Boxing Book Reviews

First topic message reminder :

Mentioned this on a thread the other day that it would be nice if posters who enjoyed reading about the sport could post reviews of books they have read be they positive or negative and hopefully we will be able to build up a decent library of reviews we can use to inform future purchases. As someone who buys a lot of books I will offer a couple to get the ball rolling and hopefully a few others can follow suit, here’s hoping it catches on.

Sam Langford – Boxing’s greatest uncrowned champion – Clay Moyle

Before reading Moyle’s book I’ll be honest my knowledge of Langford was limited. Often saw his name and achievements spoken of with hushed reverence on various websites but probably always harboured the suspicion he was one of those names people throw out to look cool and knowledgeable, like Harry Greb who we now all know did not actually exist. However on the back of reading this outstanding book about Sam I am absolutely convinced he deserves every bit of the esteem he is often afforded. For those unfamiliar with Sam’s story although he stood little more than 5ft 7 he fought anyone and everyone between the lightweight and heavy and his record reads as a who’s who of the era containing as it does names like Gans, Walcott, Ketchel and Johnson as long as multiple battles at heavy with guys like Jeannette, Wills and McVea, despite the fact all of these last few guys held significant size and weight advantages over him.

Moyle has done a truly outstanding job in telling Sam’s story. In my experience of reading a lot about the old timers one of the common pitfalls authors fall into is, through the sheer volume of fights these guys had is writing books that read as little more than lists. The great strength of this book is Moyle avoids the text becoming too dry by offering a flavour of Sam’s personality outside the ring and serving up some genuinely amusing anecdotes which serve to portray Sam as a genuinely likeable guy, which only serves to make his failure to secure the title shots his talent surely deserved all the more heartbreaking.

Moyle covers all the major fights and rivalries in Sam’s life such as Gans, Walcott and Ketchel in admirable detail and provides valuable background to these fights which gives the fights a context otherwise lacking from the raw results. Moyle also gives detailed coverage and analysis of Sam’s long running but ultimately futile attempts to secure a title shot with heavyweight champion Jack Johnson which, for me certainly provided me with a fresh perspective on why this fight failed to come off.

I really cannot recommend Clay’s book highly enough; it is superbly written, well illustrated and exhaustively researched. For anyone with an interest in old time fighters or just wanting to know more about one of the most remarkable fighters to ever step through the ropes Moyle’s book is nigh on essential.

The Life and Crimes of Don King – Jack Newfield

As one of the most colourful and larger than life characters to ever (dis)grace the sport of boxing it is almost impossible to not have an opinion on Don King. He has led a life that truly deserves the tagline that you could not make it up. Don started out as a numbers czar in his native Cleveland before killing a man who owed him money, a crime he was jailed for. On his release Don, through his friendship with musician Lloyd Price, gained an introduction to Muhammad Ali and within a matter of years he had risen from freshly released convict to the premier boxing promoter in the world.

Whilst Don’s rise to prominence was truly remarkable, some of the measures he took to achieve this rise were equally as remarkable and in telling the story of that rise Newfield does not shy away from showing Don’s not inconsiderable dark side it all its questionable glory. It is all here, his ripping off of Holmes, his rigged ABC tournament, his under the table deals with Apartheid era South Africa, his exploitation of Mike Tyson and his part in putting together some of the biggest matches in boxing history.

Despite all the gory details of Don’s less than ethical business practices Newfield balances this with being willing to give credit where it is due. He acknowledges that few, if any can out negotiate or out work Don and when one considers Don listened to the first Ali Frazier fight in prison and co-promoted the third you cannot help but agree that whatever his myriad faults Don is obviously a truly remarkable promoter, and it would be naive and not more than a little inaccurate to suggest that prior to King’s emergence boxing was free from corruption as quite clearly it wasn’t.

Overall for anyone with a history in the heavyweight division of the last 40 years or who has asked themselves the question “why do so many great fighters end up skint?” Newfield’s book should serve to offer up some answers. Don, perhaps inevitably does not come out of it smelling of roses but is still a fascinating portrait of a fascinating character.

I don't jeff, but will keep an eye out for the new master.... armed with Chambers and a thesaurus.

