Recommend three books to a wannabe boxing historian

You are quite right about "Klomton" and his personality, but I highly recommend his Greb book. (I just looked for it on my bookshelves and realized I've lent it out).

 

I lent out ."The Impossible Dream." the autobiography of Larry Gains,never saw it again.

 

The Life and Crimes of Don KIng.

 

Just beginning 'In The Red Corner' by John Duncan, what a premise. A guy goes to Cuba to negotiate a Tyson - Felix Savon fight, where Don King had offered Savon $25 million. We all know the ending but it is really good so far.

 

Muhammad Ali: King of the world
The Devil and Sonny Liston
Tyson-Douglas: The inside story of the upset of the century

All 3 were amazing reads.

I'd also recommend Earnie Shavers: Welcome to the big time. It almost feels like Shavers is having a conversation with you. Perfectly captures basically his whole career.

 

For a historian, I was gifted In this Corner by Peter Heller and this book is outstanding. It chronicles boxers from the early to mid 20th century as they recount first hand their experiences in the ring. The stories of their poverty, the brutality of turn of the century boxing, the difference of the times, it is all very interesting. It is a far cry to what boxing is now. I remember reading the book and looking at comment sections with "casual" fans for lack of a better term and the dumb or at least ignorant opinions on past boxers how they dismissed guys from "primitive" eras when I am not sure today's guys could live in the conditions some of these past champions had to navigate.

Sporting Blood by Carlos Acevedo is pretty good, I did not see it mentioned on this thread and figured I would recommend something not mentioned yet. Not a perfect book and maybe a bit conspiratorial in some ways or could be disputed but I think the chapter on Davey Moore alone makes the book worth the read. The tragic story of his career beaten out of him by Roberto Duran and being cheered against in his home city up until his untimely death are a difficult read

The Hall of Fame Register is another good reference book for a boxing historian. Not in-depth journalism, reporting, or story telling but it is an easy way to archive fighters and look up guys to watch or fights to find.