THE FIGHT
by NORMAN MAILER 239 pages. Little, Brown. $7.95.
Champion Muhammad Ali is steadily punching his way through assorted beefcakes to become the highest-paid athletic performer of all time. He received $2 million for his light workout with Joe Bugner and has been promised twice as much for his September bout with Joe Frazier. Heavyweight Norman Mailer's last big deal was a $1 million contract to produce 500,000 to 800,000 words, or roughly five books. After taxes and expenses, he notes, that is not much money for a man who bears the costs of five marriages and seven children.
Perhaps this is what...