Joe Gans captured the world lightweight title in 1902, becoming the first black American world title holder in any sport. Gans was a master strategist and tactician, and one the earliest practitioners of "scientific" boxing. As a black champion reigning during the Jim Crow era, he endured physical assaults, a stolen title, bankruptcy, and numerous attempts to destroy his reputation. Four short years after successfully defending his title in the 42-round "Greatest Fight of the Century," Joe Gans was dead of tuberculosis. This biography features original round-by-round ringside telegraph reports of his most famous and controversial fights, a complete fight history, photographs, early newspaper cartoons depicting boxers, and discussion of contemporary cultural representations of and tributes to the man considered to be among the finest boxers in history.

Oscar Battling Matthew Nelson was without question the toughest and most durable professional boxer ever to enter a ring. Obscure, although he was selected by the Hall of Fame as part of their third induction class, unheard of yet often appropriately called the most hardwearing boxer in ring history, overlooked, yet many boxing historians rank him among the 100 greatest boxers ever. From the moment he set foot in the ring, he presented himself as a man's man, a Danish immigrant of integrity who never smoked, drank or took a dive, and in both his pugilistic exploits and his often very public behavior established a heroic image of himself as an athlete-a world lightweight champion-and sportsman, reporter, entertainer, real estate mogul, businessman and lady's man. As the first champion in his division to ever mount a comeback, he broke new ground, even if it wasn't always pretty, or ultimately successful. In the years since his death in 1954, there has been little disagreement over the significance of his life: A bona fide ring champion, whose endurance was second to none, and whose trilogy with Joe Gans was one of the greatest in sports history.

___________________ Ramla Ali is a triple threat - humanitarian, model and boxer. Her life inside and outside the ring represents her ruthless refusal to quit and passion to fight for what she believes in. In her first book, Ramla details ten key fights - a combination of life's constant challenges and real bouts she's endured both in and outside of the ring - that have shaped her remarkable rise to date. From her arrival in England as a refugee to being drawn to the energy and spirit of her first boxercise class; from the adrenaline of her first amateur fights to how she often powered on alone, searching for a community of women like her, and her biggest win of all: letting love into her life. Each relatable lesson is packed full of honesty and urgency, powering the reader on to become their own champion. ___________________ 'No matter where you start off in life, hard work, dedication and an unwillingness to give up will always see you through to your target. I hope you can take as much out of this book as I did' ANTHONY JOSHUA 'A gripping and essential read. She continues to turn her own immense personal achievements into positive change for others and make a mark not only in her sport, but also in the world' CAMILLA THURLOW 'A force for good ... Ali is tough, self-possessed, funny and unafraid to tell it how it is' FINANCIAL TIMES 'Ali radiates energy ... her ruthless refusal to quit has propelled her to the top of the sporting and fashion world' TELEGRAPH 'Is there anything Somali-born boxing champion Ramla Ali can't do?' VOGUE 'Here is a woman so determined and driven to meet her goals, 'hero' doesn't seem inappropriate' STYLIST 'Ramla Ali is an unstoppable force' ELLE

"The fighter's life is not an easy one. No one knows that more than Michael Bisping. But few have done it better." --Thomas Gerbasi, UFC.com Britain's own Rocky Balboa, Michael Bisping tells the incredible story of how he went from rough and humble beginnings and then on to a legendary career capped by winning the Middleweight Championship. "If I quit the first time I tasted defeat, I wouldn't be here now," Bisping once said. The ultimate UFC underdog, Bisping fought his way to Number One contender status three times, only to be knocked back. But he refused to give in, clawing his way to his first World Title shot at the age of 37--when he finally became champion in one of the greatest upsets in UFC history. Loaded with the humor and brutal honesty that first won him a following and made him one of the sport's biggest stars, Bisping recounts his record setting 13-year fight career battling the likes of Anderson Silva, Georges St-Pierre, and Dan Henderson. "The Count" tells his story in a way that only he knows how. "[An] unprecedented look at one of the most incredible--and most entertaining--careers the UFC has ever seen." --John Morgan, lead staff reporter for MMA Junkie, host of The MMA Road Show