The boxer as muse

Poet Marianne Moore and Muhammad Ali

From Paul Reyes' review of books about The Greatest:

...another truth about Ali’s influence: For writers, he compels expressiveness, encourages flourishes. Boxing was already the richest literary sport before Cassius Clay arrived; the anecdotes of trainers and fighters from the post-war era alone are hard to beat. But when talking about Ali, when writing about him, you cannot help but try to rise to his occasion. He attracted as many superlatives as he proved. He evoked as much hyperbole as he lived up to. No other athlete—arguably no other figure of the 20th century—has been the subject of as much media as Ali, from film to television to tribute albums to comic books to public-service announcements. But best of all, Ali was the subject of some terrific books.