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.

Rowley, I've read quite a few, so I'll have a think and post some of my favourites.

Cheers for that Alex as you can probably tell from the reviews I have written thus far my tastes are very much towards the old timers but there is a lot to go at so any help is always appreciated

Bob Mee Bare Fists

As anyone who has watched fights on Sky recently or Eurosport some time ago will already know their resident stats man Bob Mee possesses knowledge of the sport that is truly exhaustive and for whom the term encyclopaedic does scant justice. As such Mee is probably the ideal man to tackle the subject of the pre-gloved bare knuckle era which forms the subject matter of his excellent book Bare Fists.

Covering the sport from its earliest practitioners through to the birth of the modern era with the emergence of John L Sullivan Mee does an admirable job of providing biographies of all the major names of the era such as Mace, Bendigo, Broughton, Belcher and Hen Pearce who went by the delightful nickname of the Game Chicken. Covering all the major events of the bareknuckle era such as the infamous Cribb v Molyneux contest as well as the introduction of the first rules of the sport introduced by Jack Broughton on the back of an opponent’s death in the ring Mee brings his customary level of research, detail and knowledge to the book which given the book covers over 100 years and the research material cannot have been easy to come by and deserves massive praise.

However if there is one criticism of the book it is the fact that with covering such a wide era and so many colourful characters some of the biographies feel a little brief as there are many of the subjects who you can’t help but feel would have justified individual biographies, in fact many such as Mace and Spring have been the subjects of such biographies. However this is a minor and perhaps inevitable by product of attempting to cover such a broad subject but given the breadth of the topic I struggle to imagine how anyone could have avoided this pitfall.

Mee also tackles the subject of the modern bareknuckle guys such as Shaw and McLean and if like me your heart has ever sunk when you go onto a forum and read a thread such as Ali vs McLean who wins? the final chapter of this book will give you all the material you will ever need to put this argument to bed forever.

In conclusion if you have a decent knowledge of the bareknuckle era you may find this book a little broad and the biographical sketches a little cursory but if you enter this book, as I did with little or no knowledge of the sports pioneers Bare Fists serves as just about the perfect introduction to the era and will I am sure whet your appetite to learn more of both the era and the characters that plied their trade during the era.

Excellent review of 'Bare Fists', Rowley. By coincidence I bought a copy the other week - looking forward to reading it now.

This isn't a review but a list of recommendations: books that I've enjoyed or found useful.

• The Ringside Book of Boxing (originally published as 'Bedside Book of Boxing') by O.F. Snelling - The author covers all manner of boxing topics, drawing on his considerable knowledge of the fight game and decades spent watching the sport. Snelling, for me, is the most eloquent boxing-writer ever to put pen to paper. Every sentence is a joy to read.
  
  
• Come Out Writing: A Boxing Anthology - a collection of articles and extracts from some of the sport's finest scribes.
  
  
• The Sweet Science by A. J. Liebling - a classic from one of boxing-writing's most gifted practitioners.
  
  
• Sparring with Hemingway: And Other Legends of the Fight Game by Budd Schulberg - Some of the finest pieces written by one of boxing's finest writers.
  
  
• Farewell to Sport by Paul Gallico – A medley of sports articles and essays from a first-rate journalist and author who counted boxing among his favourite topics. My only gripe with him is his condescending attitude towards fighters, which undermines his writing at times.
  
  
• Unforgivable Blackness by Geoffrey C. Ward - Among the best biographies of a boxer I've read - eloquently written and meticulously researched.
  
  
• The Fight Game by James and Frank Butler - A collection of essays from a father and son duo (both top British sports journalists) who between them witnessed the sport's evolution across two centuries.
  
  
• Penny a Punch by Harry Legge - The definitive guide to boxing-booth life. Very well written by a pro fighter who experienced it all first-hand.
  
  
• A Man Must Fight by Gene Tunney - As with the above book, this comes from the pen of the boxer himself and wasn't 'ghosted'. A scarce title these days but a must for any boxing-book enthusiast.
  
  
• Lonsdale's Belt by John Harding - Tells the story of British championships and the coveted Lonsdale belt. It examines British boxing's key players and charts the development of the sport during the 20th century.
  
  
• Encyclopedia of Boxing by Gilbert Odd – The best reference book on the history of boxing I've come across.
  
  
• History and Bibliography of boxing books by R. A. Hartley - A huge bibliography of boxing books, many not primarily concerned with boxing but with boxing references buried within them. A must for any boxing-book collector (there was a smaller follow-up edition released a couple of years after this one).

alexd wrote:This isn't a review but a list of recommendations: books that I've enjoyed or found useful.

