The Gods of War

:happy

 

Only 20%? Considered yourself spared.

I should hear a thud next to the door in a couple of hours.

 

Stonehands...will definitely do a review. Cheers!

 

Yes indeed...right next to McIlvanney, is a good spot.:good

 

Good read, Softhands

 

"This isn't sports writing- it's literature!" Joe Rein. As a fan of both boxing and literature, the title of this review, which adorns the cover of this book, pretty much sums it up for me. This is one of the greatest books on boxing that I have ever read, bar none. After it has had time to sink in it may even take the top spot. Yes, it’s that good.

Can any boxing writer in recent memory weave a visual tapestry as adroitly as Springs Toledo? Sweat, blood, smoke, suffering, anger, rage, redemption, pain, pathos, art, music, literature, nature, noir, comedy, tragedy....he draws imagery from every imaginable well. In lesser hands using these risky resources could plummet a piece into campy pretentiousness. But like a master chemist, Springs knows exactly the right serving of each to achieve maximum effect without going overboard. Nothing masturbatory here; every image serves a function and a purpose. His four-part piece on Sonny Liston is especially moving in this regard.

Boston is an old boxing town, one of the oldest in America. So it seems rather fitting that the author hails from that city. He has obviously made a deep study of boxing’s past not only in his own hometown, but in every city, town, burg or metropolis that he writes about. Thus he is able to gild his stories with a local knowledge that make them come alive in a way that can’t help but suck even the casual reader in. And when it comes to the use of simile, metaphor or a clever turn of phrase, Toledo is a nonpareil spin doctor. Some of his lines are so simple yet brilliant that it's impossible to imagine them not becoming part of boxing phraseology.

For example, the terrible body punches of Sonny Liston are described as sounding “…like bowling balls dropping on wet salami” (for me, that's right up there with "Fighter A couldn't hit Fighter B in the ass with a handful of rice". It's one for the ages).

Describing the phantom-like ring activity of the near-unhittable Willie Pep (vs. Chalky Wright), Toledo writes: “When the first bell clanged, the young challenger (Pep) sprinted out of his corner to center ring, put his dukes up…and disappeared. He spent round after round fighting like a figment of Wright’s imagination, offering only mirages in lieu of mayhem like a laughing ghost.” Beautiful.

The author’s rankings will no doubt be a source of controversy, which is how it should be. Rating fighters is highly subjective, but Toledo backs his picks with facts and research that make them hard to argue against. It is the age of internet research, where we now have access to vast newspaper archives and firsthand accounts that disprove long held beliefs about certain fights and fighters that have been passed down for generations. Cherished boxing myths and legends are crumbling like card houses in light of this research, but being replaced by facts that are often even more incredible (for instance, after decades of seeing so many hundreds of “ND” fights in those old Ring Record Books, we now know, thanks to modern research, that Harry Greb and Benny Leonard won almost every one of them!).

The point is that Toledo has done his homework, and in a responsible, up to date fashion. In the past decade or so there have been more poorly-researched boxing books put out there than any time in recent memory…and I mean ATROCIOUS. In this age of unparalleled information access, this is completely inexcusable. Nothing will turn me off quicker than a shoddy piece of research. Thankfully, this book is not one of them. On the contrary, along with the recent Harry Greb biography ("Live Fast, Die Young"), it is the most expertly researched boxing book I've read. There is no regurgitation of the standard myths and lore that clutter and obscure boxing history and make it nearly impossible to get at the truth. The author obviously used primary source materials as research and the results sparkle (the essay on his 5th “God of War”, Roberto Duran, is a shining example).

"I wish the stage were as narrow as a tight rope so that no incompetent would dare walk on it." -- Goethe

This quote should apply to boxing writing as well as theater. Writers like Springs Toledo further narrow that tightrope Mr. Goethe speaks of and we're all the better for it. Hopefully others will strive for this type of excellence.

 

Surf, what a beautiful critique you wrote of Gods of War by the
incomparable Springs Toledo. Bravo !

 

Thanks Burt. Funny, but our late and dearly missed friend John Garfield wrote me the same words ("bravo!") in regards to a review I gave to one of Spring's articles. So to get the same from you is a flattering gesture, coming from two gents who have seen more boxing than I shall ever know. Thank you.