best boxing books and why

[younghypnotiq]

name the best boxing books and why

[McGrain]

Sonny Liston: Night Train would be my personal choice for the number one spot. The author takes an angle and runs with it but his window into that world is anything but narrow. You're taken into the different worlds of ownership that Sonny was exposed to - and what he exposed his fellow human to in return (or not). It less than stellar where the fights are concerned, but it's a really decent stab at unlocking Liston.

Charley Burley and the Black Murderers Row. Shed's loads of interesting light on a crew of fighters that you wouldn't normally run across. Lovingly written but not slavishly so.

Jack Johnson: Unforgivable Blackness. Brilliant, thorough, takes no shit. Presents the evidence and allows you to draw your own conclusion. This is a monster book, probably a must read for boxing fans.

Dark Trade. This is the best book i've read about modern boxing. This guy gets Tyson at the crux of so many of the most important times in his fall. It's worth reading for that alone, but the Toney stuff is absolutley priceless.

[younghypnotiq]

what are those like novels? the only boxing book i have read is the jack dempsey book.

[Sonny in Dallas]

The Gene Tunney biography by Jack Cavanaugh was quite good. The autobiography of Vicki LaMotta (with Thomas Hauser) was excellent. The Two Ton Tony Galento book was weak.

[robert ungurean]

I listed alot of them in the worst book thread along with my least fav.

[jyuza]

I listed alot of them in the worst book thread along with my least fav.

Post it again :good

[Pete47]

"Corner Men - Great Bboxing Trainers" by Ronald K. Fried. It offers fascinating informations about trainers like Ray Arcel, Jack Blackburne and others.

[jyuza]

Sonny Liston: Night Train would be my personal choice for the number one spot. The author takes an angle and runs with it but his window into that world is anything but narrow. You're taken into the different worlds of ownership that Sonny was exposed to - and what he exposed his fellow human to in return (or not). It less than stellar where the fights are concerned, but it's a really decent stab at unlocking Liston.

Charley Burley and the Black Murderers Row. Shed's loads of interesting light on a crew of fighters that you wouldn't normally run across. Lovingly written but not slavishly so.

Jack Johnson: Unforgivable Blackness. Brilliant, thorough, takes no shit. Presents the evidence and allows you to draw your own conclusion. This is a monster book, probably a must read for boxing fans.

Dark Trade. This is the best book i've read about modern boxing. This guy gets Tyson at the crux of so many of the most important times in his fall. It's worth reading for that alone, but the Toney stuff is absolutley priceless.

I just bought Night Train :good

[Jack Dempsey]

In this corner - just a great book

[McGrain]

I just bought Night Train :good


PM me or post a review when you're done, let me know what you think.

[Duodenum]

"Corner Men - Great Bboxing Trainers" by Ronald K. Fried. It offers fascinating informations about trainers like Ray Arcel, Jack Blackburne and others.I second this. A very enjoyable read. Fried illuminates Eddie Futch's brilliance.

"50 Years at Ringside," by Nat Fleischer was intriguing. It provided a sense of immediacy to many events and people considered ancient history today.

The instructional books by Dempsey, Haislet, Walsh and Thomas.

"Rocky Marciano: Biography of a First Son," by Everett Skehan. The ways in which the plight of Joe Louis influenced his determination to avoid the same fate is striking. It details Marciano's dedication to conditioning, and how his dismal amateur debut drove him to never again suffer the same outcome.

Mickey Walker's autobiography is loaded with BS, but it's also a vivid colorful narrative of life in the 1920's. Like Dempsey's mother Celia (who in part raised her son on a second-hand biography of John L. Sullivan she reportedly purchased while pregnant with Jack in 1895, though this could be apocryphal), Mickey's mother Liz was her son's most enthusiastic cheerleader in boxing. (If a young up and coming boxer had both a mom like that, and a spouse like Joan Antuofermo, how could he lose?)

Too many other great books to mention, but most are out of print.

One day, somebody ought to publish a collection of newspaper clippings covering boxing from around the turn of the century, published by various sportswriters in diverse locations. A friend of my father's passed away a few years ago, and he was both a boxer, and later a news columnist.

