What are some of the best boxing books out there? I just finished Holyfield: The Humble Warrior and was looking for better.
"Runaway Bunny" The story of the Rabbit Floyd Patterson and his avoidence of top contenders during his reign
Charley Burley's one is very very good 'the life and hard times of an uncrowned champion', there's loadsa books that are just about plenty of different all-time -greats though. They're everywhere
...............Good luck finding it, as I believe it's out of print, but E-Bay might show a few copies of my favorite boxing book ever, "In This Corner" by Peter Heller. It tells the life stories of perhaps two dozen fighters (probably more like three dozen) ranging from the 1920's to 1960's, told in their own words. Basically, the tape recorder was turned on and they spoke, and Heller wrote it all out with brief career synopses by Heller as an introduction. Spectacular book. It allows a look into the minds of guys like Tommy Loughran, Fidel LaBarba, Jackie Fields, James Braddock, Henry Amstrong, Joe Louis, Basilio, Fullmer, etc, etc. For boxing writing as literature, try "The Sweet Science" by Liebling. It's all non-fiction of course, but written so artfully it could be a novel.
I'm currently reading Dempsey's "Championship Boxing". It is witty and interesting to hear his argumentation. Dempsey claims that he wrote it (it came out in the early 50s I believe) because the technique and the theories behind the technique at that time were, in his opinion, sorry. He hearkened back to the days of Blackburn and Corbett and resurrected what he saw as proper technique. Example: He thought that left jab was good for one thing -to tip the head back for the right --otherwise, he believed in throwing a left "jolt" and describes how using gravity and propulsion. He believed in punching to hurt and never letting your man off the hook with nonsense shots. I bet he rolled over in his grave after last night bout! I also would also recommend "Unforgivable Blackness". It was meticulous and well-balanced. Of course, I also have to plug "Corner Men" by Fried.
The first boxing books I read were: Papa Jack, The Fight and In This Corner. Mailer's is the weakest as a boxing book. Great, great writer, one of my favourites, but his deification of Ali gets embarrassing throughout and his monumental ego (Mailer's that is) is unbearable at times. It was interesting how many at ringside in zaire thought the fight was fixed though.
Anything by WC Heinz,AJ Liebling,Randy Roberts,Hugh Mcillvenney,Pete Heller,any news peices ,by Jimmy Cannon,Red Smith,BobWaters.
Some of the best I've read: Jack Johnson: Unforgivable Blackness The Pussycat of Prizefighting: Tiger Flowers and the Politics of Black Celebrity The Sweet Science Blood in My Coffee: The Life of the Fight Doctor Roberto Duran: Hands of Stone Larry Holmes: Against The Odds Boxing Babylon Beyond Glory: Joe Louis vs. Max Schmeling
