The Man Who Put a Curse on Muhammad Ali

It was the funniest fight build-up of Muhammad Ali''s career - and publicist and writer Norman Giller saw it all. British bulldog Richard Dunn was challenging Ali for the world heavyweight crown in Munich in 1976, and Giller hired the eccentric hypnotist Romark to convince Richard that he could topple ''The Greatest''. What Romark kept to himself was that he planned to put a curse on Ali that would doom him to failure. Recalling arguably the most bizarre fight build-up ever, Giller has penned a book that is laugh-out-loud funny, peopled by a colorful cast that includes irascible matchmaker Mickey Duff, millionaire magnate Jarvis Astaire, much-hated heavyweight rival Joe Bugner, Richard''s father-in-law, trainer and minder Jimmy Devanney, a paratrooper regiment and 54 Ali hangers-on. The match bankrupted its promoters and lost more money than any heavyweight title fight in history. Romark claimed credit for the stage collapsing at a chaotic weigh-in ceremony, while ''Cinderella Man'' Dunn got beaten up and was hailed a hero.