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What: “Muhammad Ali: The Whole Story”

Price: $109.98 (Turner Home Entertainment)

Even big-time Muhammad Ali fans (like myself) would be wary of a six-hour video collection that claims to tell “The Whole Story.”

But “Muhammad Ali: The Whole Story,” a six-tape set, actually delivers. Sure, it has plenty of the same well-worn highlight clips, but it also contains an abundance of interviews from opponents and observers and rare fight footage that shed new light on the three-time heavyweight champion.

The collection particularly excels in documenting perhaps the most turbulent period of Ali’s career--his refusal to enlist in the armed services during the Vietnam War. In the third tape, “Exile,” sports legends Jackie Robinson and Joe Louis are critical of Ali’s decision while the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., football great Jim Brown and others come to his defense.

The final three tapes, beginning with Ali’s comeback, are more characteristic of the Ali most remember: the clowning, the hyping, and the epic battles.

The collection falls short only at the end. Ali, who suffers from Parkinson’s Syndrome, is heard from only in archival footage, and no more than 15 minutes are devoted to his life after boxing.

Six hours might seem awfully long, even for one of the greatest athletes of the century. But “The Whole Story” is packed with so many surprises that the time flies. By the end, there is no question why he’s still “The Greatest.”