• The Ringside Book of Boxing by O.F. Snelling - The author covers all manner of boxing topics, drawing on his considerable knowledge of the fight game and decades spent watching the sport. Snelling, for me, is the most eloquent boxing-writer ever to put pen to paper. Every sentence is a joy to read.
  
  
• Come Out Writing: A Boxing Anthology - a collection of articles and extracts from some of the sport's finest scribes.
  
  
• The Sweet Science by A. J. Liebling - a classic from one of boxing-writing's most gifted practitioners.
  
  
• Sparring with Hemingway: And Other Legends of the Fight Game by Budd Schulberg - Some of the finest pieces written by one of boxing's finest writers.
  
  
• Farewell to Sport by Paul Gallico – A medley of sports articles and essays from a first-rate journalist and author who counted boxing among his favourite topics. My only gripe with him is his condescending attitude towards fighters, which undermines his writing at times.
  
  
• Unforgivable Blackness by Geoffrey C. Ward - Among the best biographies of a boxer I've read - eloquently written and meticulously researched.
  
  
• The Fight Game by James and Frank Butler - A collection of essays from a father and son duo (both top British sports journalists) who between them witnessed the sport's evolution across two centuries.
  
  
• Penny a Punch by Harry Legge - The definitive guide to boxing-booth life. Very well written by a pro fighter who experienced it all first-hand.
  
  
• A Man Must Fight by Gene Tunney - As with the above book, this comes from the pen of the boxer himself and wasn't 'ghosted'. A scarce title these days but a must for any boxing-book enthusiast.
  
  
• Lonsdale's Belt by John Harding - Tells the story of British championships and the coveted Lonsdale belt. It examines British boxing's key players and charts the development of the sport during the 20th century.
  
  
• Encyclopedia of Boxing by Gilbert Odd – The best reference book on the history of boxing I've come across.
  
  
• History and Bibliography of boxing books by R. A. Hartley - A huge bibliography of boxing books, many not primarily concerned with boxing but with boxing references buried within them. A must for any boxing-book collector (there was a smaller follow up-edition released a couple of years after this one).

Thanks for the list alexd. Agree with you that Unforgivable Blackness is meticulously researched, too much so in respect of the footnotes. Way too many of them and so disruptive to the narrative. I know there are others on here who feel the same. Good book apart from that though.

Cheers for that Alex, as of those listed I only have Unforgivable Blackness sure there is plenty to get my teeth into, am not sure when she sees how much I end up spending on Amazon the missus will thank you but such is life.

Mind the windows Tino. wrote:

alexd wrote:This isn't a review but a list of recommendations: books that I've enjoyed or found useful.

• The Ringside Book of Boxing by O.F. Snelling - The author covers all manner of boxing topics, drawing on his considerable knowledge of the fight game and decades spent watching the sport. Snelling, for me, is the most eloquent boxing-writer ever to put pen to paper. Every sentence is a joy to read.
  
  
• Come Out Writing: A Boxing Anthology - a collection of articles and extracts from some of the sport's finest scribes.
  
  
• The Sweet Science by A. J. Liebling - a classic from one of boxing-writing's most gifted practitioners.
  
  
• Sparring with Hemingway: And Other Legends of the Fight Game by Budd Schulberg - Some of the finest pieces written by one of boxing's finest writers.
  
  
• Farewell to Sport by Paul Gallico – A medley of sports articles and essays from a first-rate journalist and author who counted boxing among his favourite topics. My only gripe with him is his condescending attitude towards fighters, which undermines his writing at times.
  
  
• Unforgivable Blackness by Geoffrey C. Ward - Among the best biographies of a boxer I've read - eloquently written and meticulously researched.
  
  
• The Fight Game by James and Frank Butler - A collection of essays from a father and son duo (both top British sports journalists) who between them witnessed the sport's evolution across two centuries.
  
  
• Penny a Punch by Harry Legge - The definitive guide to boxing-booth life. Very well written by a pro fighter who experienced it all first-hand.
  
  
• A Man Must Fight by Gene Tunney - As with the above book, this comes from the pen of the boxer himself and wasn't 'ghosted'. A scarce title these days but a must for any boxing-book enthusiast.
  
  
• Lonsdale's Belt by John Harding - Tells the story of British championships and the coveted Lonsdale belt. It examines British boxing's key players and charts the development of the sport during the 20th century.
  
  
• Encyclopedia of Boxing by Gilbert Odd – The best reference book on the history of boxing I've come across.
  
  
• History and Bibliography of boxing books by R. A. Hartley - A huge bibliography of boxing books, many not primarily concerned with boxing but with boxing references buried within them. A must for any boxing-book collector (there was a smaller follow up-edition released a couple of years after this one).

