King of the World

New Yorker editor David Remnick’s Pulitzer Prize-winning book, King of the World, tells the story of Muhammad Ali, originally known as Cassius Clay, a man who transcended fame to take on the reverence of a folk hero. Ali was known not only as a celebrated athlete but came to represent a symbol of hope, faith, and defiance that allowed his fans to connect with him on another level. Ali revolutionized boxing, getting into the game at a time when the heavy hitters gained recognition for being able to knock out their opponent in one solid punch. Ali was a fighter who was light on his feet, his strategy being to tire out his opponent before going in for the kill.

When Cassius Clay was coming up in the boxing scene, he was told he would never make it as a heavyweight fighter, that he was too light and didn’t pack a powerful enough punch to compete in the big leagues. In spite of his own remarkable talents, Clay was certainly inspired by those who came before him. Remnick looks back at the big names that preceded Clay, such as Sonny Liston and Floyd Patterson, at the same time examining the world of boxing and its various characters, many of who are driven by greed and the money that can be made from the sport.

Remnick opens the book with a fight between Sonny Liston and Floyd Patterson, two black men; the match was rife with racial undertones. Liston had always been portrayed as the “bad negro” while Patterson embodied the role of the “good negro” at a time when boxing was often seen as a sport where white people would watch black people beat up other black people. It was a controversial practice, and many disagreed with the power imbalances that existed within the sport as well as the toll it took on the human body, leaving fighters feeling the effects of it years after they had retired. Denounced as a modern day version of gladiators, it was seen as barbaric.



Remnick also examines the Nation of Islam, as Ali was a proud and outspoken Muslim man. Although they originally condemned the sport of boxing, claiming that it exploited black men, as Ali rose to fame, the Nation of Islam grew to embrace the sport. Growing up in the Jim Crow era South, Ali became known as much for his religious and political beliefs as for his proficiency as a boxer. Idolized by other people of a similar background, he showed what he could make of himself in spite of all that was stacked against him, including the many disbelievers.

Before Clay rose to stardom, organized crime ruled the world of boxing. Clay pushed back against the strong arm of the mob and against racial stereotypes that plagued the sport. In this way, he came to be seen not just as a champion in the ring, but also as a champion for racial injustice all around the world. Coming up in America in the 1960s, Clay’s mere existence as a black man who was well-spoken and did what he wanted, provided inspiration to millions like him who were coming out of decades of oppression and racism. By attaining the level of success that he did, and doing so seemingly effortlessly, he demonstrated that anything is possible, single-handedly breaking down social and racial barriers.

White sportswriters were appalled by Ali’s rebellious and outspoken nature, but they couldn’t argue with his talent in the ring. He truly was a man who rose from nothing and conquered the world around him, in spite of being surrounded by constant criticism.



At the end of the book, Remnick writes about how Muhammad Ali refused to be drafted for the Vietnam War, his outspoken and political nature showing the world his tongue was just as powerful as his fist. He was a man of conviction, who stood up for his beliefs; this seems to be the message that Remnick is trying to get across.

Remnick makes it clear by the end of the book that he is not a fan of the sport of boxing, failing to understand how any level of athletic success could be worth sacrificing one’s physical and mental health. He contrasts Muhammad Ali in his glory days to the retired boxer; Ali now suffers from Parkinson’s disease, causing him to shake uncontrollably and to struggling to perform even basic actions.

Remnick succeeds in crafting a book that captures not only the life of Cassius Clay and his transition into the legendary Muhammad Ali, but the era Ali came up in, with all of the racial and political strife, making Ali’s successes seem even grander by comparison.