Boxing books I've grown to hate.

The two best boxing biographies I've read are "Unforgivable Blackness" and Jack Cavanaugh's "Tunney".

 

I'm reading Jack kid Berg's autobiography at the moment. The Whitechapel Windmill. I'd recommend this, thoroughly enjoyed it. His early life in the Eastend's Jewish community, introduction to boxing, the local boxers and politics of those times. There are full in depth analysis of all his big American fights with comments and reports from different sources, Fleischer, Gallico, Ray Arcel. The Canzoneri and Kid Chocolate fights in full, who was in attendance.
You get a great insight into the man himself and his life as a young lad enjoying his fame to the full.
A great boxing book and a great look into the past.
If you can get it, read it.

Authors John Harding and Jack Berg

 

Read Unforgivable Blackness, it was very good. Jack Johnson had it tough.

 

Jack Johnson had it tough to begin with ....but chose to make it tougher than it ever had to be, for him and everyone else with his complexion. He was far from a hero. He was dangerously irresponsible and had about as much wisdom as a horse shoe.

The documentary is almost as good, see it if you haven't.

 

Yeah he had all the arrogance Muhammad Ali had years later. Im suprised Johnson was never assassinated actually. I'll look into the documentary.

 

It was attempted , a couple of days before he fought Jeffries, some one took a shot at him.

 

He writes equally well on all sports ,especially horse racing ..McIIlvanney is the Champ writer in the UK.
I beleive it was his brother that wrote the book " The Big Man", made into a film starring Liam Neeson

 

I would love to read that, I'll try and get a copy.

Well there you go. Was that bit in the book? I forget now, I cant remember it being in there.

When I finish McIlvanney on Boxing I'm starting Hands of Stone, apparently its very good.

 

I love threads like this.

 

McIlvanney's convoluted prose is not to my taste.
His use of metaphor and simile often tends to obscure rather than illuminate.

It's a cliche,but I felt that Liebling was the best.Spare and descriptive, not given to hyperbole,with an interesting turn of phrase.
I also like Red Smith's writing,even though his dislike of Ali is a bit one note.

I liked the first one.It was meant to be a celebration of his life and the scene around him.At least does contain some uncomplimentary opinions of about the man.

BTW who was the trainer in Dempsey book who thought that 'those boys' Ali and Frazier wouldn't have stood a chance with Jack?

 

"It was a monster."- A Hurting Business by Thomas Healy

 

jack johnson was a long legged mac daddy

 

Oh OK. Thanks.

 

yeh its good, ive read it.