On September 9, 1966, Life magazine featured a story on Cassius Marcellus Clay, Jr., the rising boxing star who’d recently changed his name to a moniker more familiar to sports devotees — Muhammad Ali.
At this point, Ali had already won the gold medal at the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome and snatched the heavyweight title from Sonny Liston in 1964. He’d also become a point of controversy for fans following the champion. Questioned about his connection to Black Muslim leaders like Malcom X, and his conscientious objection to the Vietnam War, Ali was fighting battles in and out of the ring.
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See a preview of the photos on view here, plus a few examples of Parks’ previous work, many of which are also on view in Arnika Dawkins Gallery’s show, “Gordon Parks — American Champion.” For more on the wonder that is Gordon Parks, see our past coverage here and here.
Gordon Parks — American Champion will be on view at Arnika Dawkins Gallery until March 28, 2015. The Gordon Parks Foundation also recently released American Champion, a limited edition portfolio containing Parks’ photographs of Ali and a printed essay by David E. Little, Curator and Head of the Department of Photography and New Media at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts.