The Galveston Giant wrote:

magicratbooks wrote:Hi All
Thanks for the chat about our Tom Sharkey biography, I Fought Them All.
The tomsharkey.blogspot.com address below is our website so please use it if you wish to buy the book.
Any problems please feel free to email us
magic.rat.books@googlemail.com
Thanks
Greg & Moira

The Galveston Giant wrote:

Scottrf wrote:Can't access them but try these links Galveston:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=140478220098

http://tomsharkey.blogspot.com/p/buy-i-fought-them-all.html

If no luck, email magic.rat.books@googlemail.com

Hi all, just let you know that i have succesfully purchased the Tom Sharkey book 'I fought them all', from the blogspot on the above link. Both links to purchase, and the email address, are directly linked to the authors, and each copy comes hand signed. The book was sent out right away and took about 5 days to arrive, i'm sure there is only going to be one run of these books so i would advise anyone interested to purchase soon. They have asked me to send them a copy/link when i write a review about the book on here, which i will do after finishing the book. Thanks GG.

Hi Greg & Moira, great to see you found the forum. I have been ill the past couple of weeks so am only half way through the book at the moment, but will start it up again real soon. I've not managed to get on this forum much recently either and have only just seen your post. I'm very impressed with the book so far and really enjoyed the Sharkey/Fitzsimmons/Earp section. I look forward to starting it again and will be sure to let you know what i think once finished, thanks, Galveston Giant.

Hiya GG
Did you finish our Tom Sharkey biography?

So glad you enjoyed the Earp/Fitzsimmons section as it took a great deal of research.

It's interesting how Tom became a forgotten man in Ireland. We went to his hometown Dundalk during our research and there is virtually nothing there to remember him. Only one pub - in the street he was born - keeps alive his memory.

Greg and Moira

I'm generally a fan of McIlvanney, but milkyboy is right, he seldom wears his learning lightly. He also used to have this faintly amusing tic, on display at various points of "McIlvanney on Boxing", and indeed, "McIlvanney on Horseracing" of comparing almost everyone or everything in some way to the "Red Army" (the Scottish nation, Jim Watt, George Foreman and Red Rum spring to mind), which must have made the demise of the Soviet Union a bit galling for him.

On the whole, though, he's been a persistent thorn in the side of those who deserve it and an admirable chronicler of great people and deeds. I wish he'd extend that fearlessness to his writings on Alex Ferguson, which can approach embarrassingly sycophantic levels at times.

magicratbooks wrote:

The Galveston Giant wrote:

magicratbooks wrote:Hi All
Thanks for the chat about our Tom Sharkey biography, I Fought Them All.
The tomsharkey.blogspot.com address below is our website so please use it if you wish to buy the book.
Any problems please feel free to email us
magic.rat.books@googlemail.com
Thanks
Greg & Moira

The Galveston Giant wrote:

Scottrf wrote:Can't access them but try these links Galveston:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=140478220098

http://tomsharkey.blogspot.com/p/buy-i-fought-them-all.html

If no luck, email magic.rat.books@googlemail.com

Hi all, just let you know that i have succesfully purchased the Tom Sharkey book 'I fought them all', from the blogspot on the above link. Both links to purchase, and the email address, are directly linked to the authors, and each copy comes hand signed. The book was sent out right away and took about 5 days to arrive, i'm sure there is only going to be one run of these books so i would advise anyone interested to purchase soon. They have asked me to send them a copy/link when i write a review about the book on here, which i will do after finishing the book. Thanks GG.

Hi Greg & Moira, great to see you found the forum. I have been ill the past couple of weeks so am only half way through the book at the moment, but will start it up again real soon. I've not managed to get on this forum much recently either and have only just seen your post. I'm very impressed with the book so far and really enjoyed the Sharkey/Fitzsimmons/Earp section. I look forward to starting it again and will be sure to let you know what i think once finished, thanks, Galveston Giant.

Hiya GG
Did you finish our Tom Sharkey biography?

So glad you enjoyed the Earp/Fitzsimmons section as it took a great deal of research.

It's interesting how Tom became a forgotten man in Ireland. We went to his hometown Dundalk during our research and there is virtually nothing there to remember him. Only one pub - in the street he was born - keeps alive his memory.