Thanks for the list alexd. Agree with you that Unforgivable Blackness is meticulously researched, too much so in respect of the footnotes. Way too many of them and so disruptive to the narrative. I know there are others on here who feel the same. Good book apart from that though.

I agree entirely about the Unforgivable Blackness footnotes: the amount of detail was OTT. Much of it should have been included in the main text or left out. That aside, it's a terrific read. In fact, it's probably best to blank the footnotes out while reading it.

rowley wrote:Cheers for that Alex, as of those listed I only have Unforgivable Blackness sure there is plenty to get my teeth into, am not sure when she sees how much I end up spending on Amazon the missus will thank you but such is life.

Wouldn't wanna get you into trouble with the missus! But at least she'll know what to get you for Christmas.

alexd wrote:

Mind the windows Tino. wrote:

alexd wrote:This isn't a review but a list of recommendations: books that I've enjoyed or found useful.

• The Ringside Book of Boxing by O.F. Snelling - The author covers all manner of boxing topics, drawing on his considerable knowledge of the fight game and decades spent watching the sport. Snelling, for me, is the most eloquent boxing-writer ever to put pen to paper. Every sentence is a joy to read.
  
  
• Come Out Writing: A Boxing Anthology - a collection of articles and extracts from some of the sport's finest scribes.
  
  
• The Sweet Science by A. J. Liebling - a classic from one of boxing-writing's most gifted practitioners.
  
  
• Sparring with Hemingway: And Other Legends of the Fight Game by Budd Schulberg - Some of the finest pieces written by one of boxing's finest writers.
  
  
• Farewell to Sport by Paul Gallico – A medley of sports articles and essays from a first-rate journalist and author who counted boxing among his favourite topics. My only gripe with him is his condescending attitude towards fighters, which undermines his writing at times.
  
  
• Unforgivable Blackness by Geoffrey C. Ward - Among the best biographies of a boxer I've read - eloquently written and meticulously researched.
  
  
• The Fight Game by James and Frank Butler - A collection of essays from a father and son duo (both top British sports journalists) who between them witnessed the sport's evolution across two centuries.
  
  
• Penny a Punch by Harry Legge - The definitive guide to boxing-booth life. Very well written by a pro fighter who experienced it all first-hand.
  
  
• A Man Must Fight by Gene Tunney - As with the above book, this comes from the pen of the boxer himself and wasn't 'ghosted'. A scarce title these days but a must for any boxing-book enthusiast.
  
  
• Lonsdale's Belt by John Harding - Tells the story of British championships and the coveted Lonsdale belt. It examines British boxing's key players and charts the development of the sport during the 20th century.
  
  
• Encyclopedia of Boxing by Gilbert Odd – The best reference book on the history of boxing I've come across.
  
  
• History and Bibliography of boxing books by R. A. Hartley - A huge bibliography of boxing books, many not primarily concerned with boxing but with boxing references buried within them. A must for any boxing-book collector (there was a smaller follow up-edition released a couple of years after this one).

Thanks for the list alexd. Agree with you that Unforgivable Blackness is meticulously researched, too much so in respect of the footnotes. Way too many of them and so disruptive to the narrative. I know there are others on here who feel the same. Good book apart from that though.

I agree entirely about the Unforgivable Blackness footnotes: the amount of detail was OTT. Much of it should have been included in the main text or left out. That aside, it's a terrific read. In fact, it's probably best to blank the footnotes out while reading it.

Which is exactly what I ended up doing alex! I got maybe a third of the way through and just gave up on them. Needless to say I enjoyed the last two thirds of the book more! Thanks again for the list, I, like Jeff, only have UB but some of these others look facinating.

Thanks for the list Alex.

Jon Hotten – The Year of the Locust

I have been wanting to review this book for some time for a number of reasons. Firstly it makes a nice chance from the largely biographical works I have been reviewing thus far, secondly because when people post lists of their favourite boxing books this one rarely appears suggesting it has slipped under the radar slightly and finally because it tells one of the most remarkable and tragic stories I have read.

The book tells the story of former heavyweight fighter Tim “Doc” Anderson and his promoter Fat Rick Parker. Parker is a man for who the cliché too absurd to have made up certainly applies. Starting his career as a door to door salesman who felt the life of a door to door salesman was not befitting a man of his ambitions and appetites for the finer things in life, despite the fact that Parker does appear to have been an extremely successful salesman. Through a chance encounter with his hero Don King Parker decided to launch a career as a boxing promoter. The two lessons Parker appears to have taken from his time in King’s company are that boxers are commodities to be used, abused and dismissed as soon as they ceased to be useful and that of those commodities few if any held any greater value than a white heavyweight. It was this second lesson that bought Parker into contact with Anderson, a former baseball pro who seems likeable enough but sadly not possessing any discernable talent to add to his complexion and athleticism.

