Best Boxing Books 2020

I got a copy of the re-released Inner Ring by Rudy Gonzalez for Christmas. Not a bad read.

 

Christian guidace who wrote hands of stone put out a camacho book, have not read it yet

 

It’s not a 2020 release (I think 2016), but my brother got me Drama in the Bahamas for Christmas, a book on Muhammad Ali’s last fight (and the ridiculous promotion behind it) for Christmas.

It’s not a super-deeply researched exercise but the author, Dave Hannibal, did talk to several involved and dig up interviews and such from the time to flesh out the event. It does go deep into the results of Ali’s medical tests out of the Holmes fight and his quest to get licensed to fight again, but the best stuff in it is really about the promotion headed by a guy who had no idea what he was doing.

Have been reading in increments (it’s not a big book) and I’m up to fight week, but it does seem to go fairly deeply into the undercard (Earnie Shavers and Thomas Hearns being the two bigger names).

Another not-2020 release (2008 I think) that’s largely overlooked or unknown is Years of the Locust, a book by Jon Hotten on the murder of promoter Rick “Elvis” Parker by heavyweight journeyman Tim “Doc” Anderson, who was (allegedly) drugged by Parker for his rematch with Mark Gastineau, a former pro football standout whom Elvis was angling for a fight with comebacking George Foreman.

The background of Parker, who made a small fortune on some kind of cleaning product as a door-to-door huckster (and pyramid schemer of sorts) and some of the other unsavory characters is pretty damned interesting. Hotten is a writer for sure, has a very unique style that works for the most part. I found it fascinating on the whole.

Sorry to interrupt the 2020 discussion but I don’t know of many boxing books that came out last year and these two might make for some off-the-beaten-path reading.

 

I liked Hands of Stone. And really looked forward to the Arguello and Gomez ones, but they were disappointments., especially the Gomez one. He seemed to be palpably losing interest in his own subject matter with each volume.

 

Not 2020, but you should really read Born to Box: the Extraordinary Story of Nipper Pat Daly. One of the best written Boxing books I've read in years.

 

I've read some dissent here about that book. What about it was so bad?

 

That's good to know

 

Gonzalez? Not sure. Must've missed that reference.

 

This one?

https://www.boxingforum24.com/threa...ood-tales-from-the-darkside-of-boxing.646885/

 

I only read a few chapters but I really enjoyed all of them. Hoping to go back and finish the book this month.

 

A Shot At A Brothel

The spectacular demise of Oscar "Ringo" Bonevena.

By Patrick Connor

I ordered my copy. Written by a friend of mine Patrick Connor.