sports Editor and columnist for the San Diego Tribune (1982 1992), and as Sports Editor and columnist for the San Diego Union-Tribune (1992 2002). He is currently a freelance writer and frequent contributor to San Diego Magazine.

In his years as a sportswriter, he has covered 10 Olympic Games, 25 World Series, 26 Super Bowls, 30 NCAA Final Fours, 21 Masters Golf Tournaments, 18 U.S. Open Golf Tournaments, and major professional boxing matches on four continents. He was the first writer outside New York City to receive the Nat Fleischer Award for Excellence in Boxing Journalism.

Tom and his wife Lois live in Colorado and have a son, Scott, who teaches in Chicago.

Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Southeast Missouri State University Press (October 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 098224892X
• ISBN-13: 978-0982248928
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 5.9 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,014,414 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A real insider's view of the careers of Muhammad Ali and others of boxing's "Greatest Heavyweight Generation", October 19, 2009

By 

Alan Terry Wright (St. Louis, MO USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Muhammad Ali and the Greatest Heavyweight Generation (Paperback)

It is with a whiff of wistfulness that Tom Cushman, long time sportswriter/columnist for the Philadelphia Daily News and other major newspapers, relives a time, unlike now, when the name of the Heavyweight Champion of the World was known to one and all. Cushman vividly reprises

a bygone era, fast fading into the ring bells and crowd roar of our memories. Each page is packed with stinging verbal jabs, sardonic wit and first-hand insights. This book is the real deal! With measures of sympathy, admiration, pity, and sometimes head shaking disgust, the author traces the rise and inevitable fall of Ali, Liston, Holmes, Frazier, Shavers, Foreman, Tyson and others. Every word reeks of ringside authenticity. He knew them all! He was there!

Alan Terry Wright

St. Louis, MO

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Highly recommended for any boxing enthusiast curious about the grand days when Muhammad Ali reigned in the ring, October 15, 2009

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Muhammad Ali and the Greatest Heavyweight Generation (Paperback)

Sportswriter and columnist Tom Cushman presents Muhammad Ali and the Greatest Heavyweight Generation, an anthology of essays from Cushman's personal files as well as his research. Offering behind-the-scenes insights into the true stories of great athletes from boxing's glory days, Muhammad Ali and the Greatest Heavyweight Generation tells of incredible battles, nefarious crimes, determined struggles, and much more. From Liston's tragic early death, to Foreman's incredible rise to glory, Holmes' earthshaking defeat, and much more, Muhammad Ali and the Greatest Heavyweight Generation brings sports legends to life. Highly recommended for any boxing enthusiast curious about the grand days when Muhammad Ali reigned in the ring.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Greatest boxing book ever written, March 26, 2010

By 

Lance Haynes (San Diego, Ca.) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Muhammad Ali and the Greatest Heavyweight Generation (Paperback)

First of all I know Tom Cushman from reading all his fantastic articles in our local paper here in San Diego at the Union Tribune. This book is a must read. The information and insights that Tom accumulated in a lifetime of interviewing and being around all of the great boxers in the Ali era is fabulous. I was blessed to hear author Tom Cushman in San Diego twice speaking about his great Ali boxing book. I love his great command of the English language and his style.

Lance Haynes San Diego, CA