'You can get a couple of years for beating the shit out of another bloke or a couple of grand. I chose to do the latter.' Decca's story is that of a bullied boy with an impossible dream. Of solvent abuse, violence, drug addiction, depression, boxing, bare-knuckle fighting but - ultimately - redemption. It begins on a council estate in Carlisle where, as the victim of cruel bullies, a young Decca anaesthetised himself from the pain and humiliation by sniffing solvents. In his mid-teens the fear fell away to be replaced by fury, as the bullies soon discovered to their cost. Memories of that frightened boy fuelled a rage that forged a fearsome street-fighter and future champion. Working on the doors attracted more trouble but further enhanced his growing reputation. At the age of nineteen, life was good until the love of his life left him. Depression set in and prevailed. For almost ten years, he fell prey to a rampant cocaine habit, which provoked his demons, making him unpredictable and dangerous to be around. Serious jail time seemed inevitable. Out of sheer desperation, his dad arranged Decca's first unlicensed boxing match. He won and became instantly hooked. Having gotten fit, hungry, and off the drugs, he was lured into the bloody arena of bare-knuckle fighting. Many brutal undefeated fights followed, as did two BKB heavyweight titles. A chance meeting with renowned boxing promoter, Ricky English led to Decca's shot at the iconic 'Guv'nor' title. The rest, as they say, is history.

The book that inspired the major motion picture 'I loved it ... extremely funny. A must-read for anyone who loves football.' Peter Crouch In the late 1960s, in the warm glow of England winning the World Cup, Dave Roberts, like most teenage boys his age, was football mad. There was just one difference: rather than supporting the likes of Arsenal or Manchester United, Dave's team of choice was the ever so slightly less glamorous Bromley Football Club - one of the last genuinely amateur football teams left, fighting for survival in the lowest non-league division. This book is the story of Bromley's worst ever season. It is a funny and heart-warming tale of football at the very bottom: Dave turns up to each match with his football boots in his bag, just in case the team are a player short; the crowd is always announced as 400 as no-one can be bothered to count; the team ship so many goals that in one match, the taunting opposition fans actually lose count of the score. It's easy being a football fan when your team are always winning. The Bromley Boys is the touching true story about supporting a club through thin and even thinner: proof that the more your team may lose on the pitch, the more there is to gain on the terraces.

Sir Robin Knox-Johnston burst to fame when he became the first man ever to complete a single-handed, non-stop circumnavigation of the world. Now, 50 years on from that famous voyage, he reveals the true, extraordinary story of his life. After leaving school, he immediately joined the Royal Naval Reserve before serving in the merchant navy and travelling the world. During that time, he spied for the British government in the Gulf, worked in the South African dockyards, and built his boat Suhaili in Bombay, before sailing home to England. In June 1968, he set sail in Suhaili in the Sunday Times Golden Globe Race, and Running Free vividly brings to life that remarkable voyage, where he was the only person to finish the race, completing his journey on 22 April 1969 and thus entering the record books. Once back home, he set up a hugely successful business and continued his naval adventures, completing a second solo circumnavigation of the globe in 2007 - at 68, he became the oldest to complete this feat. Knox-Johnston's insatiable appetite for life and adventure shines through these pages, making this book a must for all sailing enthusiasts, readers of books by Ranulph Fiennes and Chris Bonington, or for anyone who has felt that the time for putting up your feet can always be put back to another day.

Dynamite and Davey: The Explosive Lives of The British Bulldogs is the triumphant but ultimately tragic story of Tom Billington and Davey Boy Smith. Cousins born just a couple of years apart in a small mining town near Wigan, Tom and Davey discovered the art of wrestling as schoolboys. Tom went on to become 'The Dynamite Kid', arguably the greatest and most pioneering wrestler in history, but his short temper and determination to reach the top of a sport dominated by naturally bigger men would be his undoing. The more reserved Davey became a global superstar, but followed his cousin not just into exceptionalism, but into heavy substance abuse as well. Ultimately, the extraordinarily dysfunctional world of pro wrestling would prove too much for the cousins from Golborne - one proud, one naive. Together they became the best and most influential tag team of their generation. But they could not escape their demons, and their triumphs eventually submitted to their tragedy. Dynamite and Davey is a gripping cautionary tale.

