The Last Great Prizefight chronicles the lives of three men, Jack Johnson, Jim Jeffries, and Tex Rickard, as they overcome corruption, racism, and despair to produce one of the most significant and intriguing sporting events in history. When it came to this fight, America was simultaneously manic and indignant. Prizefighting was unseemly yet compelling. In a schizophrenic country, the godly part did its best to stop the fight. It nearly succeeded; it is remarkable that this match ever took place. It is also amazing that Tex Rickard became the promoter. And, ironically, if it had not been for Tex Rickard, the fight may have been canceled as no other promoter may have been able to overcome the obstacles put in place to prevent it. The details reveal much about the history of boxing. That is, the history of this fight cannot be told adequately without understanding how boxing arrived at this point. And the present state of boxing cannot be understood without knowing how it used to be. In other words, the context of the fight is as important and as interesting as the fight itself. Written by a former Nevada bookie, the Last Great Prizefight brings to life this fascinating era of American sports. It is unlike most sports books in its perspective; It does not focus narrowly on sports but takes a broader look at American sports culture, making it enjoyable to both sports and non sports fans alike.

Boxing's biggest stars speak to head writer of Boxing Digest magazine, Richard Scurti! Who hit them the hardest? Their best knockouts? What got them started in boxing? It's all here! From Ray Leonard to Oscar De La Hoya to Sylvester Stallone! They're all here Complete! WWW.MYSPACE.COM/RICHARDSCURTI

"Sugar" Ray Leonard, "Marvelous" Marvin Hagler, Thomas "Hit Man" Hearns, and Roberto Duran all formed the pantheon of boxing greats during the late 1970s and early 1980s--before the pay-per-view model, when prize fights were telecast on network television and still captured the nation's attention. Championship bouts during this era were replete with revenge and fury, often pitting one of these storied fighters against another. From training camps to locker rooms, veteran sports journalist George Kimball was there to cover every body shot, uppercut, and TKO. Inside stories, including recent interviews of each of the boxers, are full of drama, sacrifice, fear, and pain, resulting in a fast-paced, blow-by-blow account of four extraordinary adversaries and a remarkable boxing epoch.

What separates the chaos of fighting from the coherent ritual of boxing? According to author David Scott, it is a collection of aesthetic constructions, including the shape of the ring, the predictable rhythm of timed rounds, the uniformity of the boxers' glamorous attire, and the stylization of the combatants' posture and punches. In "The Art and Aesthetics of Boxing," Scott explores the ways in which these and other aesthetic elements of the sport have evolved over time. Scott comprehensively addresses the rich dialogue between boxing and the arts, suggesting that boxing not only possesses intrinsic aesthetic qualities but also has inspired painters, graphic designers, surrealist poets, and modern writers to identify, expand, and respond to the aesthetic properties of the sport. Divided into three parts, the book moves from a consideration of the evolution and intrinsic aesthetics of boxing to the responses to the sport by cubist and futurist painters and sculptors, installation artists, poster designers, photographers, and, finally, surrealist poets and modernist writers. With distinctive illustrations and photographs in nine short chapters, Scott creates a visual as well as a textual narrative that supplements and concretely demonstrates the deep, dynamic relationship between the art of boxing and the world of art and literature.

Writers have long been attracted to boxing. Hemingway, Mailer, Algren, Plimpton, Oates, and many others have stepped into the ring--at least in spirit--to give voice to an otherwise wordless sport, to celebrate that "sweet science," and to bear witness to its romance and tragedy. In this acclaimed book, hailed by Norman Mailer as an "impressive event," we are brought for the first time into the ring for a close-up look at the "manly art" through the eyes of Jose Torres, a man who was a great boxer himself. When former light-heavyweight world champion Torres traded in his gloves for a typewriter, boxing finally found its eyewitness.
In the classic "Sting Like a Bee," Torres turns his well-trained eye on one of the most celebrated and controversial athletes of all time: Muhammad Ali. In this penetrating view of Ali and the world of prizefighting, told by a true insider and "boxing's Renaissance man," Torres delivers exciting and explicit accounts of all of Ali's major fights with the cool authenticity of one who has lived it.

It's cold outside and the perfect season to envelope your thoughts in a good boxing book. Here is a collection of captivating stories about our heroes in the squared circle. There's something here for every fight fan. From "Tough Guys Who Fight Tough Guys" to the "The Closet Classics," The author once again delivers the goods with a swift paced descriptive writing style. Fight fans from the United Kingdom will recognize many of their local heroes includingLuton scrapper Billy Schwer. Ring tested names are blended from boxing historic past together with the courageous gladiators of today. A lifelong fight fan, Sares is well qualified to convey his love of boxing and its combatants as well as a contrasted disgust for certain questionable activities within the sport. Pick up a copy today and stimulate your boxing mind and at the same time enjoy a good read.

