The Big Fight: When Ali Conquered Ireland

On a balmy July evening in 1972, to the sound of The Dubliners, Muhammad Ali climbed through the ropes to fight Al ’ Blue’ Lewis at Croke Park. The most famous athlete in the world had somehow been inveigled to Ireland by Butty Sugrue, a charismatic entrepreneur who was ridiculed for trying to do the impossible right up to the moment Ali and his entourage touched down at Dublin Airport. And so began a week of the most glorious mayhem, as ’ the Champ’ charmed the Irish people. Ali could be found jogging along Wicklow lanes, strolling into The Old Stand pub, chatting with street cleaners, and paying an early morning visit to the GPO to receive a history lesson about the Easter Rising. No matter where he fetched up, wonderful chaos ensued. Traffic stopped. Crowds gathered. The greatest show on earth had come to town. Through interviews with dozens of those Ali met and worked with over the course of those seven unforgettable days, Dave Hannigan has pieced together an enthralling narrative of one of the most unique events in Irish sporting history.

Born in Cork city, Dave Hannigan is a former Irish Young Journalist of the Year. Starting his career at The Sunday Tribune, he now writes a weekly sports column in The Irish Times. He has also worked for the Evening Echo, The Irish Echo, The Sunday Times and the Irish Daily Mail. Hannigan has written non-fiction books about Winston Churchill, Eamon de Valera, Terence MacSwiney and Brendan Behan. He has also written two other books about Muhammad Ali; Drama in the Bahamas and Fifteen Rounds in the Wilderness.