DATA HARD

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt is set to publish the definitive biography of boxing legend and American icon Muhammad Ali, ALI: A Life by best-selling author Jonathan Eig, on October 3. But for those who can't wait until the fall, Eig is launching a podcast, "Chasing Ali," on June 3, the one-year anniversary of Ali's death. In the podcast episodes, Eig shares some of the amazing, sad, and funny stories from the making of the book, offering a glimpse into why it will be a must-read.

"Finally, after so many works focusing on this fight or that, the whole man, the whole life, is presented here. And what a revelation it is," Ken Burns raves about the book. Eig breaks new ground with this comprehensive biography, radically reshaping our understanding of Muhammad Ali. Eig had access to all the key people in Ali's life, including his three surviving wives and his managers. He also had access to thousands of pages of new FBI and Justice Department files, as well dozens of hours of newly discovered audiotaped interviews from the 1960s. Eig reveals Ali in the complexity he deserves, shedding important new light on his politics and his neurological condition. In one of the first podcast episodes, "A Blow to the Head," Eig shares why his interview with ring doctor Ferdie Pacheco was like taking a punch to the kidneys—and what he learned about Ali's early signs of traumatic brain injury.

The podcast will be available on Eig's website and at ChasingAliThePodcast.com starting June 3. ALI: A Life will be available wherever books are sold on October 3.