Greg and Moira

Hi Greg and Moira, Sorry about the hold up, just started reading again a few nights ago and i'm just past Sharkey's second fight with Jefferies, loving it so far. I liked how they were kept informed of his progress back in Ireland, and how varied the Newspaper reports were between there and parts of America, which was common for the day depending on where their interests lay. It's a shame to see only the one memorial in Dundalk, but what a fine memorial it is. Shame that his original cottage is no longer standing either. I look forward to reading more and was pleased to see Tim 'Dry Dollar Sullivan make an appereance, i believe he features more further on in the book with Sharkey, i love New York's Five Points District from back in the day and have a book i have yet to read on it. Great book so far, will let you know what i think soon, thanks again, GG.

Looking for a book on John L Sullivan. Any recommendations? Seen a few online not sure which one to buy.

Adam Pollack's probably PBK, not read it myself though.

Scottrf wrote:Adam Pollack's probably PBK, not read it myself though.

Probably the best one Kev.

Kev I have read the Pollack book it is excellent, as all his books are. Should warn you though that they are not cheap and also they cover virtually nothing about their subjects life outside the ring. However if you want details on their training camps and fights the detail in the books is staggering and a world apart from pretty much anything else out there.

Has anybody read "The Killings of Stanley Ketchel"?

No but I own it.

John I have, is a decent read but you should bear in mind it is a work of fiction. However to the best of my knowledge there is not a decent Ketchel biography on the market so until there is the Killings will do because it mixes fact with fiction so you do come out of it knowing more about him than you did when you went in, is also a well told story so is worth it for me.

John Bloody Wayne wrote:Has anybody read "The Killings of Stanley Ketchel"?

Fancy that one myself

Interesting, thanks for the response. Seems odd having a semi fictional book about a real man. Sounds worth the read all the same.

prettyboykev wrote:Looking for a book on John L Sullivan. Any recommendations? Seen a few online not sure which one to buy.

I wrote a review of a Sullivan book further up the thread Kev if you want to have a scan. It's an excellent book (less said about my review the better) and far cheaper than the Pollack will be. Easy to get on the usual websites, can really recommend it if you want somewhere to start with John L.

rowley wrote:Kev I have read the Pollack book it is excellent, as all his books are. Should warn you though that they are not cheap and also they cover virtually nothing about their subjects life outside the ring. However if you want details on their training camps and fights the detail in the books is staggering and a world apart from pretty much anything else out there.

You're not kidding £30 and that's used off amazon. I've ordered it now. Cheers

Kev I have four out of five of his books, is far from cheap being a Pollack fan, his books are terrific though, if you buy them all wait until you get to Jeffries, nigh on 700 pages. Didn't read anything so bleeding big in three years of Uni

rowley wrote:Kev I have four out of five of his books, is far from cheap being a Pollack fan, his books are terrific though, if you buy them all wait until you get to Jeffries, nigh on 700 pages. Didn't read anything so bleeding big in three years of Uni

I seen that and was thinking of ordering it. I will wait until I've read the John L book first.

Kev if you enjoy the Sullivan book would definitely recommend reading them in order as they overlap so elements of Corbett's career is covered in the Fitz book, elements of Fitz is covered in the Hart book and so on and so on so they definitely read better and make a little more sense if done in order.

Mind the windows Tino. wrote:

prettyboykev wrote:Looking for a book on John L Sullivan. Any recommendations? Seen a few online not sure which one to buy.

I wrote a review of a Sullivan book further up the thread Kev if you want to have a scan. It's an excellent book (less said about my review the better) and far cheaper than the Pollack will be. Easy to get on the usual websites, can really recommend it if you want somewhere to start with John L.

Your review was good, you sold it to me. Then again I paid £15 for Haye-Harrison last year. It will be arriving tomorrow. My knowledge of John L is shocking and scouring the internet their is so much stuff I find it hard to know what to believe.

prettyboykev wrote:

Mind the windows Tino. wrote:

prettyboykev wrote:Looking for a book on John L Sullivan. Any recommendations? Seen a few online not sure which one to buy.

I wrote a review of a Sullivan book further up the thread Kev if you want to have a scan. It's an excellent book (less said about my review the better) and far cheaper than the Pollack will be. Easy to get on the usual websites, can really recommend it if you want somewhere to start with John L.