Upon his death, my father received his huge album of deteriorating clippings on boxing events from a hundred years ago. Many of these articles were written in the immediate aftermath of Erne/Gans I, and most of them savagely criticize Gans for quitting, although a few exonerate him. Some of these attacking sportswriters would later change their tune on Gans profoundly. It's fascinating to read contemporary coverage of historical boxing events as they actually unfolded, from a variety of different locations and viewpoints, then comparing some of this commentary to existing films of those events, whenever available.

As more newspapers offer their entire history on-line, perhaps some dedicated and enthusiastic researcher will undertake such a challenge. (It would have to be a total fanatic. I get tired just thinking about it. But it would be a cool thing to read the actual source documentation on the occurrences we rehash at this forum.)

It's astounding sometimes, to see how badly the quality of sportswriting has deteriorated with the advent of electronic media. Most members of the press who cover sports today are utterly clueless about the history of their subject matter. I would never present myself as an expert on a sport I didn't know inside and out. (That's another reason why I hang out here-to learn more about a subject I have severely limited knowledge of. I only followed boxing passionately for a very brief period in time. I'm no kind of expert on any of this.)

[robert ungurean]

Post it again :good I wish I new how .
Im not very computer savy & Im a slow typer.
I'll ask my son to help.:patsch

[Sweet Science]

I personally liked Thomas Hausers biography on Ali. Muhammad Ali: His Life and Times. I know it didn't offer any deep insights in to boxing itself, but it was nevertheless an enjoyable read. Hauser basically interviewed countless key people in Ali's life and asked them to comment on certain events. It was a great read.

[McGrain]

I personally liked Thomas Hausers biography on Ali. Muhammad Ali: His Life and Times.

To be honest i found that one a little bit biased in Ali's favour. I like The Fight for a book on Ali - although Mailer is very much a beliver, he manages to maintain a little distance.



Ghost of Manilla is another good one - frightening read for Ali fans though.

[groove]

Jose Torres book 'Sting like a Bee' on Ali is a great read cuz it's written by a fighter so he knows what he's talking about. More fighting insight is found in this book.

[Jack Dempsey]

I'm just finishing up Teddy Atlas's book, its a great read, full of incidents

[McGrain]

I'm just finishing up Teddy Atlas's book, its a great read, full of incidents

Recount a quick tale from that book for us.

[Thread Stealer]

Dark Trade. This is the best book i've read about modern boxing. This guy gets Tyson at the crux of so many of the most important times in his fall. It's worth reading for that alone, but the Toney stuff is absolutley priceless.

This is one of my favorites.

[Jack Dempsey]

Recount a quick tale from that book for us.

He had a lot of good omens leading up to the Moorer Holyfield bout, whilst training Moorer he noticed a poster of Tyson on the wall that had his then record of 35-0, Moorer was 34-0 at this point, he took this as an omen, once in Vegas for the bout he put $100 down on number 35 on the roulette table and won $3500, he then put this on Moorer to win, when Moorer won he then collected his winnings ($10k) and got $100 coin and stuck that in a slot machine and won $2000!!!

He just knew he couldn't lose that day the omens were with him.

[Jack Dempsey]

Theres another great story in there of how he came this close to shooting Donny LaLonde in his apartment, but Donny was out, and as time wore on he realised it would be a huge mistake, but had Donny been in he would have killed him

[McGrain]

Theres another great story in there of how he came this close to shooting Donny LaLonde in his apartment, but Donny was out, and as time wore on he realised it would be a huge mistake, but had Donny been in he would have killed him


A serious man.

[Jack Dempsey]

A serious man.

He's a fucking badass:yep

[Bigcat]

Good Boxing literature..

The Black Lights.. Thomas Hauser..

Come out smoking .. Phil Pepe (biography to Joe Frazier 1972)

On Boxing .. Joyce Carol Oates.. more of a study Essay of fighters..

Fire and Fear .. Jose Torres. a kiss and tell all about Team Tyson..

Serenity ... by Ralph Wiley. EXCELLENT READ...

Blood Season ...... A full so called season of boxing showing comparrisons between aging Leon Spinks and rising contender come champion Mike Tyson.. Very clever book.....

Fight Town. A pictoral history of Boxing in Las Vegas... A must have coffee table book...... Full Colour are photographic book......... Fabulous..

Mamas Boy.. The newest biography of Lennox Lewis.. Far better than the old one...

