The LeRoy Neiman Sketchbook: 1964 Liston vs. Clay, 1965 Ali vs. Liston

  • Year

    2004
  • Medium

    Book
  • Features

    • Hand-Signed ?
    • Numbered ?
  • Dimensions

    16.5" by 135.5" by 1"
    (41.91 cm by 344.17 cm by 2.54 cm)

In stock

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Artwork shown in scale for illustrative purposes only.

About this Piece

About this Piece

Neiman covered the two legendary bouts between Sonny Liston and Muhammad Ali, both before and after Ali’s conversion to Islam.  The days leading up to the first fight were thick with tension as the upstart Ali proclaimed that he would “float like a butterfly and sting like a bee” and taunted and belittled Liston. A 7-1 underdog, Ali prevailed and then, in the rematch, stood towering over Liston during a first-round knockout. Neiman’s sketchbook shows both men as they trained and prepared for the fights, the enmity between them palpable in their expressions and body language.  The fights launched Ali to world fame, and his coverage of them made Neiman a household name.

Signed and numbered collector’s edition of 500 copies.

PowerHouse Books, New York, NY, 2004

LeRoy Neiman Woman sketch