Your review was good, you sold it to me. Then again I paid £15 for Haye-Harrison last year. It will be arriving tomorrow. My knowledge of John L is shocking and scouring the internet their is so much stuff I find it hard to know what to believe.

I really hope you enjoy it. You will have to let us know what you think. One thing I guess it has over the Pollack books, which I haven't read by the way, is it gives background to Sullivan's life outside the ring. Combining the two will give you a great insight to the man.

rowley wrote:Kev if you enjoy the Sullivan book would definitely recommend reading them in order as they overlap so elements of Corbett's career is covered in the Fitz book, elements of Fitz is covered in the Hart book and so on and so on so they definitely read better and make a little more sense if done in order.

Couldn't find the Corbett one on Amazon just ordered the Hart, Fitz and Jeffries ones. Set me back £110 for the 3 of them. Looks like toast and beans for dinner tonight!

Kev the Corbett book is available through Lulu.com. If you want to get it and are struggling let me know because I have Adam's email address somewhere so will be able to find out where to get it from. Alternatively drop Clay Moyle a PM as he is friends with Adam so will be able to put you in touch with him.

Just found it on amazon for some reason it wasn't listed under his books. Cheapest of the 5 at £28 .
I've read many reviews of Pollacks work and they were all very complimentary. I'm done for today £190 in cold hard cash been lost this morning and it's only half 9.

Given that the average Scots reputation for frugality with money rivals even us Yorkshire men I can only imagine your pain at the minute.

Kev i'm impressed, i'm coming round, is it beans and toast for dinner too? You've started yourself a fine collection there.
I've got only the Jefferies one so far. It's a beast, that's for sure.

GG they are all excellent to be honest. The Hart book is excellent, is often one of the more maligned and forgotten of the heavies and whilst I am certainly not going to be making a case for him as an all time great any time soon the book certainly gives an impression of a brave and tough fighter who is a little better, particularly at light heavy than history would have you believe.

I'm so pleased he's continuing with the books Rowley and i'm looking forward to the Burns one too, both him and Hart don't get much limelight and great to see they haven't been left out, it's not easy trying to find out a lot about them and i'm sure Pollack's got it covered. Judging by the Jefferies book, i expect the Johnson one to be huge, really looking forward to all their releases and i'm going to try and add another to my collection before Burns is released.

The Galveston Giant wrote:Kev i'm impressed, i'm coming round, is it beans and toast for dinner too? You've started yourself a fine collection there.
I've got only the Jefferies one so far. It's a beast, that's for sure.

It's bring your own beans night mate.
Looking forward to getting started on them. Read a few reviews of Pollacks work and they were all full of praise. Trying to explain to the wife why I spent £190 on 6 books this morning was a task though.

I don't envy you Kev have had to be at my charming best to persuade the missus to let me part with £30 for the Joe Gans book this month, not sure even I have the charm to swing £190

£190 can be worked out. My wife loves to shop shoes, bags and all that rubbish. Wouldn't even cover an outfit for her never mind the cost of her drink when she's on a night out. I don't drink so I can always use that excuse as to why I have £190 for books.

If all else fails my Mum has a spare room.

The cost of her drink? Buckfast must have gone up in price of late.

Haha not sure how much the charge for that particular tipple. With inflation today it must be about £8 a bottle. I'll need to ask my brother he drinks it, I've tried it tastes like cough syrup.
I read somewhere that it was the most popular selling drink in Scotland last year with the exception of beer.

prettyboykev wrote:

The Galveston Giant wrote:Kev i'm impressed, i'm coming round, is it beans and toast for dinner too? You've started yourself a fine collection there.
I've got only the Jefferies one so far. It's a beast, that's for sure.

It's bring your own beans night mate.
Looking forward to getting started on them. Read a few reviews of Pollacks work and they were all full of praise. Trying to explain to the wife why I spent £190 on 6 books this morning was a task though.

I'm sure it was mate

Hi all,

I noticed a fair bit of interest in old-time boxing on this forum, so thought I'd post some details on a book I've recently written and published.

All the best,

Alex

---

Nipper: The Amazing Story of Boxing's Wonderboy

Spoiler:

Overview

Hardback, 330 pages
Price: £15.99 + postage

A biography of boxing Wonderboy Nipper Pat Daly, exploring his ring career and life, and the times in which he boxed.

