While humans have used their hands to engage in combat since the dawn of man, boxing originated in Ancient Greece as an Olympic event. It is one of the most popular, controversial and misunderstood sports in the world. For its advocates, it is a heroic expression of unfettered individualism. For its critics, it is a depraved and ruthless physical and commercial exploitation of mostly poor young men. This Companion offers engaging and informative essays about the social impact and historical importance of the sport of boxing. It includes a comprehensive chronology of the sport, listing all the important events and personalities. Essays examine topics such as women in boxing, boxing and the rise of television, boxing in Africa, boxing and literature, and boxing and Hollywood films. A unique book for scholars and fans alike, this Companion explores the sport from its inception in Ancient Greece to the death of its most celebrated figure, Muhammad Ali.

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER Winner of the 2018 PEN/ESPN Award for Literary Sports Writing Winner of The Times Sports Biography of the Year The definitive biography of an American icon, from a best-selling author with unique access to Ali's inner circle. "As Muhammad Ali's life was an epic of a life so Ali: A Life is an epic of a biography . . . for pages in succession its narrative reads like a novel--a suspenseful novel with a cast of vivid characters." -- Joyce Carol Oates, New York Times Book Review Muhammad Ali was born Cassius Clay in racially segregated Louisville, Kentucky, the son of a sign painter and a housekeeper. He went on to become a heavyweight boxer with a dazzling mix of power and speed, a warrior for racial pride, a comedian, a preacher, a poet, a draft resister, an actor, and a lover. Millions hated him when he changed his religion, changed his name, and refused to fight in the Vietnam War. He fought his way back, winning hearts, but at great cost. Jonathan Eig, hailed by Ken Burns as one of America's master storytellers, sheds important new light on Ali's politics, religion, personal life, and neurological condition through unprecedented access to all the key people in Ali's life, more than 500 interviews and thousands of pages of previously unreleased FBI and Justice Department files and audiotaped interviews from the 1960s. Ali: A Life is a story about America, about race, about a brutal sport, and about a courageous man who shook up the world.

The story of the relationship between the most devastating heavyweight boxer in history and the mentor who made him. When legendary boxing trainer Cus D'Amato saw thirteen-year-old Mike Tyson spar in the ring, he proclaimed 'That's the heavyweight champion of the world'. D'Amato played a huge role in Tyson's formative years, legally adopting him at age sixteen, and shaping him both physically and mentally after years of living in poverty. He would train the young boxer for several years, dying just months before Tyson became the youngest heavyweight champion in history. In Iron Ambition, Tyson shares the life lessons that D'Amato passed down to him and reflects on how the trainer's words of wisdom continue to resonate with him outside the ring. The book also chronicles Cus's courageous fight against the mobsters who controlled boxing, revealing more than we've ever know about this singular cultural figure.

The extraordinary story of a female boxer's meteoric rise to become the fighter who legitimized women in combat sports and the personal turmoil she hid from the world. Boxing legend Christy Martin was a trailblazer in the ring and continues to be an inspiration to female fighters across the globe. She is without a doubt the most important woman in the history of female combat sports. But behind the scenes Martin was in a losing battle, unable to express her true sexual identity and struggling to survive sexual and domestic abuse at the hands of her husband. In Fighting for Survival: My Journey through Boxing Fame, Abuse, Murder, and Resurrection, Christy Martin recounts her harrowing yet inspiring story. Growing up in a small town in West Virginia, Martin felt forced to keep her sexual orientation hidden to please her family and the sports world, eventually agreeing to a sham marriage with coach Jim Martin. While she rose to prominence in the world of boxing, Martin was secretly contending with substance abuse, domestic violence, and an attempted murder by her husband, who left her to die on their bedroom floor. Fighting for Survival reveals how Martin battled back to life from her near-death experience, how she overcame abuse, violence, addiction, and 40 years of living in the closet, and how she turned her pain into victory and debasement into triumph. Her story is one of hope and self-belief, an inspiration for anyone struggling to break the chain of abuse or who fears to be open about their sexual orientation. It is more than the story of a boxing champion; it is the story of a survivor.

Ben Calder-Smith travelled around the UK for 18 months meeting and interviewing a broad cross-section of former fighters and boxing personalities. He now presents the stories of huge forgotten talents, coulda-been contenders and men who established a foothold in British boxing history, highlighting the highs and lows of their careers in and out of the ring. From the agonies of injury and enforced retirement to a poignant late comeback inspired by personal tragedy; from a British Boxing Board of Control-licensed ringside doctor to a late-blossoming veteran of the ring, Ungloved features unique, varied and personal accounts of the 'noble art' from a bygone age. Memories are relayed with the same passion as was expended in the ring, describing the good, the bad and the ugly with brutal honesty and heart-warming humility. These moving accounts provide living proof that, when knocked down, the human spirit has infinite capacity to bounce back.