Even by the standards of boxing Parker appears to have been a guy untroubled by such concepts as morality or conscience and he was willing to use any and all techniques available to overcome Anderson’s inherent lack of ability and to manoeuvre him into the point he could make the big money from the game. However, even allowing for Parker’s willingness to fix fights or match Anderson with fighter of even less talent than himself could not hide Tim’s lack of ability and inevitably he began to rack up losses. Inevitably when this happened Fat Rick dumped him and moved on to his new protégée former pro footballer Mark Gastineu, a fighter as white as Anderson but perhaps even less talented than Anderson.

Parker again managed to build Mark an impressive looking record until he matched him with Anderson, and despite all Rick’s considerable pushing for Tim to roll over in the fight his honesty prevented him doing so and he beat Gastineu, a result that would lead to a chain of events that is as tragic as it is unbelievable. For those unfamiliar with the story I will not give it away here but suffice to say it all ends in heartbreaking tragedy, the impact of which is being felt by many even now.

What is remarkable in the book is despite the fact that the fighters involved are far from at the top of the game they encounter some of the games truly big names such as the aforementioned King and Arum, as well as guys like Holmes and Foreman who were both on the comeback trial at the time the story takes place.

Told with the pace of a novel The Year of the Locust reads like a script from a forties B movie but is given all the more impact because every word is true. For those looking for something a little different or interested in seeing the sports seedy underbelly Hotten’s book cannot be recommended highly enough. Just don’t buy it if you are looking for a happy ending.

The Arc Of Boxing – Mike Silver

As anyone who has spent any kind of time on boxing forums will know few subjects get debated as fiercely or as passionately as whether boxing was better in the supposed “Golden Age” or in the modern era, the old vs new debate is one that continues to polarise and split opinion like few others. Silver’s books seeks answers to this age old debate, and it should be said that like myself Silver is firmly in the old timers camp.

Taking the view that boxing’s golden age was between the 20s and 50s in The Arc of Boxing Silver seeks to track what he feels has been the sports decline and the reasons behind this decline. To support his argument Silver has lined up an impressive selection of experts such as Emmanuel Steward, Teddy Atlas and Carlos Ortiz, as well as countless other old time trainers and fighters. Silver covers a number of the more obvious potential reasons for the sports alleged decline in excellent detail such as falling participation rates, over cautious match making, the decreased number of fights boxers have nowadays as well as arguing some of the less obvious potential reasons such as the mob involvement and the advent of TV coverage of the sport as potential reasons for the sports perceived decline.

Whilst you may not agree with all of the arguments made in the book, and even as someone who is largely of the same opinion as Silver I have to say I balked at some of the claims made I would still have to say Silver argues them with a passion that is infectious and even if you don’t agree with some or any of the claims it would be hard to deny that they provide excellent food for thought and his well placed use of statistics and expert testimonials made many of the claims difficult to disagree with.

Published by McFarland publishing the book is like most of their output very much at the specialist end of the boxing book market and carries a price that reflects that, however like most books published by them it is excellently presented and produced and so, in as much as any boxing book can justify a £40+ price tag the Arc of Boxing does so.

For anyone who finds the debate about the old vs new in boxing consistently fascinating this book is nigh on essential and wherever you stand on the debate is sure to give you plenty to ponder even if at times it can come across as a boxing version of grumpy old men. However in my opinion any book that can cause you to question your previously held views or can add clarity or a new perspective to a debate as old as the hills is a valuable and worthy addition to the debate and Silver’s book certainly does that, highly recommended reading.

The Fearless Harry Greb – Bill Paxton

Like countless others with an interest in the history of the sport the name of Harry Greb is one I find consistently fascinating with him perhaps more than any other fighter having obtained a nigh on mythical status even amongst old time fighters, the reasons for this are the sheer volume of fights Greb fought, the great fighters Greb fought and beat and the frustrating fact that no footage remains of the few Greb fights that were allegedly filmed.

Given Greb fought nigh on 300 times and as already mentioned there was no in ring footage to draw on the task of writing his biography must have been daunting to say the least. This task was perhaps made even worse by the fact that so many myths have grown around Greb, such as alleged heavy drinking, lack of commitment in training and dirty tactics inside the ring that unpicking the facts from the bunkum must have been like trying to juggle water. However it has to be said Paxton has done a terrific job and it is in the debunking and discrediting many of these myths that the book really scores, although when one thinks about it sensibly when you are talking about a guy who beat the likes of Tunney, Walker, Gibbons and Loughran amongst others would seem inevitable the accounts of heavy drinking and a lack of training were largely apocryphal but Paxton does an admirable job of blowing them out of the water and in that respect the book serves as an important and valuable corrective.