The life and crimes of Don King... Jack Newfield. Very interesting indeed..

[My dinner with Conteh]

The life and crimes of Don King... Jack Newfield. Very interesting indeed..


Good call. Fascinating book about a total cunt. :good


One of my faves which is seldom mentioned is "Sting Like A Bee" by Jose Torres. I prefer it to most, if not all, Ali books. I also preferred Papa Jack to Unforgivable Blackness. The latter's a greater reference point of course but I liked the flow of the Randy Roberts effort.

[Lacyace]

Sonny Liston: Night Train would be my personal choice for the number one spot. The author takes an angle and runs with it but his window into that world is anything but narrow. You're taken into the different worlds of ownership that Sonny was exposed to - and what he exposed his fellow human to in return (or not). It less than stellar where the fights are concerned, but it's a really decent stab at unlocking Liston.

Sounds interesting. I might have to get this.

[The Morlocks]

name the best boxing books and why
"Papa Jack" and "Jack Dempsey: The Manassa Mauler"" were great reads. I also have Mickey Walker's autobio which is good. "Ultimate Tough Guy"" by Jim Carney about James J. Jeffries is GREAT. And I loved Skehan's "Rocky Marciano, BIOGRAPHY OF A FIRST SON". Maybe the best though is John Jarrett's "Gene Tunney: The Golden Guy Who Licked Jack Dempsey Twice". I thought it was worlds better than the bio "Tunney". It has some chapters on Greb that are just awesome and the book is unbelieveable.

[The Morlocks]

name the best boxing books and why
The one fighter I wish a good bio would be done on is Stanley Ketchel. After that, Victor Galindez and Carlos Monzon. One came out on Monzon years ago in spanish, but I don't speaky spanish.

[Cmoyle]

'No Man Stands Alone' by Barney Ross. Great read.

'Somebody Up There Likes Me' Rocky Graziano. One of my favorite reads

'Champions Off Guard' by william Inglis 1932. Interesting read and insights by a man who not only knew fighters like Fitzsimmons, Sullivan, Corbett, Dempsey, Tunney, etc. intimately, but sparred with a number of them.

'Wise Guy. James J. Johnston: A Rhapsody in Fistics' by Marcus Griffin. 1933. Interesting read about the long-time fight promoter/manager known as "The Boy Bandit".

'Flight of the Hawk' by Aaron Pryor. Another terrific read, I couldn't put this one down.

'The Roosevelt That I Know' by Mike Donovan. 1909. Great insights by the forrmer U.S. middleweight champ who knew John L. Sullivan, Kilrain, the original Jack Dempsey, and a host of others, as well as Theodore Roosevelt whom he sparred with frequently.

'Muldoon, The Solid Man of Sport' by Edward Van Every 1929

'The Fearless Harry Greb' by Bill Paxson

'Corner Men' by Fried. Good read.

'In the Days of Giants. Memories of a Champion of the Prize Ring' by William Doherty. 1931. Interesting read by the Australian heavyweight champion . Filled with anecdotes about men such as Bob Fitzsimmons, Kid McCoy,, Joe Goddard, Frank Slavin, and Peter Jackson among many others.

Those are just a few that quickly come to mind.

[SLAKKA]

"Corner Men - Great Bboxing Trainers" by Ronald K. Fried. It offers fascinating informations about trainers like Ray Arcel, Jack Blackburne and others.

[QUOTE=Duodenum;52432]I second this. A very enjoyable read. Fried illuminates Eddie Futch's brilliance.

Another vote for this great book!

[The Morlocks]

'No Man Stands Alone' by Barney Ross. Great read.

'Somebody Up There Likes Me' Rocky Graziano. One of my favorite reads

'Champions Off Guard' by william Inglis 1932. Interesting read and insights by a man who not only knew fighters like Fitzsimmons, Sullivan, Corbett, Dempsey, Tunney, etc. intimately, but sparred with a number of them.

'Wise Guy. James J. Johnston: A Rhapsody in Fistics' by Marcus Griffin. 1933. Interesting read about the long-time fight promoter/manager known as "The Boy Bandit".

'Flight of the Hawk' by Aaron Pryor. Another terrific read, I couldn't put this one down.