With rare photos, detailed fight analysis, and extracts from Nipper Pat's previously unpublished memoirs, the book resurrects the extraordinary times of an extraordinary boxer, and offers a great insight into the boxing world of the 1920s and '30s.

Read a free sample

http://nipperpatdaly.co.uk/nipperbooksample.pdf

Order your copy

http://nipperpatdaly.co.uk/nipperboxingbook.html

Synopsis

They called him brilliant – the greatest since Driscoll and Wilde; an assured future world champion and a potential all-time great. Nipper Pat Daly, who made his professional debut aged just nine, was a boxing prodigy so precociously gifted that he beat the cream of Europe's boxing talent while still in his mid-teens.

Fans across Britain clamoured to see him fight and sat agog at his uncanny skill, dazzling speed and boundless courage. He topped bills nationwide week-in and week-out, conceding age and strength to full-grown men yet outclassing everyone put before him. By 16 he had beaten several champions, was ranked in the world's top 10 and seemed on the brink of a world title. But incredibly, at 17 he reluctantly retired from the sport he loved, leaving sportswriters and fans to ponder just how great he would have been if he had reached his full potential.

Diligently researched and retold in vivid style, this book resurrects the career and life of one of boxing's most amazing performers, piecing together his unique career in order to understand how such a great talent could vanish so suddenly. Taking us on a journey through a lost world of smoky fight halls, colourful characters and courageous men, this is the story of an incredible boxer and his incredible times.

Media Reviews

"A riveting and thought-provoking book."
- Colin Hart, The Sun
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/boxing/3515239/Nippers-amazing-but-sad-ring-tale.html

"A truly remarkable story, even by boxing's remarkable standards… It's a brilliant book, a sensational book."
- Steve Bunce, BBC London radio

"I was extremely impressed by the quality of the writing... I would recommend this book to anyone interested in boxing between the wars."
- Miles Templeton, Britain's leading boxing historian, The Old-Timer magazine

"A compelling biography which has been well researched. It is, in essence, a “Fistic Feast”... The book is a lovely example of how an ancestor’s biography should be written. It captures the spirit of the times, and gives an insight into how the working classes found entertainment up to the First World War, and during the inter-war depression... this book is an enjoyable read which provides a social statement of the Nipper’s world and times."
- Richard M. Brown, ffhs.org.uk

YouTube

The author of 'Nipper' on Roy Noble's BBC Radio Wales show

The author of 'Nipper' on Steve Bunce's BBC London radio show

Steve Bunce reviews the Nipper Pat Daly book

Nipper Pat's fight record:

http://boxrec.com/list_bouts.php?human_id=103423&cat=boxer

I've heard nothing but rave reviews from people who have read the book. It is on my shopping list.

I've read the first chapter and a few other bits about Daly, certainly a very interesting story.

Cheers for this, am sure I am not alone in fancying this one as like most I have read good things, dare say though this will be moved into the reviews section at some point

Babyface Goes to Hollywood – Andrew Gallimore

Having read Gallimore’s previous two books on Freddie Welsh and Mike McTigue I was very excited to read his latest work on one of the more overlooked all time greats, Jimmy McLarnin and have to say this book does not disappoint.

Born in Northern Ireland Jimmy’s family moved to Canada at a young age and it is whilst living there that Jimmy encountered a man who would be the mainstay throughout his career, his long time mentor, manager and father figure Pop Foster who saw in the waif like Jimmy an ability few if any others saw and decided with his guidance he could make Jimmy a world champion. Trusting the older Foster’s judgement Jimmy’s parents allowed Foster to train the young Mclarnin in the ways of the ring and begin a relationship that would endure throughout their lives.

On Jimmy developing his skills Foster and the young Jimmy moved to the states to try and launch his career, however due to Jimmy’s youthful appearance and waif like frame they encountered an inability to get him fights as nobody would believe Jimmy was either old enough or strong enough to fight and the two encountered abject poverty as they tried to get someone to take the skinny kid who claimed to be a fighter seriously, however once they got a break there was no stopping him and Jimmy launched a career with the kind of ledger few if any can match. A read of the names on his record reads like a true who’s who of the lightweight and welterweight division of that era, containing as it does the names of Leonard, Ross, Corbett, Mandell, Ambers, Singer, Canzoneri Fuller and Petrolle amongst others.