If the book does suffer from one thing it is it can often be hard to keep track of who Greb fought and when but as tends to be the case when dealing with old timers this is an inevitable and perhaps unavoidable consequence of the sheer volume of times they fought and as Greb was active even by old timers standards this is perhaps even harder to counteract in his case, although it should be said that Paxton does an admirable job of prioritising his big fights and rivalries and covering this in more minute detail than his other fights.

As is becoming inevitable in books about the old timers I do feel I have to forewarn people that this book is far from cheap and so unless you have a genuine interest in learning more about the subject it should not be purchased on a whim, however until someone finds footage of Greb v Walker in their loft this book is the best way possible of learning more about one of the most mysterious and legendary of all fighters and as such comes highly recommended.

Excellent stuff, jeff.

Thanks for doing these. You may not always draw replies, but just a glance at the ' views ' column will give you some idea as to how much interest these reviews attract.

Keep them coming.

Will plough on Windy, still quite enjoy writing them when the mood takes and on the occasions when the odd author has dropped in has made it seem a worthwhile enterprise.

Please keep them coming Jeff. I second Windy in his comments. I genuinely do find them interesting and will endeavour to try and write some myself when the time permits. As I said yesterday, the thread has been ticking along nicely, mainly thanks to your input.

My awesome review of John L Sullivan even prompted prettyboykev to buy a copy I believe. Not sure I can top that.

Really good work though Jeff. Well done.

Please ignore my review of No Ordinary Joe earlier which may have suggested the book was not very good. I have subsequently found this review on Amazon which sums up the book far better than I ever could.

I jumped at the chance to add Calzaghe's bio to my kindle; I'm looking forward to reading again about the triumphs and laughs that made him a boxing legend, the greatest since Mohammed Ali.

Champion for 10 years then progressed to super-middleweight before retiring, undefeated. Watching Calzaghe box on DvD, the speed & skill still makes me go "wow!!"

5 stars.

rowley wrote:Please ignore my review of No Ordinary Joe earlier which may have suggested the book was not very good. I have subsequently found this review on Amazon which sums up the book far better than I ever could.

I jumped at the chance to add Calzaghe's bio to my kindle; I'm looking forward to reading again about the triumphs and laughs that made him a boxing legend, the greatest since Mohammed Ali.

Champion for 10 years then progressed to super-middleweight before retiring, undefeated. Watching Calzaghe box on DvD, the speed & skill still makes me go "wow!!"

5 stars.

Whats the problem here? I stand by my review.

Not sure if anyone has noticed this or is interested but have seen the name of Dave Charnley pop up recently in a few debates and personally having seen a few old timers talk with reverence about Charnley and describe him as one of the best from these shores not to win a world title this may well be a decent read. The book details are as follows, is one I am planning to get hold of at some point and as and when I do a review will follow

The Dartford Destroyer: The Life and Career of Dave Charnley – Jim Kirkwood

The Last Great Fight – Joe Laydon

Since this got mentioned on Truss’ Tyson thread yesterday and most comments on it tended to be generally positive thought it was worthy of a more substantial review. On the face of it the subject of The Last Great Fight is the world title shot between Mike Tyson and Buster Douglas some 20 odd years ago, however to describe the book solely as that does it scant credit because it touches on so much more, the seedy politics that is never too far from the big money names in the sport, the slow unravelling of the seemingly unbeatable Mike Tyson, the relationship between Buster and his family and so much more besides.

Is always a little hyperbolic to describe a fight as the biggest shock ever or something similar but in the case of Tyson Douglas such a description is perhaps not too far away. However a certain mythology has built up around the fight to suggest Buster got lucky and only won because Mike did not train; now there is obviously a kernel of truth to this because to describe Mike’s preparation as anything less than distracted is simply not the case. However many have felt that this reading of the events seriously underplays the herculean effort Buster plays in Tyson’s downfall and in this respect Laydon’s book is outstanding and serves as an important and necessary corrective.

As a fighter Douglas was a fighter who always possessed talent to burn but this was commonly coupled with a fragile psyche which tended to leave him falling short in elite company but Laydon charts his preparation in full establishing why on that famed night in Tokyo things were so different, including unpicking the complex relationship with his father, the respected Philly fighter Dynamite Bill Douglas, a relationship that would trouble even Freud, as well as the tragic death of his mother all of which served to mean for one night only Buster coupled talent with a genuine self belief and desire. Douglas’ demise post Tyson is also not glossed over, although the politics and back room shenanigans do offer some explanation as to why Tokyo remains a tantalising glimpse of what might have been when it comes to Douglas.

