By: Austin, Stellars, Staff writer

VALDOSTA, Ga – When you hear the name Muhammad Ali, the phrase “float like a butterfly, sting like a bee” might come to mind, or you might remember his legendary fights with “mean” Joe Frazier and his bouts with George Foreman. What if I told you that his most important fight wasn’t against either of those guys? 

In Dr. Thomas Aiello’s “Return of the King: The Rebirth of Muhammad Ali and the Rise of Atlanta,” Aiello explores the link between Ali and Leroy Johnson, Georgia’s first Black state senator. Johnson, eager to get Ali back in the ring after his Vietnam draft avoidance and suspension, learned that Georgia lacked a boxing commission banning Ali from fighting there. This realization motivated Johnson to push for Ali’s return to boxing. 

Ali faced a man named Jerry Quarry, who was then the top heavyweight contender and had publicly spoken out against Ali’s decision to avoid the war. This was perfect timing. Two men who couldn’t be more different, battling it out in none other than the rising city of Atlanta. 

The fight lasted only three rounds, with Ali coming out on top, but, most importantly, it gave new life to Ali’s boxing career and was a major part of the city of Atlanta’s growth in sports at the time. 

Dr. Aiello, a history and Africana studies professor at VSU and author of numerous books on African American history, is originally from Louisiana. He acknowledges the significance of African Americans in Southern sports and their strong influence, as demonstrated in many of his works, such as “Dixieball: Race and Professional Basketball in the Deep South” and “Hoops: A Cultural History of Basketball in America.” 

“I was reading another book one time, and they mentioned that this fight was the first fight back for Ali after his suspension, and I didn’t know it. That’s the kind of thing I should know, and because of that, I started digging.” Aiello said. 

“The best part about my job is that when you find something interesting, you get to dig for it and write about it, and that led me down a rabbit hole that became this book. That is Awesome.” 

Aiello described this book as the third part of his “Atlanta Trilogy.” His initial sports-themed book in the South was “Dixieball,” a historical novel about the NBA, then a predominantly Black league, moving to the South immediately after segregation ended. He subsequently wrote another historical novel exploring the arrival of hockey in the South, the founding of the Atlanta Flames, and its present-day significance. 

If you’d like to hear more about Dr. Aiello and his works, the VSU English department and the VSU Spectator are hosting “In the Ring with Dr. Tom Aiello”: a book talk diving into his studies and thought process of writing this book. 

The book talk will be held in meeting room 2 on the third floor of the student union on April 14 at 6:30 pm. There will be prizes, refreshments, and surprises! Please email tageltner@valdosta.edu or visit Ted Geltner’s office in Ashley Hall, room 2103, if you have any additional questions.