Following Richie Benaud's death in April 2015, two of Australia's finest sports writers, Norman Tasker and Ian Heads, set off on a search for the real Richie: a man who graced the lives of many for more than six decades - first as an outstanding all-rounder and great captain, and then as cricket's greatest TV commentator. Tasker and Heads cast a wide net, seeking fresh material from the people who knew Richie best. The result is an intimate tribute that gets to the heart of Richie Benaud, the man. Contributors include members of Richie's family and childhood friends; cricket greats such as Sir Garfield Sobers, Ted Dexter, Neil Harvey, Alan Davidson, Steve Waugh and Shane Warne; acclaimed journalists such as John Woodcock, David Frith, Gideon Haigh and Tony Cozier; fellow commentators such as Ian Chappell, Mike Atherton, Mark Nicholas and Mark Taylor; and friends, colleagues and business associates from Australia, England, France, India and the Caribbean. The book begins with a revealing foreword by Richie's brother John, himself a former Test cricketer and prominent journalist. It ends with a moving postscript by Richie's second son Jeff.

One of the greatest players of all time, Duncan Edwards's story is one of tragic heroism, brilliantly and movingly told in this superb biography. From a working-class Dudley upbringing, Edwards rose to great heights at Manchester United. In only five years, he helped United to win two league championships and to reach the semi-finals of the European Cup. Among the Busby Babes - United's young, homegrown team - he was the player they all looked to, someone who could (and did) play in any position and still be the best on the pitch. Edwards made his England debut in a game against Scotland at the age of 18 years and 183 days, becoming his country's youngest international since the Second World War - a record which stood until Michael Owen's debut over forty years later. He went on to play 18 games for his country, including all four of the qualifying matched for the 1958 World Cup, in which he was expected to be a key player. Sir Bobby Charlton described him as 'the only player that made me feel inferior' and Terry Venables claimed that, had he lived, it would have been Edwards, not Bobby Moore, who would have lifted the World Cup as captain in 1966. Sadly, it was not to be, after he lost his life following the Munich Air Disaster of 6 February 1958. Page-turning and poignant, author James Leighton tells a story of a magnificent sportsman and great man - the perfect antidote to the headline-grabbing footballers of today.

As a rookie head coach leading a franchise that, though on a steady climb upwards, had largely been dismissed by the sports media, NBA fans had low expectations for Nick Nurse and his Raptors. But what those naysayers didn't realise was that Nurse had spent the past thirty years proving himself at every level of the game, from youth programs and college ball, to the NBA G League and Britain's struggling pro circuit. While few coaches have taken such a circuitous path to pro basketball's promise land, the journey-- which began at Keumper Catholic high school in Carroll, Iowa -- forged a coach who proved to be as unshakeable as he is personable. On the road, he is now known to bring his guitar and keyboard for late-night jazz and blues sessions. In the locker room, he's steadfast and even-keeled regardless of the score. On the court, he pulls out old school, underrated plays with astounding success. A rookie in name but a veteran in attitude, Nurse is seemingly above the chaos of the game and, with two seasons on his resume, -has established himself, incredibly, as one of the NBA's most admired head coaches. Now, in this revealing new book - which will be equal parts personal memoir, leadership manifesto, and philosophical meditation - Nurse tells his own story, while also whisking readers inside the Raptors' locker room and coach's office for an intimate study of the team culture he has built and promises to sustain. As much for readers of Ray Dalio as for fans of John Wooden and Pat Summit, the result promises to become necessary for anyone looking to forge their own path to success.

Ever since his astonishing victory in the 1991 PGA Championship, John Daly has enthralled fans with his big drives, bigger personality, and his "grip it and rip it" approach to golf . . . and to life. Usually seen with a cigarette dangling from his lip, Long John is the unchained, unpredictable, unapologetic bad boy of professional golf.

