The Bite Magazine - issue 16

watching him practicing the ‘Rope-a- Dope’, taking tea and talking poetry with a visitor. I shot 33 rolls in the two days. Ali said nobody had ever taken so many of him. I believe these photo- graphs reveal aspects of Ali’s fascinating character not previously seen.” The momentum pictures were taken when Ali was thirty-two years and at the peak of his prime. What Simon witnessed was someone who was notoriously fast on his feet, quick with his tongue and brilliant with his strategy.Away from the media circus that usually surrounds the former champion, and through rare and candid images, Simon was able to strip back the celebrity persona and show a thoughtful, focused and determined Ali. This amazing insight into what it takes to prepare to become the world’s greatest once again including the five- mile runs at dawn and intense sessions in the gym provided a profound psy- chological discipline to his craft which is captured in the fascinating Fighter’s Heaven 1974 book and accompany exhibition. When visiting the exhibition at Serena Morton II, there was a sense of peace as I looked at each of the images on display. They were perfectly lined up against a snow white wall that brought the black and white images to life before your eyes. With nev- er-before-seen images of the private Muhammad Ali; it gave you a true sense of how he was determined to show the world that he was “the greatest” no matter what he had to sacrifice. Looking back, I recall a large black and white picture of Muhammad Ali smiling proudly from my childhood located in the living room of my parent’s house and even then I had some respect for the man. Here at the Serena Morton II, you witness private moments of the boxer musing, resting, laughing in a limousine, giving a victory salute, dancing next to a field, jumping rope and attacking the punch bag, and even taking time out to visit a nursing home. This was the Muhammad Ali that many did not get the privilege of seeing; in his moments of peace and concentra- tion. It is no surprise he often escaped to the solace of Fighter’s Heaven in Pennsylvania. Speaking to Jamie and Megan at Serena Morton II who kindly took some time out to give me more information on the exhibition, they explained the reason Ali did not go to fight in the VietnamWar was because he had purpose.The boxer was certainly a man who believed in himself and although people may have thought he was boastful, he was confident that he was going to be “the greatest”. From a young age, Cassius Clay, the name he was born with, always knew he was going to be a boxer and would get his friends to throws stones at him. He would train in his boots and was always in the moment as well as always being on the go. He also wanted to touch base with everyone and could switch from a boxer to a normal man in seconds just like a method actor. For the opening evening of the exhibition, Peter Angelo Simon flew over espe- cially from New York. The gallery was full to capacity with people still queuing outside to get in.The guests who were able to get in recounted their various stories of the boxer. Jamie and Megan told me that night they sold ten prints. The gallery showing at Serena Morton II may have finished now but you can still order prints from them until the end of August 2016. Muhammad Ali: Fighter’s Heaven 1974 showed at Serena Morton II from 8 th April to 28 th May 2016.The book published by Reel Art Press can be purchased at www.reelartpress.com Serena Morton II, 345 Ladbroke Grove, LondonW10 6HA www.serenamorton.com “The fight is won or lost far away from witnesses – behind the lines, in the gym, and out on the road, long before I dance under those lights” – Muhammad Ali bite book review All Images © Peter Angelo Simon