Matthew Saad Muhammad

Abandoned on the streets of Philadelphia at age four, Matthew Saad Muhammad (1954–2014) survived orphanages, street gangs and prison to become one of the most exciting prizefighters of boxing’s Golden Age of the late 1970s and early 1980s. Time and again he battled back from the brink of defeat to win against the best fighters of the era. His victory over Marvin Johnson for the WBC Light Heavyweight Championship was described by one veteran boxing writer as the only fight he covered where it seemed both fighters might die. He fought not just for wealth and fame but to discover his identity—he had no idea who he was, where came from or what happened to his parents. This book reveals the full story of “Miracle Matthew” and how he became one of Philadelphia’s great ring legends.

William Dettloff was the senior writer at The Ring magazine for 15 years and has been the editor-in-chief at Ringside Seat magazine since 2017. He has written extensively for HBO, ESPN and other outlets. He lives in the Lehigh Valley in Pennsylvania.

William Dettloff

Format: softcover (6 x 9)
Pages:
Bibliographic Info: ca. 15 photos, notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2023
pISBN: 978-1-4766-8525-0
eISBN: 978-1-4766-4876-7
Imprint: McFarland

Acknowledgments ix

Preface 1

Introduction 3

 1. James City 5

 2. The Juniper 15

 3. From Paris to Missoula 24

 4. Do You Want Me to Stop It? 40

 5. Neanderthals Throwing Rocks 56

 6. Tightrope 72

 7. Thicker Than Water 83

 8. Guns and Switchblades 96

 9. MAPS 111

10. Roots 122

11. The End of Miracles 139

12. The Big Lie 149

13. What Goes Around 161

14. He’s a Fighter 168

15. A Reckoning 181

Chapter Notes 193

Bibliography 203

Index 205

• “Detloff has thoroughly researched his subject…he writes evocatively about the sweet science.”—International Brotherhood of Prizefighters

• “The writing is smooth, the fights are gripping, and the reporting is fair… Highly recommended reading. Everyone who enjoys reading about boxing will appreciate it. For fans of 1970s and 1980s light heavyweights specifically, this is a must have.”—The Jewish Boxing Blog