My Life In and Out of the Rough is the thrillingly--and sometimes shockingly--candid memoir of a larger-than-life athlete battling assorted addictions (alcohol, gambling, chocolate, sex), his weight, and divorce lawyers (having been married four times). Carrying readers off the fairway and into his $1.5-million motor home, Daly takes us on a rollicking ride through his ever-churning world of burgers, booze, casinos, country music, and breathtaking moon shots--and reveals how a down-home Arkansas Everyman rose to the pinnacle of the golf world, escaped from the depths of abject depression, and, ultimately, took control of his life.

Well, sort of . . .

The story of the Lakers dynasty from 1996 through 2004, when Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal combined--and collided--to help bring the Lakers three straight championships and restore the franchise as a powerhouse In the history of modern sport, there have never been two high-level teammates who loathed each other the way Shaquille O'Neal loathed Kobe Bryant, and Kobe Bryant loathed Shaquille O'Neal. From public sniping and sparring, to physical altercations and the repeated threats of trade, it was warfare. And yet, despite eight years of infighting and hostility, by turns mediated and encouraged by coach Phil Jackson, the Shaq-Kobe duo resulted in one of the greatest dynasties in NBA history. Together, the two led the Lakers to three straight championships and returned glory and excitement to Los Angeles. In the tradition of Jeff Pearlman's bestsellers Showtime, Boys Will Be Boys, and The Bad Guys Won, Three-Ring Circus is a rollicking deep dive into one of sports' most fraught yet successful pairings.

He's the most collected athlete ever. And now, you can pick up the ultimate book on any and all "His Airness" collectibles. You'll find checklists and pricing for cards, jerseys, ticket stubs, autographed balls, shoes, magazine covers and more. Full of color photos, this book includes a how-to-collect section and tips on preserving your collection.

Finnish figure skater Kiira Korpi's career included triumphal championships and bitter disappointments. Trained from early childhood in a sport that demands uncompromising self-discipline and unrelenting work, her "fight until you make it" attitude brought her success and fame-and an insidious performance anxiety. Mental and physical burnout forced her retirement in 2015. With interviews and quotes from family, friends, coaches and competitors, Korpi's candid memoir describes the making and eventual undoing of a champion, reveals a darker side to the "ice princess" image of women's figure skating and advocates a more holistic, athlete-centered model of training.

Conor McGregor is the biggest star in the fight game. The Dubliner has achieved more in three years with the Ultimate Fighting Championship than anyone in the twenty year history of the organization. From an unknown prospect in 2013 to the first man to hold two world titles simultaneously, McGregor's knockout-filled march through the featherweight and then lightweight rankings sent shockwaves through the world. But as effortless as McGregor's heroics have seemed, his journey was far from smooth and his destiny anything but certain. Just another teenager trading martial arts techniques with his friends in a shed, the seemingly delusional boy packed in his plumbing gig - to the massive anxiety of his parents - to chase a pipe dream with little promise of reward. No one could have guessed he would go on to become the biggest pay-per-view attraction in the world. As a technician and tactician inside the cage, McGregor was something special. Outside of the cage McGregor could draw thousands of screaming fans to press events with his wit and presence. And away from the cameras, McGregor's life was built around a love of treating his friends and a loyalty to his teammates and his hometown. This is not another tale about an athlete who was born exceptional and groomed for success. It is about how one young man, through bloody-minded determination and indomitable spirit, came to change the whole game. Fully updated to put his mega-fight with Floyd Mayweather under the microscope, Notorious: The Life and Fights of Conor McGregor explores not just how the fight game changed Conor McGregor, but how Conor McGregor revolutionized the fight game.

High jinx and japes from Soccer Saturday's roving reporter extraordinaire, Chris "Kammy" Kamara, whose boyish enthusiasm and often baffling, at-the-ground football reportage has given him cult status and an army of fans.