As with all major fights so many controversies and mythologies grow up around the fight and with the infamous “long count”, no endswell in Tyson’s corner and 42-1 odds on Douglas this one is no different and Laydon does an admirable job of addressing and in many cases dispelling the popular telling of these myths, credit must also go to people who have traditionally not come out of these tales well such as Aaron Snowell and the referee Meyron who are interviewed for the book and give their opinions honestly and openly. In fact with the exception of Tyson who is only interviewed briefly most everyone involved in the fight from the training crews, commentary team are interviewed in depth for the book, giving the book a real depth and first hand feel.

In conclusion for anyone who finds the fight fascinating, and let’s be honest, what boxing fan doesn’t this book cannot be recommended highly enough and for me is one that should be on any serious student of the sports or reader of boxing literatures bookshelf, as nigh on as essential a purchase as there is.

Mind the windows Tino. wrote:Please keep them coming Jeff. I second Windy in his comments. I genuinely do find them interesting and will endeavour to try and write some myself when the time permits. As I said yesterday, the thread has been ticking along nicely, mainly thanks to your input.

My awesome review of John L Sullivan even prompted prettyboykev to buy a copy I believe. Not sure I can top that.

Really good work though Jeff. Well done.

Your review did prompt me to but the book although on the same day I bought 5 Adam Pollack books so I haven't got round to it yet the Pollack one's are beasts. I'm still on his John L book because when they arrived I was reading 4 kings, then I read Hands of stone the life and legend of Roberto Duran. They were nothing special especially the Duran book I found pretty poor tbh. Has anyone read Sugar Ray Leonards book?

prettyboykev wrote:

Mind the windows Tino. wrote:Please keep them coming Jeff. I second Windy in his comments. I genuinely do find them interesting and will endeavour to try and write some myself when the time permits. As I said yesterday, the thread has been ticking along nicely, mainly thanks to your input.

My awesome review of John L Sullivan even prompted prettyboykev to buy a copy I believe. Not sure I can top that.

Really good work though Jeff. Well done.

Your review did prompt me to but the book although on the same day I bought 5 Adam Pollack books so I haven't got round to it yet the Pollack one's are beasts. I'm still on his John L book because when they arrived I was reading 4 kings, then I read Hands of stone the life and legend of Roberto Duran. They were nothing special especially the Duran book I found pretty poor tbh. Has anyone read Sugar Ray Leonards book?

I've not but does he not reveal he was touched up by his trainer when he was younger or something. I've only got the Jefferies Pollack book at the moment Kev, stopped reading it at the moment, had read about 180 pages but when you closed the book it looked like i had just started it.

The Galveston Giant wrote:

prettyboykev wrote:

Mind the windows Tino. wrote:Please keep them coming Jeff. I second Windy in his comments. I genuinely do find them interesting and will endeavour to try and write some myself when the time permits. As I said yesterday, the thread has been ticking along nicely, mainly thanks to your input.

My awesome review of John L Sullivan even prompted prettyboykev to buy a copy I believe. Not sure I can top that.

Really good work though Jeff. Well done.

Your review did prompt me to but the book although on the same day I bought 5 Adam Pollack books so I haven't got round to it yet the Pollack one's are beasts. I'm still on his John L book because when they arrived I was reading 4 kings, then I read Hands of stone the life and legend of Roberto Duran. They were nothing special especially the Duran book I found pretty poor tbh. Has anyone read Sugar Ray Leonards book?

I've not but does he not reveal he was touched up by his trainer when he was younger or something. I've only got the Jefferies Pollack book at the moment Kev, stopped reading it at the moment, had read about 180 pages but when you closed the book it looked like i had just started it.

He did watched an interview with him on ESPN with Brin Kenny. It was one of his Olympic coaches.

I have read the Sugar Ray Leonard book, is worth a read and stunningly honest about the cocaine, drinking and the women and the like, but to be honest that is one of the books great failings. There are points when it feels like you're reading someones death bed confession. Appreicate he feels bad about being a bad parent and husband but to beat himself up about it on every page does get a bit wearisome. Is worth a read though as makes a change from these things being sugar coated.

I know there are a few people other than myself following and enjoying Adam Pollack's series on the early heavyweight champions so thought I'd let you know the latest in this series is now available on Tommy Burns

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Ring-Tommy-Burns-Adam-Pollack/dp/0979982235/ref=sr_1_8?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1315817155&sr=1-8

Hopefully this means it will be full steam ahead for the Johnson book which should be next in the series.

