Overview

In October of 1980 Muhammad Ali was preparing to fight for an unprecedented fourth heavyweight title against his friend and former sparring partner Larry Holmes. To say that the great Ali was in the twilight of his career would be generous; most of his admiring fans, friends and fight scribes considered his bravado delusional. What was left for him to prove? In the weeks of training before the fight, documentarians Albert and David Maysles took an intimate look at Ali trying to convince the world and perhaps himself, that he was still “The Greatest.” At the same time, they documented the mild-mannered and undervalued champion Holmes as he confidently prepared to put an end to the career of a man for whom he had an abiding and deep affection

Cast

Muhammad Ali

Himself

Drew Bundini Brown

Himself

Angelo Dundee

Himself

Larry Holmes

Himself

N/A

Jerry Izenberg

Self

N/A

Gene Kilroy

Self

John Schulian

Self

N/A

Leon Spinks

Himself (archive footage)

Ken Norton

Himself (archive footage)

Thomas Hauser

Himself

Howard Cosell

Himself (archive footage)