Summary

ROUND NINE – Lucius considered the possibility that he knew Cassius better than he knew himself. Like most people in Louisville, Lucius knew Cassius was “bound for big things” (253). Rudy and Lucius trained with Cassius, though he usually left them behind and continued after they were done. Each night, he cleaned at the Nazareth College Library. Lucius saw Momma Bird's influence in Cassius's choice of a job. One night, he fell into an exhausted sleep there. Lucius noted that “there's a sign in that library, still today, that says, Cassius slept here” (253). Cassius had been knocked down in the ring a few times, and accepted that the most important thing was to get up. Lucius absorbed that lesson in his journalism career, moving past the rejection letters in pursuit of his dream. That June, Cassius graduated despite some objections. Cassius had...