Muhammad Ali (born Cassius Clay) has always engendered an emotional reaction from the public. From his appearance as an Olympic champion to his iconic status as a national hero, his carefully constructed image and controversial persona have always been intensely scrutinized. In Muhammad Ali, Michael Ezra considers the boxer who calls himself "The Greatest" from a new perspective. He writes about Ali's pre-championship bouts, the management of his career and his current legacy, exploring the promotional aspects of Ali and how they were wrapped up in political, economic, and cultural "ownership." Ezra's incisive study examines the relationships between Ali's cultural appeal and its commercial manifestations. Citing examples of the boxer's relationship to the Vietnam War and the Nation of Islam-which serve as barometers of his "public moral authority"-Muhammad Ali analyzes the difficulties of creating and maintaining these cultural images, as well as the impact these themes have on Ali's meaning to the public.

In 1892, while training for his historic fight with Gentleman Jim Corbett, undefeated heavyweight boxing champion John L. Sullivan wrote "Reminiscences of a 19th Century Gladiator," a summation of his extraordinary life and career. In the book, the "Boston Strong Boy" shares with the reader the story of his humble origins and the obstacles, both legal and personal, that he had to overcome to become the most famous boxer of the 19th century. This deluxe edition of the book contains additional material including never-before-included photographs, newspaper accounts, and interviews.

This scarce antiquarian book is included in our special Legacy Reprint Series. In the interest of creating a more extensive selection of rare historical book reprints, we have chosen to reproduce this title even though it may possibly have occasional imperfections such as missing and blurred pages, missing text, poor pictures, markings, dark backgrounds and other reproduction issues beyond our control. Because this work is culturally important, we have made it available as a part of our commitment to protecting, preserving and promoting the world's literature.

In 1888, William Edwards wrote "The Art of Boxing and Manual of Training" with the help of his friend and former ring opponent, Arthur Chambers. One of the earliest American books on the subject, "The Art of Boxing and Manual of Training" features detailed boxing techniques as well as tips on diet and exercise. The book also includes the various rules governing ringcraft, most notably the American Fair-Play Rules. The inclusion of these rules resulted in the book's inclusion in a landmark 1895 Supreme Court case pitting the state of Louisiana against boxing in New Orleans. This deluxe edition contains additional material including William Edwards' obituary and newspaper reports of the Louisiana court case.

An inside look at the world of professional boxing, "From Fightin' to Writin'" focuses on the stories few have heard. Whether it's the young prospect on his way up, the champion looking to hold on to his title, or the grizzled veteran hoping for that one big break, award-winning boxing writer Thomas Gerbasi brings their stories to you with a hard-hitting immediacy that makes you feel like you're in the locker room with some of boxing's toughest warriors before the big fight. Covering everything from women's boxing and the heavyweight division to Olympians on the rise and the international fight scene, this is not a book about Mike Tyson, Oscar De La Hoya, or Muhammad Ali. Instead, "From Fightin' to Writin'" takes you deeper than ever before into the lives of fighters before and after they hit the big time.

In 1892, "Gentleman" James J. Corbett defeated John L. Sullivan to become the heavyweight champion of the world. Using his own "scientific boxing" techniques, Corbett delivered a blistering lesson to the previously unbeatable Sullivan, ending the fight with a knockout in the 21st round. With Corbett's win, a new era in boxing began. ***** Corbett is considered by many to be the "father of modern boxing" for being the first person to apply scientific principles to the art of pugilism. In "Scientific Boxing," the creator of such boxing innovations as the "left hook" distills his scientific methodology into an accessible manual of boxing techniques. This classic book contains sections on fundamental boxing techniques, fouling techniques, and the various boxing rules of his time. ***** This deluxe edition of "Scientific Boxing" contains additional photos and an added account of the fight between Corbett and Sullivan. ***** James J. Corbett (1866-1933) held the title of heavyweight champion from 1892 to 1897. He was the first to win the title under the Marquis of Queensberry rules. College educated, Corbett was also an actor, writer, and boxing coach. ***** "Corbett marked the turning point in ring history, replacing mauling sluggers with the new school of faster, scientific boxers." Bob Burrill, "Who's Who in Boxing"

A sought-after classic in the field of boxing that has inspired and influenced countless champions, "The Straight Left and How to Cultivate It" is now available for a new generation. In this book Jim Driscoll describes the simple straight left punch as a formidable and versatile weapon that can be used for a direct attack, as a defense, and as a counterattack. This deluxe edition contains additional photographs and illustrations not seen in any previous edition.

