The more I see from the Maysles, the more I think that the second half of "Gimme Shelter" was a complete fluke. The problem here is that Holmes, a nice enough man, is no Ali when the camera turns on. What supposedly makes this story tragic is that he was really broken up about dismantling his idol before millions of viewers, but outside of a tearful post-fight interview, we don't see or hear any evidence of this leading up to the showdown so it doesn't pack the emotional punch it could have.

I'm a boxing nut, but this didn't teach me anything new except that Ali had some violent, Nation of Islam "bodyguards" on his payroll. In fact, some of the background information it provides is plain wrong; Ali had been washed up for a number of fights already, and there was nothing different this time, except his opponent; Larry Holmes, one of the greatest champions in the history of boxing. Still, for a boxing fanatic, the footage of Ali, Dundee, and Holmes (my #1 favorite ever) is worthwhile.