Over the past decade, football results programme Soccer Saturday has become a television phenomenon, delivering goals and drama via a raft of ex-professional players positioned in TV studios and on precarious gangplanks in rusting stadiums around the country.

At the heart of this success is free-wheeling pundit and roving reporter extraordinaire, Chris "Kammy" Kamara, the former footballer-turned-manager-turned-cult hero who has astounded and dumbfounded a legion of armchair fans with his crackpot catchphrases, hyperactive reporting style and Lionel Richie haircut.

Mr Unbelievable is his rags to riches tale. As a player, Kammy trawled football's outposts with the likes of Bradford City, Stoke City and Portsmouth where he suffered the slings, arrows and hurled bananas of racial abuse. Later, during the autumn of his career, he played in Howard Wilkinson's swashbuckling Leeds team where he rubbed shoulders with the likes of Eric Cantona.

On hanging up his boots, he moved into the dugouts at Bradford and Stoke as manager before joining the Sky football revolution as roving reporter on Soccer Saturday and Goal On Sunday's eagle-eyed analyst, amassing a raft of catchphrases along the way.

Mr Unbelievable is a hugely entertaining, moving, shocking and laugh out loud funny story of a genuine cult hero.

Herbert Jefferis Pennock (1894-1948) was a Hall of Fame pitcher for the dynastic 1920s New York Yankees. Considered one of the best left-handed pitchers in history, Pennock won 241 games on the mound, never lost in his five World Series starts, and came within four outs of pitching the first no-hitter in a World Series in 1927. More than just a great pitcher, Pennock was well-respected by teammates and locals alike. He was known as a principled, practical gentleman, with an intellect that matched his pitching skills and a humanity that bested both. In Herb Pennock: Baseball's Faultless Pitcher, Keith Craig recounts Pennock's ascent from well-to-do Kennett Square to the heights of major league baseball. Signed by the Philadelphia A's legendary Connie Mack as an 18-year-old school boy, Pennock would flourish into a dependable pitcher for the New York Yankees. He was part of the iconic Murderer's Row team and played a crucial role in their World Series victories. For 22 seasons, Pennock's forte was control, not power; he studied each hitter, every at bat, and exploited all weaknesses. When Pennock's playing career came to an end, he used that same single-minded diligence as the General Manager of the woeful Philadelphia Phillies, where he reinvented the team through the careful development of its farm system that resulted in the 1950 pennant-winning Whiz Kids. Including interviews with Pennock's family members and Kennett Square residents who personally knew the baseball legend, Herb Pennock: Baseball's Faultless Pitcher is the first biography to paint such a complete picture of Pennock and the times he lived in. Featuring original photographs provided by his family, this book delivers an invaluable look into the life of a great ballplayer, savvy front-office executive, and honorable man.

The son of a Scottish plantation owner and a free woman of colour, Andrew Watson was provided for by his wealthy father. Receiving a first-class education in English public schools, he would later reject university to become a footballer in Glasgow. Schooled by the most advanced practitioners of the game at that time, he became one of the best footballers in Glasgow and captained Scotland's invincible national team. He played for the greatest clubs of the day on both sides of the border and as a 'Scottish professor', brought his talent to England and shared his knowledge with the Southern amateurs, helping the game evolve from a public-school pastime to a national obsession. He played alongside and educated many who would represent the English national team, changing the game forever. But the record of his achievements faded as the game he helped change took over the world, leaving his memory in the shadows. Over 100 years later, he was rediscovered in an old photograph, and after years of research, his achievements were finally recognised.

Widely regarded as one of the greatest ever sportspeople, Roger Federer is a global phenomenon. From his humble beginnings as a temperamental teenager to becoming symbol of enduring greatness, The Master is the definitive biography of a global icon who is both beloved and yet intensely private. But his path from temperamental, bleach-blond teenager with dubious style sense to one of the greatest, most self-possessed and elegant of competitors has been a long-running act of will, not destiny. He not only had a great gift. He had grit. With access to Federer's inner circle, including his wife, Mirka, his longtime trainer and based on one-on-one interviews with Federer, legendary sports reporter Chris Clarey's account will be a must read retrospective for the loyal sports fans, and anyone interested in the inner workings of unfaltering excellence. The Master tells the story of Federer's life and career on both an intimate and grand scale.