'The Roosevelt That I Know' by Mike Donovan. 1909. Great insights by the forrmer U.S. middleweight champ who knew John L. Sullivan, Kilrain, the original Jack Dempsey, and a host of others, as well as Theodore Roosevelt whom he sparred with frequently.

'Muldoon, The Solid Man of Sport' by Edward Van Every 1929

'The Fearless Harry Greb' by Bill Paxson

'Corner Men' by Fried. Good read.

'In the Days of Giants. Memories of a Champion of the Prize Ring' by William Doherty. 1931. Interesting read by the Australian heavyweight champion . Filled with anecdotes about men such as Bob Fitzsimmons, Kid McCoy,, Joe Goddard, Frank Slavin, and Peter Jackson among many others.

Those are just a few that quickly come to mind.
I never can find a cheap enough copy of "Somebody Up There Likes Me" on Amazon or elsewhere.

[choklab]

Sonny Liston: Night Train would be my personal choice for the number one spot. The author takes an angle and runs with it but his window into that world is anything but narrow. You're taken into the different worlds of ownership that Sonny was exposed to - and what he exposed his fellow human to in return (or not). It less than stellar where the fights are concerned, but it's a really decent stab at unlocking Liston.



I was disappointed with “night train”. I read it along time ago when it first came out and whilst the subject is interesting and the photos are good I have another liston book that is better. The main issue I had with it was that the author unchallenged a statement within it from somebody associated with the ibc saying that the marciano - moore fight was fixed so that marciano could retire unbeaten! I found this to be totally irresponsible and misleading for younger fans who could have accepted this as a fact. From that point on I couldn’t help suspecting the rest of information within listons story was not tainted by the authors opinion that the mob always decided who won title fights. I got the impresion the author was too obsessed on Liston being so thoroughly exploited and that he was prevented from fulfilling his potential as a long serving golden boy champion. I wanted the story first and to be able to decide for this myself. It rubbed me up the wrong way. It was well written but I am certain the author was not such a fan of profesional boxing as a sport.
The other liston book (sonny Liston his life strife and the phantom punch by rob steen) I have is not great but is worth it for the interview with valdes and marty marshal. Again this book runs away with the idea that without the influence of mobsters Liston may never ever have lost when in truth there would have been no opertunitys for him without the mob. The guy who wrote that book was a good sports writer but wrote books about too many other sports to be as much of an authority as I like authors of good boxing books to be.

[SLAKKA]

I never can find a cheap enough copy of "Somebody Up There Likes Me" on Amazon or elsewhere.

snag it from the library

[natonic]

'The Sweet Science' - AJ Liebling. One of the best boxing books ever, true literature.

'The Fight' - Norman Mailer. This is a love it or hate it book. My first love in boxing books. Captures a continent, a time (the 70's), and two fighters (Ali, Foreman). Brilliant IMO.

[Cmoyle]

If you're just looking for a reading copy I've got the following hardcover available on my website:
Graziano, Rocky 'Somebody Up There Likes Me' 1955 1st edition. Front hingle loosening, covers are worn and fraying at spine with a 1" tear along the rear of the spine. Clean and straight though and a terrific read. $20
$24 including shipping in the U.S., $33.45 overseas.

[johnmaff36]

Durans book 'Hands of stone' From 3 or 4 yrs back is a fantastic read. Boy did he have it tough!
'Four Kings' is another recent-ish book thats a good read with a few stories i hadnt heard of before-always a plus
Have a soft spot for 'The Greatest' by richard durham as it was the first boxing book i read, in fact it was the first book that i read that i wasnt shouted at by a teacher to read.
Have to get my hands on that don king book 'The life and crimes....', ive been busting to read that for a while

[RockysSplitNose]

Best boxing book I've ever read by a country mile is "BOXING'S MISTER PRESIDENT - The Story Of The World Heavyweight CHampionship" by Bill Beadle, I got it from an old shop in London (which has sadly closed down now - it was called sports pages - it was the only one they had - and I have never never seen it anywhere before or since and nobody I know has ever seen or heard of it - an amazing book - would love to hear if anyone else has read it - it really is a brilliant book - and an absolute must have for any boxing fan or historian - first published in 1997 by Wat Tyler Book accordingh to the inlay and printed by Redwoood books.

