HistoryMiami Museum Showcases Rare Images Of Muhammad Ali In New Photo Exhibit
MIAMI (CBSMiami) – Monday, March 8 is the 50th anniversary of the "Fight of the Century" between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier.
In preparation for that 1971 bout, Ali spent time in Miami Beach training at the famed 5th Street Gym.
One-of-a-kind photos chronicling his time in Miami are now on display at HistoryMiami Museum in a new exhibition titled Muhammad Ali in Miami: Training for the "Fight of the Century."
"These photos captured a historic moment for Ali. He was just returning to boxing after his conviction for refusing to register for the draft in 1967 had been overturned," HistoryMiami Museum Executive Director Jorge Zamanillo said. "These photos show him preparing to return to the biggest stage in sports at that time, and we hope everyone will visit the museum to view an incredible and rarely seen collection of images."
With the support of the Knight Foundation, HistoryMiami Museum recently acquired the "ALI/MIA" portfolio of 20 silver gelatin photographs selected and handmade by photographer and Miami native Andrew Kaufman.
Seventeen of the images document Ali's time training for the fight. Three additional images taken in 1981 capture Ali's final fight, "Drama in Bahama," against Trevor Berbick.
The photographs were taken by Pulitzer Prize-winning photographers Larry Spitzer and Jebb Harris of the Louisville's Courier-Journal, who covered Ali for more than a decade.
The unique images are on display through August 18.
For more information, call 305-375-1492 or visit historymiami.org.
