An extraordinary account of the life of unknown club boxer, Frank Steele, who sparred with legendary boxing greats like Muhammad Ali, George Foreman, Joe Frazier and Ernie Shavers. Impoverished from birth and poorly educated, Frank did the best he could to parlay his boxing prowess and brute strength into fame and fortune. Hired as Foreman's chief sparring partner to help prepare the champ for the Ali "Rumble in the Jungle" fight in Africa, he was fired after doing his job too well -- beating up Foreman and knocking his headgear into the audience. When Ali heard about the incident, he paid Frank $3,000 for the secret to defeating the unbeaten and seemingly invincible champion. This is the untold story of what lead to the greatest upset in boxing history.Ben Clement's research for this book included nine months of interviews with Frank Steele, researching boxing history, and speaking with one of Frank's promoters and the residents of Gary who remembered "The Man of Steel." Ben believes that Frank represents all of the nobodies out there whose lives lack notoriety or infamy, but still have dignity, value and importance nonetheless. He's inspired most by his parents, Fanny & Thestal Clement, and others in their generation who braved the dangers and indignities of racism and inequality while raising black children to become responsible, productive, successful, influential, and patriotic Americans. Ben grew up, and still lives, in Gary, Indiana.

Strategy is the craft of a warrior – Miyamoto Musashi Written around 1645, Miyamoto Musashi’s Five Rings is a classic Japanese work on mastery in swordsmanship, leadership and conflict. Musashi was a swordsman, philosopher and strategist, and today his work remains of influence not only in the realm of martial arts but in the business world, too. Musashi’s no-nonsense approach to the martial arts and combat includes eliminating technical flourishes, understanding that technique should simply be understood as defeating your opponent, and appreciating that the same qualities apply in both small- scale and large-scale conflicts. Repeatedly, he stresses the importance of learning through practice, rather than merely reading about them. Produced in a handy pocket format, Five Rings is presented in an exquisite illustrated edition with a brand new modern translation.

"Every once in a while, a book publisher comes up with a great concept for a series of books that deserve more than superficial recognition. Such a series is The Greatest (fill in the blank) Stories Ever Told, anthologies that should win places on many bedside tables. On the long winter nights that lie ahead, such stories make great reading." -The Lexington County Chronicle "THE GREATEST BOXING STORIES EVER TOLD assembles some of the best writing available on the sweet science and illuminates boxing in all its literal and symbolic glory. Each piece in this varied collection connects with the sort of powerful punch one can only expect from the world's greatest writers." -Boxing Digest In THE GREATEST BOXING STORIES EVER TOLD, editor Jeff Silverman delivers a knockout collection of not only the best writing ever penned on the subject of "the sweet science," but also stories that relate to the larger human issues the brutal sport has come to embody. Whether the story be about the triumph of a heroic champion, a tragic death in the ring, the shady tactics of fight promoters, or victories against seemingly impossible odds, each story in this varied collection connects powerfully with the reader. THE GREATEST BOXING STORIES EVER TOLD is the perfect gift for fight fans and non-fight fans alike, and with its allstar lineup of "contenders" throwing "haymakers" and "uppercuts" in every round, it stands as the definitive volume of short stories on this enduring pugilistic pastime.

The culmination of 25 years of research, Alex Bennett's groundbreaking English translation of Miyamoto Musashi's The Book of Five Rings reveals the true meaning of the original work. Plus, definitive translations of five more known works of Musashi! This piece of writing by famed samurai Musashi (1584-1645) is the single-most influential work on samurai swordsmanship, offering insights into samurai history, the Zen Buddhist state of "no-mind" that enables warriors to triumph and the philosophical meaning of Bushido--"the way of the warrior." Until now, English translations of The Book of Five Rings have been based on inaccurate copies of Musashi's long-lost original manuscript. Bennett's translation is the first to be based on a careful reconstruction of the original text by Japan's foremost Musashi scholar. By identifying discrepancies among the existing copies, adding missing texts and correcting over 150 incorrect characters, this source is the closest representation of Musashi's original work possible. Utilizing this new source, Bennett captures the subtle nuance of the classic Japanese text, resulting in the most accurate English translation of The Book of Five Rings available Enjoy complete, richly annotated translations of Musashi's most-known works: The Book of Five Rings Mirror on the Way of Combat Notes on Combat Strategy Combat Strategy in 35 Articles The Five-Direction Sword Pathways The Path Walked Alone The texts are richly annotated by Bennett, who includes an extensive introduction on Musashi's life and legacy. This paperback edition also includes a new introduction by Kendo Kyoshi 7th Dan Graham Sayer, who talks about the influence Musashi's writings have had on him as a person and martial artist. The Complete Musashi: The Book of Five Rings and Other Works will be widely read by those interested in Japanese culture, Samurai history and martial arts--setting a new standard against which all other translations will be measured.