A must-read biography of one of the greatest football managers of all time. Sir Alex Ferguson CBE, born 31 December 1941, is a former Scottish football player and was manager of Manchester United from 1986 to 2013. During his 26 years in charge of United, he won more trophies than any other manager in the history of football. Packed with nearly 80 entertaining and exclusive interviews from those who know Ferguson best - friends, colleagues, associates and those who worked with him at both Aberdeen and Manchester United share their unique insight into the innermost secrets of Ferguson's fascinating life and hugely successful career.

The rollercoaster career of Tony Lock, extending over twenty-five years, is the saga of a resilient cricketer who triumphed over adversity. He was an inspirational figure in Surrey's seven consecutive championship wins in the 1950s when he forged a feared spin partnership with Jim Laker for both club and country. Controversy stalked Lock as a bowler during his destructive rule with Surrey and England but the return to the orthodox style of his youth brought renewed acclaim. He rejoiced in another role as captain in reviving the fortunes of Leicestershire and Western Australia, where he led the state to victory in the Sheffield Shield. Tony Lock was, for a legion of admirers, an incorrigible showman, with boundless enthusiasm for the game. It was said of him, for instance, that when he appealed at the Oval, someone else was given out at Lord's. Tony Lock: Aggressive Master of Spin is an engrossing study that reveals the paradox of a volatile and vulnerable man, but an astonishingly durable cricketer; his memory will endure.

The story of Giannis Antetokounmpo's extraordinary rise from poverty in Athens, Greece, to superstardom in America with the Milwaukee Bucks-becoming one of the most transcendent players in history and an NBA Champion-from award-winning basketball reporter and feature writer at The Ringer Mirin Fader. As the face of the NBA's new world order, Giannis Antetokounmpo has overcome unfathomable obstacles to become a symbol of hope for people all over the world; the personification of the American Dream. But his backstory remains largely untold. Fader unearths new information about the childhood that shaped "The Greek Freak"-from sleeping side by side with his brothers to selling trinkets on the street with his family to the racism he experienced. Antetokounmpo grew up in an era when Golden Dawn, Greece's far-right, anti-immigrant party, patrolled his neighborhood, and his status as an illegal immigrant largely prevented him from playing for the country's top clubs, making his NBA rise all the more improbable. Fader tells a deeply human story of how an unknown, skinny, Black Greek teen, who played in the country's lowest pro division and was seen as a draft gamble, transformed his body and his game into MVP material. Antetokounmpo's story has been framed as a feel-good narrative in which everyone has embraced him-watching him grow up, sign a five-year supermax contract extension worth $228 million, and lead the underdog Bucks to the NBA Championship in 2021. Giannis reveals a more nuanced story: how lonely and isolated he felt, adjusting to America and the NBA early in his career; the complexity of grappling with his Black and Greek identities; how he is so hard on himself and his shortcomings-a drive that fuels him every day; and the responsibility he feels to be a nurturing role model for his younger brothers. Fader illustrates a more vulnerable star than most people know, a person who has evolved triumphantly into all of his roles: father, brother, son, teammate, and global icon.

"[Fredston] provides armchair travelers with a vivid portrait of wilderness rowing...full of intriguing personal digressions and moments of high drama."
--John Freeman, The Wall Street Journal

Jill Fredston has traveled more than twenty thousand miles of the Arctic and sub-Arctic-backwards. With her ocean-going rowing shell and her husband, Doug Fesler, in a small boat of his own, she has disappeared every summer for years, exploring the rugged shorelines of Alaska, Canada, Greenland, Spitsbergen, and Norway. Carrying what they need to be self-sufficient, the two of them have battled mountainous seas and hurricane-force winds, dragged their boats across jumbles of ice, fended off grizzlies and polar bears, been serenaded by humpback whales and scrutinized by puffins, and reveled in moments of calm.
As Fredston writes, these trips are "neither a vacation nor an escape, they are a way of life." Rowing to Latitude is a lyrical, vivid celebration of these northern journeys and the insights they inspired. It is a passionate testimonial to the extraordinary grace and fragility of wild places, the power of companionship, the harsh but liberating reality of risk, the lure of discovery, and the challenges and joys of living an unconventional life.