Thanks for the update, jeff.

Still haven't got round to collecting these but, come Hell or high water, I shall be buying the Jeffries one and the Johnson one when it hits the shelves.

My one gripe with ' Unforgivable Blackness ' was that many - most, in fact - of Johnson's fights were treated as social phenomena as opposed to boxing contests. Marvellous and valuable though the background info was, I'd have liked to have read more detail about the fights themselves. I have newspaper archives of the day, but I have little doubt that Pollack will have made it his business to have read all of them and, therefore, be able to present a far more authoritative view than can be gleaned from one or two day after accounts and the surviving film.

Can't wait for that one. Not sure that the Burns one will persuade me to pay the entry price, mind. Don't get me wrong, I know that Burns wasn't so hapless as he is sometimes portrayed - he had a thunderous right hand, for example - but he's still my idea of a footnote in heavyweight history.

Of course, I might simply be guilty of ignorance in that view, but there you go.

Windy I do have a slightly vested interest in this in that the last time I asked him about the Johnson book he was still slightly undecided on whether he will write it and intimated he may wait to see how the Burns one is received so obviously any little that can be done to tip the balance on this has to be worth the effort.

You make a fair point about guys like Burns but for me that is the great strength of the series in that guys I had previously been willing to dismiss such as Sullivan as crude slugger or Hart as fortunate chancer really emerge as far better than previously thought and I have little doubt similar will be the case for Burns.

Great point about Sully, jeff.

I learned a fair bit from you about John L when you shared some stuff with us after having read the Pollack bio. Maybe my mild ignorance on the Burns issue is more a case of my having a drop or two of your fine Yorkshire blood somewhere in my veins and my being appropriately ' careful.'

I guess that if I call myself a boxing fan I should just quit moaning and shell out the money.

Will speak nicely to Mrs. Windy.

rowley wrote:I know there are a few people other than myself following and enjoying Adam Pollack's series on the early heavyweight champions so thought I'd let you know the latest in this series is now available on Tommy Burns

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Ring-Tommy-Burns-Adam-Pollack/dp/0979982235/ref=sr_1_8?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1315817155&sr=1-8

Hopefully this means it will be full steam ahead for the Johnson book which should be next in the series.

Thanks Jeff, have Amazon actually had it in stock yet have you noticed or just from other sellers?

Not noticed GG, he emailed me to let me know it was out but gave me the Amazon.com address, to be honest though I have bought books from sellers on Amazon with no real problems so if they don't get it in stock soon will just order from whoever has it

I bought Jeffries from the book depository i think through Amazon, they seem to have a lot of the books at reasonable prices, was packaged well and had only been printed the month before i bought it in America, don't think i've seen Amazon selling a Pollack book themselves yet.

Enjoyed the "Last Great Fight" review, just had a brainwave to write one but alas....One small thought to add, Tyson is easy to cast as very much the villain of the piece.However he allowed himself to be interviewed for the book, and passed on the message that he sends his love to Buster.Douglas seemed to hold Tyson in perpetual contempt,which does not seem to have dimmed.One of my over-riding mental images of BD is of an article on him, in his post Holyfield "glory", being photographed staring longingly into the window of a cake shop.His attempt at a comeback was very poignantly written, as he nearly died due to ill health, and his string of victories since was another minor miracle.That night seemed to define both fighters forever, and possibly neither man ever recovered from the trauma of what happened to them.

http://www.ibroresearch.com/?p=5370

Just chanced upon this on the IBRO, looks a fascinating read. I know there are biographies out there on Langford, Burley and some others but looks like guys like Holman Williams, Marshall and Gibbons who are often overlooked get a look in, could be a decent read.

That one looks like a beauty, jeff.

I'll wager that the McFarland and Wills sections, alone, are worth the cover price.

My wish list is getting unmanageably long.

HumanWindmill wrote:That one looks like a beauty, jeff.

I'll wager that the McFarland and Wills sections, alone, are worth the cover price.

My wish list is getting unmanageably long.

Tell me about it Windy, tend to get nothing but boxing books off my family for christmas and had a bit of a scan of Amazon the other day, fear to get everything I want they will have to spend nigh on the national debt on me, but as you say this looks an absolute belter so may well have to find a place pretty high on the list.

Benny: The Life And Times Of A Fighting Legend

Growing up in abject poverty in working class Glasgow in the early 19th century before discovering boxing and rising to become world flyweight champion and a true great of that division (The IBRO have him number five all time) before falling into alcoholic dependency and a premature death it is safe to say Benny Lynch’s is a story well worth telling. Unfortunately John Burrowes biography of Lynch was not for me the book to do that.