This fascinating book here in its complete and unabridged form makes a worthy addition to the bookshelf of all those interested in this craft. This volume presents in its entirety, the kano system of Jui-jitsu, devised by proffesor Jiguro Kano with the additions thereto that have been made by those famous jiu-jitsians, Hoshino and Tsutsumi. Many of the earliest books, particularly those dating back to the 1900s and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive. We are republishing these classic works in affordable, high quality, modern editions, using the original text and artwork

..". the art merely became like a domesticated wild cat, content to sleep whilst still retaining a savagery at its heart enabling it to bare its teeth when required." - John Dowding, 4th degree Ch'ang Hon Taekwon-do Hae Sul: Real Applications To The ITF Patterns, Vol. 2 continues where the ground breaking Vol. 1 left off. In Vol. 2 the senior patterns of the Ch'ang Hon System up to 2nd Dan, have gone through the same in-depth analysis as the lower grade patterns originally did, with each one having been examined, dissected and rebuilt to help the student of Taekwon-do to understand what is really contained within the patterns we practice in Taekwon-do. Patterns Hwa-Rang, Choong-Moo, Kwang-Gae, Po-Eun, Ge-Baek, Eui-Am, Choong-Jang, Ko-Dang and Juche have been examined in-depth to find more realistic applications for their movements - based upon what the author refers to as their 'DNA'. In this volume, even the ready postures and stances have been examined and the results are documented in step by step photographic detail, using over 2,200 photographs. Comprising over 350 pages, this book not only shows more realistic applications to the Red Belt, 1st Dan and 2nd Dan patterns, but also explains how it is possible to achieve these applications in the first place, why General Choi, Hong Hi, the founder of Ch'ang Hon Taekwon-do couldn't make the same conclusions, as well as expelling a falsehood that has been with Taekwon-Do since its inception After reading this book, the patterns of Taekwon-do no longer seem just a collection of movements, performed in a dance-like fashion for competitions or gradings, but become realistic techniques that can actually be utilised as real world self defence applications - making this a must-read companion to Vol. 1, for all students who study and practice Taekwon-do.

Two of the most prominent and celebrated athletes in the world, Marvelous Marvin Hagler and Sugar Ray Leonard came together to contest the $100million SuperFight on April 6, 1987 at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. From Frank Sinatra to U2, Joan Collins to Whoopi Goldberg, the stars were drawn to ringside by the huge box-office appeal of the blue-collar, dominant world middleweight champion facing his nemesis, the charismatic and flamboyant Sugar Ray, who was coming out of virtually five years of retirement. Drawing on his deep reservoir of nerve, outstanding technique and a strategy which Budd Schulberg - who provided Marlon Brando with the immortal line, 'I coulda been a contender' - called a compound optical illusion, Leonard won on points. It was boxing's greatest comeback, but to this day the judges' decision remains bitterly contested and not merely by the protagonists. But the story of The SuperFight is much more than the story of the fight, for it details two remarkable lives, the demons that drove both men and the formidable challenges they overcame inside and outside the ring. Hagler grew up in the Newark, New Jersey ghetto of Central Ward, where a riot/rebellion rooted in racism claimed the lives of 26 people, injured 1,000 more and, to the young teenager, was "like the end of the world". Fuelled by anger, he climbed to the top of his domain and ruled for seven years as champion, one of the most accomplished in boxing's annals. Leonard was an Olympic gold medallist and all-American hero whose career was cut short by a detached retina after he became the world welterweight king. He was Muhammad Ali's gifted and anointed successor but he succumbed to alcohol and drug abuse and for years was tormented by a secret - the sexual abuse he endured as an amateur boxer by a trusted coach. As provocative and polarising in its own way as Ali's defining rivalry with Joe Frazier, this is the story of The SuperFight, of Marvin Hagler and Ray Leonard and a fierce fire that still burns.