Boxing Books - What's the Best ?

I picked up Doing The Business for $2 a few weeks back and just started reading it.

The first chapter Fighting For Success is all about Charlie Kray boxing in the UK and his sons following him into the ring...so far so good.

 

Please check out the book I co-wrote about Joe Gans.


http://www.amazon.com/Joe-Gans-Biography-American-Champion/dp/0786439947

 

Yeah mate, you mentioned it about 5 posts ago...

 

Hey Fellas do me a favour and read this story.
All you ever want to know or ever will know about boxing is encaptulated in it.
Set in Sydney just after the turn of the century when Sydney was the hub of boxing.
If you love boxing and don,t love this story my advice is take up knitting.
www.classicshorts.com/stories/steak.html

 

Mate, you told me to read this story a fortnight ago.... I've knitted 10 cardigans in the interim... Should have read it when suggested..

Excellent stuff.. and tells the story of the game to a tee.

 

One Saturday many years ago, I'd had a bet but missed the race & I asked my ex hoop/trainer dad what won it.
"George Moore" he said.
"Yeah, but what was he riding" I pressed
"Dunno, but he lifted that horse over the line. No George, No win" Was all he said.

That's what Jack London could do with a story
That skill he had in making the opposite out of the obvious I can't ever recall being done so well as in "A piece of Steak".

Great read OM.

 

Apparently there's a book being written (or about to be released) about Leo Berry, 80 year old (plus) doyen of Victorian boxing trainers.

For those not versed with Leo, he had 50 odd fights and has been a trainer since he hung 'em up.

It's been a gold coin entry to his old Richmond gym for years, and it has served all types including delinquents, the infamous (inc some Underbelly types) and some very capable boxers.

Many times Leo's gym has almost been closed down for one reason or other. But he's obviously a determined bugger 'cause it continues to survive.

 

Just finished reading "The Last Great Fight" on Douglas v Tyson. Highly recommend it. Very good read.

 

Yeah, that Holyfield-Tyson is a good read.

I just picked up one called 'The Heavyweights - The Definitive history of the Heavyweight Fighters' by Bob Mee, an A-Z of the big boys throughout history, looks good but havn't started it yet.

 

There must be an incredible amount of worthwhile stories that Leo would be able to tell. Most of which he'd take to his grave with him. Just to scratch the surface would cover half a dozen books.

First time I went inside his gym, there was a odd looking guy, super fit with a ****ed up hair style, doing some acrobatics on the gym floor... mostly on his head. It was Kostya training for his Pro debut. Looked like a monk straight from a monestary to me.

 

Ended up being about bonds, fraud, FBI and mafia stuff.

Just finished reading Sam Cutler "you can't always get what you want" and waiting for The Boxing Scene to arrive at the bookshop.

 

For those that like a bit of boxing history and an irresistible price tag here's a site's worth visiting:

http://www.archive.org/search.php?query=subject:"Boxing"

There you'll find lots of freebie complete book downloads - old boxing books etc. Amongst them there's a book called 'Life & Battles of Jack Johnson' (that I've already downloaded free) and it's well worth a read.

 

Has anybody read The Black Ajax by George McDonald Fraser about Cribb v Molynieux. Its unbelievable stuff.

 

Jack Johnson is he the boxer Fortune went 10 rounds with in 91?

 

There was a 'Jack Johnson' floating around the Oz boxing scene in the early 1990's.

I saw him box Dave Russell at the Hungarian Community Centre in Vic.