The author of "The Text Book of Boxing" returns with a book on one of the most neglected areas of boxing training, long-range boxing. First published in 1914 and written by England's finest fighter, "Out-Fighting or Long Range Boxing" is a must-have for boxing historians. The boxing manual contains over 40 photographs, detailed instructions on boxing techniques, as well as Driscoll's thoughts on the state of boxing. This deluxe edition contains additional material including newspaper reports of Driscoll fights.

The most bizarre world championship fight in boxing history was staged on St. Patrick's Day 1923, in war-torn Dublin. The winner in the ring, Mike McTigue, went on to run with gunmen, gangsters and racketeers in Jazz Age New York. A Bloody Canvas: The Mike McTigue Story tells the story of how Michael Francis McTigue left Kilnamona, Co. Clare, to seek fame and fortune in the United States, only for circumstances to bring him back to Dublin where he would win one of the strangest world title fights in boxing history. Set partly against the background of the Irish Civil War, it also tells of a bitterly divided people who managed to set aside their differences for twenty rounds of boxing before the guns started firing and the mines started exploding once more. But primarily, A Bloody Canvas is a biography. It tells how an ageing journeyman fighter found himself to be the right Irishman, in the right place at the right time. This is the saga of an underdog boxer laced with wrenching danger and a panoramic sense of life from late eighteenth-century rural Ireland to the Civil War, to the heady days of the Jazz Age in New York and the desperation of the Great Depression.

No sport offers more allure and repulsion than the inviting and abrasive world of boxing. Starting on the mean streets of 1950s Chicago, this collection of essays moves into a close reflection of the boxing world up through the glitz of today's boxing circuit.

For Ted Sares, boxing is more than a sparring match between two combatants violently punching each another. It is a visceral experience that reaches in all directions, from his childhood memories of visiting the Chicago rings with his father to today's all-out-fight demeanor of Juan Manuel Marquez and Manny Pacquiao. At the same time tender and brutal, triumphant and tragic, in the end these pieces are about the last man standing and the hope for fair judgment between the victor and the defeated.

"Boxing Is My Sanctuary" is a collection of essays that explores both sides of a sport that is colored with paradox. Between the violent and affectionate, the barbaric and the civilized, Sares finds a ringside refuge in the midst of the sights, sounds, and smells that define boxing.

These gentlemen do not hesitate to take a serious look at the major fights of today, weigh the important factors, and make a prediction as to how the contest will proceed and who will win. This does not mean they are always correct. Who is? But in addressing how each combatant will fight his adversary, they are usually on target. In selecting the winner, again they are correct an uncanny number of times. So, it is quite interesting to see what they have to say in advance of a match and also in assessing the outcome. Their study of boxing is not limited to the present either. While they focus primarily on boxers after the year 1930, they are well-read and extremely knowledgeable about the old-timers that preceded these men, even as far back a the bare-knuckle fighters. I have experienced some challenging debates with Tom and Frank regarding several men in boxing history and, in some cases, I am hard-pressed to produce a decent argument in response to some of the points they emphasize. I have followed boxing for over 57 years now, ever since I was a child, eight years of age. subject--magazines, books and newspapers (from as far back as 1820). I have read what sportswriters, coaches, athletes, boxers, and fans have to say. In conclusion, I must say that Tom and Frank write with as much authority and in-depth knowledge as anyone I have read and exhibit in their writing the keen observation and analysis that is often lacking in the work of many others. The book makes for a good reader on the subject of boxing with short and easy to read essays that serve to whet the appetite of a boxing fan. Tracy Callis

No one gave James "Buster" Douglas much of a chance when he faced "Iron" Mike Tyson on February 11, 1990, in the Tokyo Dome. Tyson was Godzilla, and Buster wasn't expected to be anything more than a moth for Tyson to swat away, much less Mothra. Douglas had four losses already and 42-1 odds against him in this bout. One reporter, going through Japanese customs, announced he was in town for business. When asked how long he would be working, he laughed and responded "Oh, about a minute." The match lasted longer than that, though. When it was over, it was the greatest upset in boxing history. Buster Douglas was the new heavyweight champion of a shocked, surprised, and stunned world. Here is the inside story of just how the biggest of underdogs, dealing with the recent death of his mother, dethroned the invincible Tyson. John Johnson, Douglas's manager for this slugfest and most of his career, takes the reader into the ring in Tokyo and details the beginning of Douglas's career - how he positioned himself to be the champ - as well as the post-fight fall that started with a loss in his first defense of the title. Johnson and coauthor Bill Long interviewed people who were in the ring, at ringside announcing the match, and in the crowd both covering the bout or just watching it for the expected devastation. Announcers Jim Lampley, Larry Merchant, and Sugar Ray Leonard discuss their memories, and men in both corners detail the in-fight machinations for both Tyson and Douglas. Mike Tyson's loss to Buster Douglas truly rocked the world and threw heavyweight boxing into a tumult that still resonates today.

