"Actor: Floyd Patterson"

• AKA Cassius Clay | DVD | (18/05/2002) from £6.22   |  Saving you £9.77 (157.07%)   |  RRP £15.99

  Made in 1970, just as he was reaching the end of a three-year exile from boxing, AKA Cassius Clay is a documentary about Muhammad Ali's life and career. Produced by Jim Jacobs and Bill Cayton--who would go on to manage Mike Tyson--it includes reams of Jacobs' vast collection of fight footage, some of it familiar, some quite rare, such as flickery images of his earliest bouts. The film intersperses an account of Ali's career with good natured, if combative, sections to camera featuring Ali and future Tyson trainer Cus D'Amato, who plays devil's advocate, arguing with the ex-champ that he would never have beaten Joe Louis in his heyday, or (more dubiously) his own protégé Floyd Patterson. Watching footage of his 1967 bout against Cleveland Williams here, it's hard to believe any champion before or since could have beaten Ali at his height. Ali's familiar story is competently related here (though narrator Richard Kiley has the mildly disconcerting air of a Bond villain): his 1960 Olympic triumph; his defeat of Sonny Liston who was expected to annihilate the young 22-year-old blowhard in 1964; his conversion to the Nation of Islam; and the plainly vindictive decision on the part of the authorities to revise his draft status and call him up for service in Vietnam. Ali refused and faced the possibility of a five-year jail sentence as well as being stripped of his title. The principle pleasure of AKA Cassius Clay is watching Ali in full verbal flow. His maniacal teasing of Liston was a psychological knockout blow. "The man's too ugly to be the world champ. The world champ should be pretty, like me!" On the DVD: extras comprise scene selections and the original trailer. The reproduction is visually adequate, with the sepia tones of the fight footage holding up well; but the dubbing in places is poor. --David Stubbs

• The Greatest - Muhammad Ali | DVD | (10/03/2003) from £5.58   |  Saving you £4.41 (79.03%)   |  RRP £9.99

  Universally accepted as a true icon of the 20th Century Muhammad Ali's phenomenal achievements spanned sport politics and religion. One man - photographer William Klein - had comprehensive access to the events that shaped Ali's legend. In 1964 the young outspoken Cassius Clay successfully defeated the seemingly invincible Heavyweight Champion Sonny Liston - the manner of Clay's victory and his amazing persona made him an instant superstar. Through this incredible period and Clay's subsequent rematches with Liston William Klein enjoyed unrivalled access to Clay's camp - witnessing at first hand Cassius Clay becoming Muhammad Ali and angering the American people with his allegiance to Islam. Forward to Zaire 1974 and the return of Muhammad Ali to the world stage. Having been stripped of his title and condemned by the American Government for refusing to go to Vietnam Ali arrived in his spiritual homeland to face another invincible champion George Foreman. As Ali reclaimed the crown for a second time Klein was ever present capturing the full story at close quarters. A truly remarkable piece of film history!

• Muhammad Ali - The Greatest | DVD | (11/02/2002) from £4.98   |  Saving you £13.00 (653.27%)   |  RRP £14.99

  This programme is the definitive biography of Muhammad Ali the true story of his ups and downs both in and out of the ring. With the backdrop of racial segregation find out how a young loud overconfident boy from Southern USA started on his long journey to success. Defeating Sonny Liston Ali (born Clay) would carry on the legacy left by the likes of Johnson and Louis. But Ali's life is as peppered with lows as it is with highs. His refusal to be drafted for service in Vietnam an

• Muhammad Ali - The Greatest | DVD | (07/05/2001) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £9.99