[nip102]

dundee's book is good

[choklab]

my best book is "in this corner" by peter heller. Its the one i go back to most of all. it is interviews with 40 living world champions in 1972 each one is good. including Louis,robinson, Moore, pep, dempsey, patterson, ali, gunboat smith, mickey walker, lamotta, fulmer, graziano, armstrong, pender, sharkey, braddock, zivick, billy conn and many more. it is a super super book.

[brucebufershair]

Theres another great story in there of how he came this close to shooting Donny LaLonde in his apartment, but Donny was out, and as time wore on he realised it would be a huge mistake, but had Donny been in he would have killed him
Does it have the storey about he had tyson at gun point in the ring all night in the Catskills because Tyson groped his neice or his cousin

[brando18b4h]

A flame of pure fire, Jack Dempsey and the roaring
20's.

Come out smokin, the story of Joe Frazier.

Hands of stone.

[PetethePrince]

The first boxing book I ever read was in Middle School and it was the Brown Bomber. Not the best book, but very simple and to the point.

[john garfield]

No love for what Hemingway called the best boxing novel he ever read, W.C. Heinz's THE PROFESSIONAL?

[Cmoyle]

Yep, if you like fiction I thought 'The Professional' was a very good read.

[swede_dreams]

"The gloves" by Mark Anasi.
It gives a raw,realistic view of the amateur scene in us and the golden gloves tournament.
I also like "100 greatest fighters" by Bert Sugar.

[john garfield]

Yep, if you like fiction I thought 'The Professional' was a very good read.

It wasn't so much fiction, cm. They were thinly-veiled real fighters.

[Cmoyle]

"It wasn't so much fiction, cm. They were thinly-veiled real fighters. "

Yes, that's true, I'm aware that the central characters were said to be based on the well-known fight manager Jack Hurley and his fighter Harry "Kid" Matthews. I didn't mean to take a shot at the the book by referring to it as fiction.

[john garfield]

"It wasn't so much fiction, cm. They were thinly-veiled real fighters. "

Yes, that's true, I'm aware that the central characters were said to be based on the well-known fight manager Jack Hurley and his fighter Harry "Kid" Matthews. I didn't mean to take a shot at the the book by referring to it as fiction.

I know you didn't, C. Hurley was the prototype for Doc, but Billy Graham was the Eddie Brown character, not Matthews.

[Cmoyle]

Ahh, that's right, Billy Graham, of course your right, I forgot about that.

[Stevie G]

Good call. Fascinating book about a total cunt. :good


One of my faves which is seldom mentioned is "Sting Like A Bee" by Jose Torres. I prefer it to most, if not all, Ali books. I also preferred Papa Jack to Unforgivable Blackness. The latter's a greater reference point of course but I liked the flow of the Randy Roberts effort.
Sting Like A Bee was the first book on Ali (and boxing) that I ever read. Very good. Torres was an excellent writer.

[Stevie G]

McIlvanney On Boxing by the Scottish journalist Hugh McIlvanney. Covers nbouts between the sixties and nineties. Very well written.

[Stevie G]

At the other end of the scale,Ray Leonard's biography was terrible. It was nothing more than a glorified diary chronicling Leonard's fights,retirements and comebacks. No anecdotes or insights into what made Ray tick. Nothing about his opinion of the world.

[mcvey]

No love for what Hemingway called the best boxing novel he ever read, W.C. Heinz's THE PROFESSIONAL?

The best fictional boxing novel ever imo.:good
Any articles by Heinz are great.
In This Corner
The Sweet Science
Papa Jack
Jack Dempsey. Both By Randy Roberts
The Black Lights
Shadow Box
Anything by Mcillvanney
Jacobs Beach

[Stevie G]

Another good one on Ali was by Wilfred Sheed. Written in 1975. Anyone remember it ? The recent one on Roberto Duran was very informative.

[Paradox]

Dark Trade. This is the best book i've read about modern boxing. This guy gets Tyson at the crux of so many of the most important times in his fall. It's worth reading for that alone, but the Toney stuff is absolutley priceless.