AB de Villiers is een van Suid-Afrika se grootste sporthelde. Hy is sedert 2011 kaptein van die Suid-Afrikaanse eendagspan asook ’n lid van die nasionale span sedert hy op 20 Desember 2004, op 20-jarige ouderdom, sy buiging vir die Proteas gemaak het. AB het reg deur sy lewe op die sportveld uitgeblink én word vandag as een van die beste kolwers ter wêreld, in alle aspekte van die spel beskou.

AB: Die Outobiografie, sal insig bied oor die man agter die kolf en onder die kopskerm, asook oor deurslaggewende oomblikke tydens sy loopbaan en sy verhoudingsbande met verskillende mentors. Die leser sal teruggeneem word na die agterplaas van AB se ouerhuis waar hy as kind die eerste keer saam met sy broers leer krieket speel het, en sal voorgestel word aan al die kleurvolle karakters en sportlui wat paaie met AB gekruis het.

AB se belangstelling in musiek en in die sakewêreld word ook onder die loep geneem asook hoe hy hierdie belangstellings van hom saam met sy internasionale krieketloopbaan uitleef.

From somewhere out in the vast whiteness of the blizzard we hear a cry for help. Instinctively the three of us turn and head across the mountainside. We find two men and a woman, huddled together in the snow, unable to descend the steep icy slope between them and safety. The woman asks if we are experienced in conditions like this. My friends and I have tackled a few winter hills in the Lake District and bumbled up easy rock climbs, but we have never been in a full Scottish winter snowstorm. I laugh and assure her that this is nothing to mountaineers like us. Soon our hills will be empty and one day the last hillwalker will disappear over the horizon. In the 21st century we are losing our connection with the wild, a connection that may never be regained. The Last Hillwalker by bestselling author John D. Burns is a personal story of falling in and out of love with the hills. More than that, it is about rediscovering a deeply felt need in all of us to connect with wild places.

"A fascinating book…at times almost unbearably vivid."
THE SUNDAY TIMES

When Muhammad Ali met Joe Frazier in Manila for the third, bloody act of their heroic trilogy of fights, the rivalry had spun out of control. More than a clash of personalities or fighting styles, the matchup had become a kind of madness, inflamed by the media and the politics of race. When the 'thrilla in Manila' was over, one man was left with a ruin of a life; the other was battered to his soul.

Mark Kram's riveting book reappraises the boxers – who they are and who they were. His revisionist study explodes the myths surrounding both fighters, particularly Ali, and paints a much darker version of the legend than anyone has ever dared. 'Ghosts of Manila' is a fascinating story of two heroes, many myths and the reality behind it all.

"Packs a polemic punch, suggesting that although Ali was indisputably a great sportsman, his latter-day beatification is a sham."
INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY

"An exceptionally brave book."
IRISH INDEPENDENT

This is the first full-length biography of Kid Nichols (1869-1953), who won 30 or more games a record seven times and was the youngest pitcher to reach 300 career victories. Much new light is shed on Nichols' early life in Madison, Wisconsin, along with important influences and experiences as a teenager living in Kansas City. His professional career is documented by drawing heavily from publications of the era and Nichols' own words. The high regard in which he was held by fans, teammates and even opponents is contrasted with his contentious relationship with team owners. Nichols' period of restlessness, ambition, and risk-taking following his long stint with Boston's National League team is detailed, as is the campaign to get him into the Hall of Fame. The book includes previously unpublished photos from his descendants' archives, many more than a century old.