"Boxing In The Shadows" is the story of many great Black fighters throughout the past century and puts their accomplishments within the context of the era that they fought in. This book is the seventh book that Mr. Donelson has written or co-written. Mr. Donelson has written on a variety of subjects over the past three decades and been published in newspapers and publications, Mr. Donelson is a leading observer of the boxing scene as well as a member of the International Boxing Research Organization, the leading boxing historical society.

About Mr. Donelson, Ringsports.com Rusty Rubin writes, "Tom Donelson is an outstanding scribe in describing the world of boxing. This is why I asked Mr. Donelson to co-authored our book, Billy Soose, "The Champion that Time Forgot.""

Alan Scott Haft provides the first-hand testimony of his father, Harry Haft, a holocaust victim with a singular story of endurance, desperation, and unrequited love. Harry Haft was a sixteen-year-old Polish Jew when he entered a concentration camp in 1944. Forced to fight other Jews in bare-knuckle bouts for the perverse entertainment of SS officers, Harry quickly learned that his own survival depended on his ability to fight and win. Haft details the inhumanity of the ""sport"" in which he must perform in brutal contests for the officers. Ultimately escaping the camp, Haft's experience left him an embittered and pugnacious young man. Determined to find freedom, Haft traveled to America and began a career as a professional boxer, quickly finding success using his sharp instincts and fierce confidence. In a historic battle, Haft fights in a match with Rocky Marciano, the future undefeated heavy-weight champion of the world. Haft's boxing career takes him into the world of such boxing legends as Rocky Graziano, Roland La Starza, and Artie Levine, and he reveals new details about the rampant corruption at all levels of the sport. In sharp contrast to Elie Wiesel's scholarly, pious protagonist in ""Night"", Harry Haft is an embattled survivor, challenging the reader's capacity to understand suffering and find compassion for an antihero whose will to survive threatens his own humanity. Haft's account, at once dispassionate and deeply absorbing, is an extraordinary story and an invaluable contribution to Holocaust literature.

Originally published in 1915, this is a memoir of Eugene Corri's career as a boxing referee. He refereed all the top fights of the day and speaks at length of both the fights themselves and the boxers who fought them, all of whom he knew well. Well-illustrated with black and white photographs, this is a fascinating glimpse into a vanished era. Many of the earliest books, particularly those dating back to the 1900s and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive. Hesperides Press are republishing these classic works in affordable, high quality, modern editions, using the original text and artwork. Contents Include - The Lucky-Tub of Memory - The Carpentier-Gunboat Smith Fight - Barbardier Wells, with a Word or Two about Carpentier - Robert Fitzsimmons - Willie Ritchie and Freddy Welsh - Matt Wells, Sereant Basham, and Johnny Summers - Wilde The Wizard - Some Boxing Storeys - More Boxing Storeys - Boxing in the War

Easily the most enduring of all sports questions is Who was/is the best . . . ? Perhaps in no sport is the question more asked and argued over than in boxing. And in boxing perhaps none is more qualified to answer the question than Bert Randolph Sugar.
In Boxing's Greatest Fighters, not only does the former publisher of Ring Magazine tell us who the best fighters were, he lists them in order.
Could Sugar Ray Robinson have beaten Muhammad Ali? Could Sugar Ray Leonard have beaten Sonny Liston? The answer, most experts agree, would be no. But what if, as Bert Sugar has done here, one were to take all the boxers and reduce them in the minds eye to the same height, the same weight, and the same ring conditions? The answers would be quite different.
And while some fans may express outrage that Rocky Marciano barely makes the top twenty, and Marvin Hagler staggers into the top seventy-five, others will nod eagerly when they read that Harry Greb and Benny Leonard were better than just about anybody.
So whether you read Boxing's Greatest Fighters cover to cover, pick your
favorites at random, or simply browse through the many rare photographs, at
the bell, come out arguing.