What Boxing Book are u reading at the moment???

Discussion in 'British Boxing Forum' started by EnglishWay, Aug 17, 2010.

  1. Jack Dempsey

    Jack Dempsey Legend Full Member

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    Just ploughing through Froch's book, its very amatuerish, there clearly wasn't enough material to stretch over 300+ pages, huge font and widely spaced words do not hide the fact that this is a massively slight piece of literature, would have been better waiting til his career was over rather than rush out this heavily padded effort.

    Also reading the Bert Sugar/Teddy Atlas books of lists, great bog reading even if some of the choices are a bit off or appear in every other list, also a fair few mistakes in there (since when has Bob Fitzsimmons made a list of the best Irish-Amaerican boxers???)
     
  2. aqualung

    aqualung Member Full Member

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    Just finished "Benny: The Life And Times Of A Fighting Legend" by John Burrowes.

    To be honest it's really more of an insite to the life of the poor working class of the gorbals in the 1930s than it is a biography of Benny Lynch. Gives a good account of what life was like for journeymen fighters in those days as well as Lynchs' popularity at the height of his fame but kind of glosses over the end of his life when he was a lonley forgotten man cast aside by the fans who branded him a waster. It should have covered more of that aspect of his life plus the hero status he was given after his death.

    I kind of get the impression the author was working to a tight deadline and the last couple of chapters were a bit rushed.
     
  3. Bazzel

    Bazzel Guest

    Has any one on here read The Arc of Boxing by Mike Silver? Its supposed to be one of the most insightfull books on the sport, but it costs a packet .£40+
     
  4. Scottrf

    Scottrf Boxing Addict Full Member

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    I have. It's definitely interesting and makes persuasive arguments. Basically he argues that the 20s-50s was the golden era of the sport, and gives a number of reasons why, including expert testimony from trainers etc. It's a little bit one sided though and some of the evidence seems to be 'look who agrees with me'. When he argues that Mayweather would be a club fighter during that time for example I think he went a bit far. It's one I would recommend people try and get a hold of, £45 is a lot though, was £35 when I bought it.

    Reading Charley Burley and the Black Murderers Row at the moment, very good book.
     
  5. GazOC

    GazOC Guest Star for Team Taff Full Member

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    Just finished "Hands of Stone", well researched and honest. Recommended.

    I've got a couple of books on the old bareknucklers to read next.
     
  6. Jack Dempsey

    Jack Dempsey Legend Full Member

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    I've been angling to get Arc of Boxing for years, price has always put me off though
     
  7. Kevin Mitchell

    Kevin Mitchell Member Full Member

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    Ringside by Budd Schulberg was a really good read. Half way through Froch book at the moment and I've only been reading it for ten minutes, as 'Jack Dempsey' said above, very amateurish, the font is huge and there are nearly more photos than pages, with quite a few of Racheal, which is a plus.

    Got Jacobs Beach to read after by Kevin Mitchell, havent seen that mentioned above.
     
  8. i might buy that, im going to visit family in a horrendous eastern european country next week so that will do nicely as well as im half way through 4 kings ill finish that..........

    Ive had fight of the century on order for 2 months still not arrived yet at waterstones.
     
  9. Rise Above

    Rise Above IBHOF elector Full Member

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    Any of you guys read the biography on Nipper Pat Daly ?
     
  10. wrimc

    wrimc Boxing Junkie Full Member

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    I recently finished that as well decent read obviously well researched. Currently reading Unforgivable Blackness the Biography of Jack Johnson. Great read so thoroughly researched only thing that slightly annoys me is the author seems to make little derogatory judgement of some of Johnsons seedier qualities but praises any of his other achievements. That said he does at least give the facts rather than paper over them.
     
  11. MIK1000

    MIK1000 Well-Known Member Full Member

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    4 Kings at the moment. It is definitely one of the best I've read. Also reading one called The Axis of Greatness about Angelo Dundee. The writer's style is very simplistic though and it almost feels like a children's book. Good story though.
     
  12. Swansea Osprey

    Swansea Osprey Active Member Full Member

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    I am patiently waiting for Amazon to deliver Sugar Ray Leornard's Autobiography :think
     
  13. Swansea Osprey

    Swansea Osprey Active Member Full Member

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    Tried reading it but it's a Biography and I just can't read them , I only read Autobiographies ( don't know why )
     
  14. LP_1985

    LP_1985 JMM beat Pac-Man 3 Times Full Member

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    The Fearless Harry Greb

    Very good so far
     
  15. Jack Dempsey

    Jack Dempsey Legend Full Member

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    Nearly bought the Dundee book the other day on the cheap, but it had such poor reviews I didnt bother