As quick with a soundbite as he was with his punches, Muhammad Ali was a sportsman who understood the power of personality and the value of publicity. The self-proclaimed greatest boxer in history was never one to shy away from the cameras, and photographer Alex Harsley was in the right place at the right time to capture many of Ali’s best and most memorable performances.
Harsley was born and raised in South Carolina, relocating to New York in the 1960s and working as photographer for the Press and for the US army. The ’60s, ’70s and ’80s were rollercoaster times for Ali, who went from Olympic hero to villain as a Vietnam “draft dodger”, was handed a five-year prison sentence and sent into boxing exile, converted to Islam, suffered his first pro defeat in his comeback fight against Joe Frazier… never a dull moment. As well as photographing the gregarious Ali, Harsley shot many other important African American figures of the time, and the work can be seen at his 4th Street gallery in the East Village. The gallery, and Harsley himself, are under-appreciated gems according to Torch in Amsterdam, and the Dutch gallery is hoping to draw attention to Harsley’s marvellous portfolio with a retrospective; The Comeback of Muhammad Ali is on at Torch until 17 May.