Mclarnin does an admirable job of recounting all these battles in excellent detail describing a fighter of excellent skill and genuine crowd pleasing abilities, which explains why even in the depths of the depression Jimmy could draw crowds like few outside the heavyweight division. Gallimore also does an admirable job of explaining why such a great fighter held onto the title so briefly but also is not shy of criticising or flagging Foster’s love of giving Jimmy the upper hand through forcing his opponents into catchweight fights, always to Jimmy’s advantage.

However the greatest strength of the book is in outlining the relationship between Foster and Mclarnin. It is truly refreshing to read of a manager whose sole interest seems to have been in protecting his fighter and maximising his earnings potential, it is clear their relationship was far more than simply manager – fighter with Foster even standing as best man for Jimmy’s wedding. So deep was the relationship between the two when Foster passed away he left his money to Jimmy which amounted to pretty much everything Foster had earned through Jimmy’s career.

Overall this is an excellent book, have remarked on previous reviews how nice it is for authors to tackle subjects other than the usual suspects of Ali or Louis and Gallimore deserves massive respect for doing that with this book and indeed with his other works on McTigue and Welsh both of which are as highly recommended as this one is.

Welcome aboard, Alex.

Thank you so much for sharing this with us. Nipper was the subject of a discussion some time ago here at 606v2, and I'm sure that many of us found our appetites sufficiently whetted to get hold of your book.

If you have a look in our ' sticky ' section, you'll see that we have a ' book review ' thread. Rather than see your article slip off the front page I will transfer it to that thread a bit later on, once you and others have a chance to see where it has gone.

Very good to have you as a member.

Love the line made his debut at nine. Enough to make you want to read the book. The vision of a nine year old in a professional boxing ring! Truly a different time and place.

You are doing some excellent work here, jeff. Thanks for that.

I've let my reading slip a wee bit in recent years, ( or, rather, I have let slip my buying books, ) and your reviews have prompted me to draw up a ' wish list ' and add to my library. My dear wife might not appreciate your efforts, but I most certainly do.

Cheers Windy when I'm writing these do sometimes get the age old question about when a tree falls in a forest does it make a sound or however it goes but as I enjoy writing them will plough on, particularly as we have had the odd author drop in.

As far as I'm concerned you can write them forever and a day, jeff, and I'm sure I'm not the only one for whom that is the case.

Here here Windy. Keep em coming Jeff. Great work.

Not as good as my Sullivan review but a worthwhile effort......!

Mind the windows Tino. wrote:Here here Windy. Keep em coming Jeff. Great work.

Not as good as my Sullivan review but a worthwhile effort......!

Ha that is why I keep ploughing away Tino, in the slim hope I may one day hit those dizzy heights. Have to say though is akin to Orson Wells trying to follow Citizen Kane.

Just read up on this wonderkid and he is nails!

Cheers guys.

HumanWindmill (great choice of name by the way), thanks for the welcome. If you could add my post to the 'book review' thread, I'd be much obliged.

This message board seems a cut above some of the other popular boxing forums!

On Friday evenings, after polo practice, we meet to recline, drink brandy and read Shakespeare. Do come along

Toodle pip!

Oh, and Nipper looks very interesting. I always like books concentrated on fighters from a different era, guys who didn't take a normalroute that modern folk can relate too.

Alex if you could recommend any books on old timers on the reviews section I'm sure I'd not be the only one who would appreciate it. Try to read as many as I can but with the cost of a lot of them obviously it is preferable if I have some sort of idea whether they will be worth the expense. Cheers

John Bloody Wayne wrote:On Friday evenings, after polo practice, we meet to recline, drink brandy and read Shakespeare. Do come along

Toodle pip!

Oh, and Nipper looks very interesting. I always like books concentrated on fighters from a different era, guys who didn't take a normalroute that modern folk can relate too.

Jolly good, old boy. Spiffing idea!

His career certainly wasn't conventional, nor was the period in which he boxed. In fact, just learning about how often the fighters of the '20s and '30s fought, and the hardship they endured, was quite an eye-opener for me. I've tried to capture as much of the era - its fighters, venues, characters, lost customs, etc. - as I can within the book.