It must be difficult when telling the story of old time fighters to strike the right balance between giving details of their upbringing and social conditions against their actual in ring career and for me whilst the depravation and poverty someone like Lynch grew up in is obviously instructive in defining both the fighter he become and the demons and pressures that led him into alcoholism you also need to be aware that you are writing about a Scottish flyweight champion from the 1930’s. Given this there is a strong likelihood your readers will be pretty committed boxing geeks as your subject matter is pretty much at the specialist end of the boxing book market.

With this in mind it is essential that alongside the undoubtedly interesting background colour you get plenty of details in there about your subjects fights, opponents and fighting style, even more so is this important when you are writing about a guy there is very limited footage of, and on this score I have to say Burrowes book falls short. As an example of this when Lynch wins the world title from Small Montana two pages are devoted to the crowd that followed him to the fight and one paragraph is devoted to the actual fight.

Burrowes book is not without merit, it is well written and for those with an interest in social conditions in Glasgow in the early 20th century it is quite interesting, however as it purports to be about a fighter I am sure most buying it will have said fighter as their premier interest, as indeed was the case for me and on this front it is hard not to feel the book is a disappointment and an opportunity to tell a fascinating story missed.

The ones I have really enjoyed are
'The fearless Harry Greb' - Amazing story of an amazing fighter, no.1 MW of all time I would have to say.
The Manassa Mauler - Dempsey biography, great insight to his life but also into the dealings of Doc Kearns.
The life and Crimes of Don King - never has a man existed who has done so much to destroy fighters and he is a despicable man.
The Four Kings - THE book if you want to know more about these fantastic bouts.
Hands Of Stone - A comprehensive well written and thoroughly entertaining read about historys no1. LW
Unforgivable Blackness - Fantastic detailing of Jack Johnsons life.
The Devil and Sonny Liston by Nick Tosches - Interesting to see what your opinion of Liston is by the end and more than alludes to the darker dealings of the day that existed in every corner of the sport.

The Fireside book of Boxing
As Thomas Hauser put it

One of the grandest collections of boxing writing between the covers of a single book. This has been reissued in an updated form by Sport Classic Books. But the original 1961 hardcover has a special feel with unique artwork

It is a treasure trove of historical articles, fight reviews and fiction. An absolute must for anyone interested in boxing history. I bought this second hand from a book store in the US and might try and put a few of the pages up on site so you guys can see it. Fascinating book.

Great thread Jeff.

A link to Hausers annual Christmas list of boxing books

http://ringtv.craveonline.com/blog/124759-thomas-hausers-holiday-reading-2010

Did Tosches write another book or do you mean The Night Train?

I'm such a geek, have read about half the books on Hauser's list.

Expected that Fireside book to be a lot more expensive.

Scottrf wrote:Did Tosches write another book or do you mean The Night Train?

Think it is the same one Scott, think it has either been re-issued under a different name or has a different name stateside. I couldn't get on with Night Train, find Tosches a bit up his own backside. Personally prefered Rob Steen's biography of Liston, but think I am in something of a minority on thay front.

rowley wrote:I'm such a geek, have read about half the books on Hauser's list.

7 for me, own 2 other, and read some of Boxiania.

Jeff I think Tosches did try to make himself sound about 'street' when writing the book but I liked something in his forthright manner. The bit that got me was I went form hating to liking to pitying Liston every few pages. Definitely someone I would like to read more about.

Hoping to get more but the price of boxing books at the moment are crazy. Wanted the Greb book for about 18 months but £30 for a book always seemed extortionate to me.
I thin the next might SRL biography or a book by a trainer - Any suggestions? Is the Teddy Atlas book any good?

Oh and should have mentioned Ali by Hauser, great book. I do think Hauser is the best working boxing writer there is at the moment. He wrote some fantastic feature articles, posted on secondsout.com. The three part series of John L Sullivan was superb.

17 for me, does appear Hauser has a far greater appetite for Ali books than I do because personally I'd rather gnaw my own foot off than read another

Atlas book is very interesting, one of my favourites.

Dundee's is supposed to be good too, but it's still unread in the bookcase.

Gerard have read the SRL one is OK, is way more honest and open about his womanising and cocaine addiction than I expected, but to be honest it get a little uncomfortable to read after a while, is like reading a confession in parts.

Cheers lads Teddy it is

http://www.ibroresearch.com/?p=5404

Another decent looking biography is on its way. This one on Jersey Joe Walcott, is a guy who is long overdue a biography so heres hoping this keeps up the decent trend at the minute of doing justice to some of the overlooked old timers.