Muhammad Ali in Miami: Training for the “Fight of the Century” which opened this week includes highlights of Ali's time preparing for the fight at South Beach’s 5th Street Gym. The “one-of-a kind” images will be displayed in a new photo gallery dedicated to exhibiting selections from the museum’s extensive image collection.
The “ALI/MIA” portfolio contains 20 silver gelatin photographs that were selected and handmade by photographer and Miami native Andrew Kaufman, according to HistoryMiami. “Seventeen of the images document Ali’s time training for the fight [in Miami Beach],” a release announcing the exhibit states. “Three additional images taken in 1981 capture Ali’s final fight, “Drama in Bahama,” against Trevor Berbick.”
The photographs were taken by award-winning photographer Larry Spitzer and colleague Jebb Harris of the Louisville Courier-Journal who covered Ali, a Kentucky native, for more than a decade.
“These photos captured a historic moment for Ali. He was just returning to boxing after his conviction for refusing to register for the draft in 1967 had been overturned,” HistoryMiami Museum Executive Director Jorge Zamanillo said. “These photos show him preparing to return to the biggest stage in sports at that time, and we hope everyone will visit the museum to view an incredible and rarely seen collection of images.”
The new gallery space will be dedicated to rotating exhibits that will highlight the museum’s collection of more than two million historical images. The institution’s image collection documents South Florida history from the late 1800s to the present.
Muhammad Ali in Miami: Training for the “Fight of the Century” runs through August 29. The exhibit is open Thursday through Saturday, 10 am – 5 pm, and Sunday noon – 5 pm. HistoryMiami Museum is currently offering complimentary admission. It is located at 101 West Flagler Street in Miami. For more information, visit historymiami.org.
Photos: Larry Spitzer
