Fighter Biographies

Lamotta's book is excellent. Teddy Atlas' book is highly entertaining. It's left to the reader to decide how much is BS, but highly entertaining nonetheless.

'The Big If' about the life and death of Johnny Owen, is a personal favorite of mine. It gives a good insight on Lupe Pintor as well.

 

'Fire and Fear' by Jose Torres '1990' was a super read on Tyson back in his heyday.
One i just got back out a few weeks ago is 'My Greatest Fight' by Ken Gorman. It features about 40 world title fights with background stories and events surrounding the fights. It's a bit simplistic but a very good read. It's off about '97-'98

 

Sam Langford by Clay Moyle.

Jim Jeffries, A Man Among Men by Kelly Richard Nicholson

Ultimate Tough Guy (another Jeffries book)

 

I think Raging Bull is over rated. It was decent, but there are many better books.

The recent Langford, Greb and Gans biographies are excellent. As is Lary Holmes autobiography, the book Joe Louis bio by Art and Edna Rust, Thomas Hauser's Ali bio, Unforgivable Blackness, Charley Burley and the black murderers row, all very good books with tons of information. There are more I've rea, I just can't think of them of the top of my head.

 

Which Greb one is the most recent, and I presume, best?

Moyle's Langford book is solid. Also, the recent Tunney one was excellent.

If you are really serious, the Pollack Jeffries book is excellent, as I suspect the others of his are.

 

yes, the recent on. The only other one I know is "Give him to the angels" which is said to focus mostly on Grebs legend and is filled with inaccuracies.

Haven't read the Tunney or Jeffries bio's but will try and look into them. Thank you or the heads up!

 

Id recommend Charley Burley and the Black Murderer's Row and Moyles Langford book as well

 

What are posters thought on the Don King book? I thought it was an excellent read and gave great insight into King and boxing's shady underbelly.

 

You know i meant to buy it when it came out but forgot about it. Definitley gonna get it. Regardless of what you think of King, his had some life in and out of boxing so you know it's gonna be a good read. I reckon it will have a few porkies in though. :yep

 

I posted some links to biographies (written in newspaper articles - series formats) for Joe Choynski, Paddy Slavin and Jim Jeffries. These are as good as most biography books. They can be found by searching these forums, without too much difficulty, i am sure.

 

I thought it was an excellent read. You get a much broader appreciation of what a manipulation scoundrel King really is. No matter what anyone thinks of him though, if you're objective you'll have to admit he is a brilliant guy.

 

Durans book "Hands of Stone" is excellent, i would say its better than the "Four Kings".

Gives you a great insight into his character, and it is just generally very enjoyable