Just started reading this at work

Loved the introduction

felt like I was in South Africa, with Cassius, Samson and Naude

I actually bought the book after seeing this thread

so Mcgrain, I thank you. :good

[Raggamuffin]

The life of Battling Siki. A fascinating insite in not only the life of this fighter but also a look lif in general in that era. Abducted from his homeland Senegal as a child,
being a WW1 warhero only to return to racsism. Living happily in the Netherlands with his dutch wife but never capable of living at peace. Defeating Carpentier for the title against all the odds an finally being gunned down in the back in New York

[thistle1]

one of the best I have ever read, not just your usual boxing book.

But a real Human Interest Story very visual, informative and alive with period flavour and feel. This is among the Top 10 for me, and I've read about 70 odd!

Gilroy was here! - [Only registered and activated users can see links]

[red cobra]

The Gene Tunney biography by Jack Cavanaugh was quite good. The autobiography of Vicki LaMotta (with Thomas Hauser) was excellent. The Two Ton Tony Galento book was weak.
I'd love to find that one. Tunney fascinates me.

[Saintpat]

The Sweet Science, a collection of essays on boxing by A.J. Liebling

A bit of classic Liebling wit, from "Ahab and Nemesis," his treatise on Marciano-Moore:

Some of the reporters, describing the blow in the morning papers, called it a “sneak punch,” which is journalese for one the reporter didn’t see but technically means a lead thrown before the other man has warmed up or while he is musing about the gate receipts.

[duranimal]

EMPIRE of DECEIT is a absolute must read by Dean Allison & Bruce B. Henderson.(FBI Agents who broke the case)

It's back in 81 & for those of us who where around at that time try & recall HAROLD SMITH & M.A.P.S. Muhammad Ali Proffesional Sports where Howard Smith managed to de-fraud Well's fargo bank out of $20+ million & use it to take over boxing & he nearly succeded as he was just a few weeks away from putting on a massive extravaganza that would have seen every WBA/WBC champion face off for the Undisputed Title's over a weekend starting with MSG on a Saturday & Caesars Palace on the sunday & to be shown globally.

Harold Smith would have been able to repay the $21Million & take over boxing compleatly as he's signed every champion up. But it collapsed due to a new clerk employed at the very botton of the bank system. It's a brilliant rollercoaster of a read & the next time i bump into Jim Watt i'll ask him "Was it true Jim that you & Mickey Duff were handed $1/2 million in a rucksack:hey:lol:

Published by DOUBLEDAY & COMPANY, INC, Garden City, NY 1985.

I managed to find a copy on ebay:yep

[oli]

PM me or post a review when you're done, let me know what you think.

I read night train about 10 years ago.

Superb book. Fascinating story I loved it:good

I borrowed it to my prick of an uncle and he lost it :twisted:

[The Pup]

Great info guys... Off to the library ;)

[steve w]

I love them all, but a favourite is "black lights".

[mochabuzz]

Larry Holmes' book is gr8! Very interesting. Larry & his typical opinions (which I like)

[doug.ie]

joe louis's autobiography is one of the most enjoyable books i ever read....it is written in exactly the same way as joe would speak so you end up almost feeling like you are sat at a bar for a few hours with joe beside you telling you these great stories from his life....and it is warts and all...what was happening inside and outside the ring...porn star girlfriend, drugs, how he fell out of love with boxing but had to continue defending his title when he couldnt get his head or heart into it...
its worth a read by any fan of his.

[thistle1]

2 hrs to go...

[Only registered and activated users can see links]

[Joe Dempsey]

Why is Rocky Graziano's book so dear? It's over $100 on Amazon. Same with Aaron Pryor's book thats about $80 odd.

[Vsec]

My View From The Corner - Angelo Dundee. Dundee's writing is full of life and he can be pretty funny.

King of the World - David Reminick. An Ali book but it also has some chapters on Patterson and Liston that are just fascinating.

[Bonavena25]

At the other end of the scale,Ray Leonard's biography was terrible. It was nothing more than a glorified diary chronicling Leonard's fights,retirements and comebacks. No anecdotes or insights into what made Ray tick. Nothing about his opinion of the world.

:fire

Darn, I've just ordered it. Is it really that bad? Does he at least talk about the fights in a tactical sense?