Million Dollar Crolla: Good Guys Can Win tells the unique story of the 'nicest man in boxing' and his remarkable path from prospect to has-been, from victim to world champion. Written off by many, an office job beckoned for Anthony Crolla before a devastating but defining fight put him back on track. After overcoming the demons of badly injuring a rival, Anthony's boxing dream was again shattered after a neighbourly deed left him seriously injured. Against all the odds, he fought back to win a world title in front in his home fans. Covering key moments in a bumpy ride, the book gives unique insight into the preparations for the biggest nights of his boxing career - a rematch with the exceptional Jorge Linares and the must-win domestic showdown with Ricky Burns. It's access all areas with insight to family life, media commitments and his passion for Manchester United. Crucially, the book details the punishing training schedule, alongside his fellow champions at Gallagher's Gym, which has helped him to the top. Includes contributions from some of the biggest names in sport.

Olympic gold medalist. Two-time world heavyweight champion. Hall of Famer. Infomercial and reality TV star. George Foreman’s fighting ability is matched only by his acumen for selling. Yet the complete story of Foreman’s rise from urban poverty to global celebrity has never been told until now. Raised in Houston’s “Bloody Fifth” Ward, battling against scarcity in housing and food, young Foreman fought sometimes for survival and other times just for fun. But when a government program rescued him from poverty and introduced him to the sport of boxing, his life changed forever. In No Way but to Fight, Andrew R. M. Smith traces Foreman’s life and career from the Great Migration to the Great Society, through the Cold War and culture wars, out of urban Houston and onto the world stage where he discovered that fame brought new challenges. Drawing on new interviews with George Foreman and declassified government documents, as well as more than fifty domestic and international newspapers and magazines, Smith brings to life the exhilarating story of a true American icon. No Way but to Fight is an epic worthy of a champion.

Theodore 'Tiger' Flowers rose above the racist bigotry of the Deep South to become the first African-American middleweight champion of the world. To do it, this Christian family man beat a boxing legend, Harry Greb, in the first of the great sporting cathedrals, Madison Square Garden. It was a victory that stunned the sporting world and made him a household name. Yet within a year he had lost his championship on a decision some said was influenced by Al Capone - and within another year was dead, following a seemingly innocuous operation, in the clinic of a controversial surgeon, to remove lumps and scars above his eyes. Was his death, at the age of 34, an accident, a result of negligence, or something more sinister? And what was behind his white manager's attempt to throw Tiger's widow into an asylum and their daughter into an orphanage? Flowers' inspiring, harrowing story, set against an horrific backdrop of lynchings and routine prejudice, is largely forgotten now but he paved the way for black sporting heroes like Joe Louis, Jesse Owens and Jackie Robinson.

Shortlisted for the Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-Fiction Shortlisted for the Wellcome Book Prize In this groundbreaking new book, Thomas Page McBee, a trans man, trains to fight in a charity match at Madison Square Garden while struggling to untangle the vexed relationship between masculinity and violence. Through his experience of boxing - learning to get hit, and to hit back; wrestling with the camaraderie of the gym; confronting the betrayals and strength of his own body - McBee examines the weight of male violence, the pervasiveness of gender stereotypes and the limitations of conventional masculinity. A wide-ranging exploration of gender in our society, Amateur is ultimately a story of hope, as McBee traces a way forward: a new masculinity, inside the ring and out of it. A graceful and uncompromising exploration of living, fighting and healing, in Amateur we gain insight into the stereotypes and shifting realities of masculinity today through the eyes of a new man.

Boxing is well-known for its training regime, which produces some of the strongest, fittest athletes in the world. 'Boxing fitness', a recent development in personal fitness, has adapted elements of this training into a safe, enjoyable and effective workout. A non-contact discipline, it's fun and suitable for everyone.
In essence, it's a great cardiovascular workout that also helps develop strength, speed, coordination, balance and flexibility. In this book, two experts describe the techniques involved - a circuit that includes shadow boxing, skipping, punch bag and focus-pad work - and explain how a regime can be tailored to address each individual's fitness goals, whether it be weight loss, general toning, increased stamina or improved strength.
The unique structure of a boxing fitness session evokes the traditional boxing experience, adding an authentic touch to a modern exercise regime that's suitable for men and women, young and old. Whether you're a cross-training athlete or simply want to enjoy a great workout, this clear and well-illustrated guide will help you reach the top of your game.

