Boxing book recommendations

The Black Lights by Thomas Hauser,arguably THE definate book about the business of boxing.

Empire of Deceit by Dean Allison and Bruce Henderson. Sensational true story of multi million dollar embezzlement to fund big fights in the 80s

War Baby by Kevin Mitchell

King of the Gypsies by Bartley Gorman.

Worst boxing book-Johnny Tapia's. Awful repetitive rubbish

 

Some great books already mentioned here like
Hands of stone and Four Kings

Here's another few:

Angelo Dundee - My view from the corner

Irish Thunder the Hard life and times of Mickey Ward

Kings of the Ring The History of Heavyweight Boxing
(Great Book, with a piece on every great Heavyweight from the Bare knuckle beginings to Vitali Klitschko)

David Remnick - King of the World (Muhammad Ali and the rise of the American Hero)

 

Currently reading:

Ringside - a treasury of boxing reportage - Budd Schulberg.

So far this is a great read. The opening chapter on Tom Cribb v Tom Molineaux was another fascinating tale that I had never heard before.

Next one:

Unforgivable Blackness - the story of Jack Johnson.

* I am particularly interested in reading loads of books on the black boxers of yesteryear and the struggles that they endured inside and outside of the ring. Recommendations welcome....

 

First negative thing I've read about Tapia's book.

Just finished Four Kings and I was fascinated to read Manny Steward saying he's basically become disillusioned with boxing today.

 

Any of Thomas Hausers books on boxing are great. There's a new one out on Oct 15th!

King Of The World - David Remnick

Dark Trade - Donald McRae

Night Train - Nick Tosches

The Long Round - Dominic Calder-Smith

-are also a few of my favourites!

 

The pocket rocket is a decent book Wayne McCullogh. Michael Watson Story is a good read. The worst book of the lot is Joe Calzaghe.

 

Surely that is an oxymoron?

 

my view from the corner by angelo dundee. enjoyed it, purely his take on big events he has been involved with pastrano, basilio, ali, foreman, leonard etc
cool thread , theres a few books on here i want to get, has anyone read 'the fearless harry greb' .....anygood?

 

Just reading Tex Rickards biography 'The Magnificent Rube' (no I don't know what it means either)

Cracking read, what an amazing life he led prior to becoming boxings biggest promoter, he was a gambler, saloon owner, Marshal and a gold prospector really interesting stuff

Just finished Beyond Glory about the Louis Schmeling bouts, some say its a hatchet job on Max and that 'Ring of Hate' is better, although I didnt find it as hard on Max as I thought it would be, and that it contained a lot more detail on the events outside the ring during that era than the other book on the subject

 

What did it say about the support for Louis in the first fight. I remember The Fight BBC documentary showing little support for Louis and rampant applause for Schmeling. In Budd Schulbergs book - Ringside - he states that there was good support for Louis in the first fight????

 

There was good support for Joe from the black community obviously, white America was divided, Max had support in the US even in the rematch, I know history paints it as the American vs the Nazi, but there were many Americans supporting Schmeling.

Louis was treated as a hype job after his defeat to Schmeling and slated by both white and black press alike, funny how the same things happen today with people building up fighters only to slate them after a defeat and claim they were never as great as THEY had claimed them to be in the first place!!

 

Also just got Kevin 'War Baby' Mitchells new book about Jacobs Beach and the boxing era of the 30s-50's, organised crime, Mike Jacobs and Madison Squre Garden, cant wait to start it

 

Interesting, I must read that book as well, it was an intriguing socio-political context to those bouts. Very sad end to Louis days though...

 

I've just finished 'The Years of the Locust' by Jon Hotten and I'd really recommend it. I bought it on the strength of a good review by George Zeleny - it's about journeyman heavyweight Tim 'The Doc' Anderson, who once fought Derek Williams here, his larger than life corrupt promoter and eventually a murder. Some familiar big names keep cropping up, Arum, King...

The Duran book, Four Kings and War Baby are also recent favourites.

 

Yeah I have to get this too, I remember it being mentioned on Buncey's radio show, I have read a few tasters on the whole MSG and Mike Jacobs (decent coverage in Budd Schulbergs - Ringside), but it needs a whole book to do this story justice, gotta order Mitchells book today....