[ecto55]

EMPIRE of DECEIT is a absolute must read by Dean Allison & Bruce B. Henderson.(FBI Agents who broke the case)

It's back in 81 & for those of us who where around at that time try & recall HAROLD SMITH & M.A.P.S. Muhammad Ali Proffesional Sports where Howard Smith managed to de-fraud Well's fargo bank out of $20+ million & use it to take over boxing & he nearly succeded as he was just a few weeks away from putting on a massive extravaganza that would have seen every WBA/WBC champion face off for the Undisputed Title's over a weekend starting with MSG on a Saturday & Caesars Palace on the sunday & to be shown globally.

Harold Smith would have been able to repay the $21Million & take over boxing compleatly as he's signed every champion up. But it collapsed due to a new clerk employed at the very botton of the bank system. It's a brilliant rollercoaster of a read & the next time i bump into Jim Watt i'll ask him "Was it true Jim that you & Mickey Duff were handed $1/2 million in a rucksack:hey:lol:

Published by DOUBLEDAY & COMPANY, INC, Garden City, NY 1985.

I managed to find a copy on ebay:yep


I second this, Howard Smith was a complete lunatic...and if the book has its facts right (and it seems very well researched) Smith and crew weren't far away from monopolising most of boxing's champs into MAPS contracts. He was throwing so much stolen cash at these guys that many couldn't say no, he almost snagged Holmes who was prudent enough to take a 'wait and see' approach. A good read, might be enjoyable with Newfields' Don King biography.

My problem with Toches 'Night Train' on Liston was that there was, as McGrain said earlier, few descriptions about Sonny's fights. For me thats frustrating, especially re. the early ones where a researcher/writer doubtless comes across information on them and elects not to write about it. That said, everything else from Liston's mob connections to his penis size is explored by Toches.

Fried's 'Corner Men' is awesome, 'Ageless Warrior' on Archie Moore is okay, I liked 'Mike Tyson: Money, Myth and Betrayal' by M.Illingworth for its objective insights into early Tyson's world- in fact I'm expecting a copy in the next month or so. Atlas' autobiography is very entertaining, and if your good at searching on the internet pdf's can be found for free.

I borrowed 'Fat City' from my local library after it was recommended, I'm a pretty literal guy so mabye I didn't take to it (or fiction generally) for that reason. It described the gym's and scenes very well, but the narratives apperent aimlessness meant I didn't get past a quarter through it. Mabye I should try again...it is critically acclaimed.

[pong]

EMPIRE of DECEIT is a absolute must read by Dean Allison & Bruce B. Henderson.(FBI Agents who broke the case)

It's back in 81 & for those of us who where around at that time try & recall HAROLD SMITH & M.A.P.S. Muhammad Ali Proffesional Sports where Howard Smith managed to de-fraud Well's fargo bank out of $20+ million & use it to take over boxing & he nearly succeded as he was just a few weeks away from putting on a massive extravaganza that would have seen every WBA/WBC champion face off for the Undisputed Title's over a weekend starting with MSG on a Saturday & Caesars Palace on the sunday & to be shown globally.

Harold Smith would have been able to repay the $21Million & take over boxing compleatly as he's signed every champion up. But it collapsed due to a new clerk employed at the very botton of the bank system. It's a brilliant rollercoaster of a read & the next time i bump into Jim Watt i'll ask him "Was it true Jim that you & Mickey Duff were handed $1/2 million in a rucksack:hey:lol:

Published by DOUBLEDAY & COMPANY, INC, Garden City, NY 1985.

I managed to find a copy on ebay:yep
:shock:how i never heard of this incident

[Robbi]

[Only registered and activated users can see links]

Anyone read this book?

[Robbi]

????

[jdempsey85]

Why is Rocky Graziano's book so dear? It's over $100 on Amazon. Same with Aaron Pryor's book thats about $80 odd.

had a paperback graziano book off ebay for £8.00 which included shipping to the uk.

Bargain

[HairyHighlander]

Sonny Liston: Night Train would be my personal choice for the number one spot. The author takes an angle and runs with it but his window into that world is anything but narrow. You're taken into the different worlds of ownership that Sonny was exposed to - and what he exposed his fellow human to in return (or not). It less than stellar where the fights are concerned, but it's a really decent stab at unlocking Liston.

Charley Burley and the Black Murderers Row. Shed's loads of interesting light on a crew of fighters that you wouldn't normally run across. Lovingly written but not slavishly so.

I need these :deal

Jack Johnson: Unforgivable Blackness. Brilliant, thorough, takes no shit. Presents the evidence and allows you to draw your own conclusion. This is a monster book, probably a must read for boxing fans.