Did you just get reamed out by your boss? Did Bob in accounting eat your sandwich out of the fridge again? Don't take your stress out on your coworkers,take it out on this mini punching bag! Desktop Boxing is the perfect desk accessory for inconspicuous yet effective stress relief, and everyone from 9-to-5ers to boxing fans will enjoy this fun distraction. The kit includes a mini desktop punching bag with suction cup base, two tiny boxing gloves for your pointer fingers, and a 32-page book with basic finger boxing moves and boxing trivia.

Sports fans had much to occupy themselves with during the memorable summer of '41, including New York Yankees great Joe DiMaggio's record-setting consecutive games hit streak and Boston Red Sox star Ted Williams' dogged pursuit of batting .400. No sports story, however, loomed larger that summer than Joe Louis versus Billy Conn, the hard-hitting heavyweight champion, Detroit's Brown Bomber, battling the stylish and cocky Pittsburgh Kid." Considered one of the greatest matches in boxing history, the fight saw the underdog Conn well ahead on points until Louis knocked him out in the 13th round. Ed Gruver captures the high drama of that sultry night at the Polo Grounds, the brash confidence of the challenger from Pittsburgh, and the quiet dignity of the Black champion Louis, who personified "the memory of every injustice practiced upon his people and the memory of every triumph."

In the tradition of the bestselling Workouts from Boxing's Greatest Champs, this sequel volume will KO all boxing/combat sport enthusiasts. Featuring a classic coterie of international boxing legends, this superb anthology is illustrated throughout by some of the best photos of them at work in the ring or training in the gym. Our celebrated present-day fighters and former champions range from the instantly recognisable Manny Pacquiao, Floyd Mayweather Jnr, Mike Tyson, Thomas Hearns and Roberto Duran to such respected international figures as Danny Williams and Vitali Klitschko. Incorporating career biographies for every fighter, the reader is introduced to the fitness and training regimes of some of the world's most physically powerful men. Culled from the author's original research and interviews, the greatest ever champion pugilists grant us a fly-on-the-wall look at their 'Typical Day' and their personal workout regimes.

Born Luigi d'Ambrosio, Lou Ambers grew up in Herkimer, New York, during the Great Depression. He and his nine siblings watched their father lose his business. Then they lost their father. Taking to the ring as a "bootleg" boxer to support his family, "The Herkimer Hurricane" soon became an undefeated contender, losing only one of more than fifty fights in his first three years as a professional. A keen judge of distance with prodigious hand speed, he worked just within punching range, busily slipping and feinting, then slashing in with hooks and uppercuts. In 1936, he faced his idol and mentor, Tony Canzoneri, and defeated him to capture the world lightweight championship. Ambers held the title for twenty-three months, losing it in a historic fight with the formidable Henry Armstrong (1938) but regaining it in a rematch the following year. As the 1930s ended, so did Amber's impressive career. This book chronicles the life of one of the great 20th century lightweights, who retired with a Hall of Fame record of 90-8-6 with 30 KOs.

On the night of 29 April 2017, at Wembley Stadium, Anthony Joshua knocked down and defeated the Ukraine's former world heavyweight champion, Vladimir Klitschko. In doing so, he added the WBA and IBO heavyweight titles to the IBF belt he already held. That bald statement of fact does little justice to what proved to be one of the finest heavyweight contests of all time, in which a brilliant but relatively inexperienced fighter took on, and eventually defeated, one of the finest boxers of his or any other age. It was a twelve-round fight before a record post-War crowd, and for eleven of those rounds it could have gone either way; indeed, in Round 6 it looked as though Joshua was finished when a massive right hand from Klitschko sent him to the canvas.

There has always been a great boxing tradition in Newport and the valleys of Monmouthshire, but recently the area has excelled itself. Over the last two decades, no fewer than four world champions have been groomed in local gyms. Robbie Regan, Gavin Rees, Nathan Cleverly and the incomparable Joe Calzaghe may be the stand-out achievers featured in this book, but they are far from the only stars remembered here. Johnny Basham and the `Maesglas Marciano', Dick Richardson, lead the way for the city on the Usk, while there are many others who have worn the Lonsdale Belt or claimed Commonwealth Games medals. And the changing face of boxing is epitomised by Ebbw Vale girl Ashley Brace, the first woman to top a professional bill in Wales - and the first to win an international title. Some 70 boxers are pictured and profiled. Any fight fan, whether a `Gwentie' or not, will enjoy this book.