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Mohrbooks Literary Agency
Sebastian Ritscher
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English
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RUNNING WITH THE CHAMP

Tim Shanahan Chuck Crisafulli

MY Forty-Year Friendship with Muhammad Ali

RUNNING WITH THE CHAMP is the author`s personal and deeply moving tribute to the remarkable friendship between him and Muhammad Ali, including dozens of never-before-told stories about Ali, his family, his entourage, and various celebrities along the way—as well as never-before-published personal photos.
Author Tim Shanahan's long friendship with Ali goes back to the mid-1970s and the book includes stories about Ali, his family, his entourage, and various celebrities that have never appeared in print anywhere else. Shanahan met Ali through charitable work and the two men hit it off immediately. Because Shanahan never asked favors from the Champ, Ali trusted him as he did few other people and told him stories that few others know. Shanahan is known as "Uncle Tim" to some of Ali's children.

In RUNNING WITH THE CHAMP, Shanahan shares the stories of various celebrities whom Ali met over the years, such as Michael Jackson (who showed Ali and Shanahan his doll collection), Elvis Presley, John Travolta, Andy Warhol, and many others. Ali invited Shanahan to sparring sessions (and once sparred with him) and the two men would often go running together in the early morning. Shanahan accompanied Ali to his Pennsylvania training camp as the Champ prepared to fight Ken Norton, Earnie Shavers, and Leon Spinks and he witnessed numerous unpublicized incidents of Ali’s generosity to people in need. When Ali moved to Los Angeles, Shanahan also relocated there. Running with the Champ is a touching, candid narrative of an extraordinary friendship that has persevered through the best and worst of times.
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Book

Published 2016-05-10 by Simon & Schuster

Book

Published 2016-05-10 by Simon & Schuster

Comments

Longtime Friend Of Muhammad Ali Reacts To Death Of 'The Greatest' - Tim Shanahan maintained a friendship with Muhammad Ali for 40 years. Scott Simon talks with him about Ali, and his legacy. Read more...

Oh my! This is the reader’s opportunity to get inside the ropes with ‘The Greatest.’ Tim Shanahan’s book is a knockout read, offering rare insight into the man regarded as the most powerful and prominent athlete of his time.

Interview with Tim Shanahan: Close Friend remembers Muhammad Ali Read more...

An engrossing story…of an enviable friendship…Shanahan comes off as a likable guy…and it’s easy to understand why the fighter allowed him into his inner circle. Read more...

Shanahan presents a complex but less bombastic person than is popularly associated with the hame; generous to a fault, devoted to his religion and …family, a champion of the less fortunate. This view of a fabled boxes from the unusual angle of friendship offers justification beyond the boxing ring for calling Ali “The Greatest.” Read more...

An affectionate portrait of boxing legend Muhammad Ali. . . . Charming moments abound. . . . If you're wondering why Ali is called ‘The Greatest,’ this . . . pleasant memoir makes for a good place to start. Read more...

When I heard that Tim Shanahan was writing a book about Muhammad Ali I was excited, because for the first time we’d get a chance to look at the Champ from the perspective of a real friend. In the years that I have spoken to Tim, it seems that we never run out of stories about the Great Ali. Tim has taken the term ‘brother’ to another level; no one has been as close to the Champ as Tim Shanahan. Read with me and celebrate true friendship.

Of all of his great achievements in life, from champion prizefighter to goodwill ambassador to instrument of hope for the underprivileged, it is quite lovely to learn that Muhammad Ali was also a devoted friend. In his affectionate memoir of their long and durable bond, Tim Shanahan reminds us of a sometimes overlooked aspect of The Champ—that in stride with the wonderful talent and wild antics that kept us so entertained walks a man of profound decency.

Amazon ranking as of this morining (June 6, 2016): o #13 in Books > Sports & Outdoors > Individual Sports > Boxing o #16 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > Sports & Outdoors > Boxing, Wrestling & MMA > Boxing o #409 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > Memoirs

Interview with Tim Shanahan - Ali remembered: Author and friend shares stories Read more...

Shanahan was interviewed on CNN / Newsroom with Fredricka Whitfield Read more...