Dark Trade. This is the best book i've read about modern boxing. This guy gets Tyson at the crux of so many of the most important times in his fall. It's worth reading for that alone, but the Toney stuff is absolutley priceless.

Great words, both are awesome :smoke

"Corner Men - Great Bboxing Trainers" by Ronald K. Fried. It offers fascinating informations about trainers like Ray Arcel, Jack Blackburne and others.

Another awesome book :good

My View From The Corner - Angelo Dundee. Dundee's writing is full of life and he can be pretty funny.


As is this :deal

I'm just finishing up Teddy Atlas's book, its a great read, full of incidents

Top book also :good



Was gonna name a few but i wont stop......not that i have that many.......just that i will remind myself of how unhappy Ken Buchanans book made me.

swim eat spar fight shit spar eat train fight win eat swim fight spar deep breathe fight eat spar win sore nuts spar eat win sore nuts spar train ROBERTO DURAN !!!

Just deciding on what to start......The Killings of Stanley Ketchel or Johnny Tapia's Mi Vida Loca :think


PS. John Duncans In The Red Corner is a brilliant book !!!

[smitty78]

Anyone got some feedback on smokin Joe's autobiography? Also which Dempsey book would you say is the best and most accurate?

[TBooze]

I

PS. John Duncans In The Red Corner is a brilliant book !!!

I agree.

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Peter Benson's Siki book is a challenging but rewarding read too.

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[john garfield]

Best boxing novel's W.C. Heinz's THE PROFESSIONAL. Eddie Brown, the lead character, is a thinly-veiled Billy Graham, a U.S. welter in the '40s, a picture boxer with an iron chin.

[johnmaff36]

Has anyone read 'Jacobs Garden'? Thoughts?

Ive just got it yesterday and it looks promising.

[MAG1965]

this thread is back to 2007. I probably commented on it. Four Kings was great. I wish there were more books written by fighters about their experience and how they felt before big fights. The problem is nowadays the great fighters have to build up the other guys they fought because that is their legacy, so they might not be as truthful. And they usually build friendships with their contemporaries because of the shared experience.

[mcvey]

Has anyone read 'Jacobs Garden'? Thoughts?

Ive just got it yesterday and it looks promising.
Jacob's Beach? Ive got it ,excellent:good

Anything by Heinz, Liebling,McIllvanney,Heller, is also fine.

[johnmaff36]

Jacob's Beach? Ive got it ,excellent:good

Anything by Heinz, Liebling,McIllvanney,Heller, is also fine.
Of course you are right, 'Jacobs beach' i meant to say. Got mixed up with MSG there.

Im about to get stuck into it tonight

[jdempsey85]

Of course you are right, 'Jacobs beach' i meant to say. Got mixed up with MSG there.

Im about to get stuck into it tonight


Great book.Yet another story of Jackie Gleason picking a fight with a former champ.

Best book's ive read has to be rocky grazianos+jake Lamottas

A pure flame of fire (jack Dempsey)gets a load of stick but i loved it

[Robbi]

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Meant to be a very good book. Same author of Duran's "Hands of stone" book.

Review: [Only registered and activated users can see links]

[Ricky42791]

Jack Dempsey A flame of pure fire by roger kahn as well as his autobiography simply titled "Dempsey" i found to be great reads

[robert ungurean]

Anyone got some feedback on smokin Joe's autobiography? Also which Dempsey book would you say is the best and most accurate?
Fraziers book is great...I have all books on Dempsey the best being the Flame of pure fire.
I have most of the boxing bio's out there.
Some of the ones that I liked alot are Nigel Benns book...McGuigans...Quarry bio.
The worst is Aaron Pryors book.

[smitty78]

Why is Pryor's book bad?

[BeerGut]

Some of the ones that I liked alot are Nigel Benns book...McGuigans...Quarry bio.


I thought Quarry's was one of the worst biographies I've ever read. :nut

[Cmoyle]

I loved Pryor's book, thought it was a fascinating read.

[fists of fury]

[Only registered and activated users can see links]

Meant to be a very good book. Same author of Duran's "Hands of stone" book.

Review: [Only registered and activated users can see links]

Got it on order as we speak...