What are your needs in a Boxing Book?

Having read about 20-25 boxing books (mostly biographies), I can say this:

A great boxing book is full of insights, testomonies and statements that are sourrouding the career or the particular fight featured in the book. It must be well written, with some kind of poetry to describe a fighter or to describe the action.

80 % of the time, we know all about the fights themselves so we need to know something new. it must be introduced in a pleasant, refreshing way.

When we read the book, we must incarnate the fighter who's in it, we must feel like we are him, that we understand him, that we understand why he acts the way he does, inside and outside the ring.

The book has to make us show compassion for boxers that we hate. It also has to make us doubt about our heroes. I rather like a book with a couples of entertaining lies in it than a boring, predictable, too clean book.

Also, we must be informed of every training habit of the fighters. Sparring stories are fascinating. We must know how the pronostics were at the time of the fight. We must know if the fighter himself and his crew believed they could win the fight.

The book should as well present the outsidethe ring life of the boxer. If his life is boring, let's write more about boxing. When I read Nigel Benn's biography, I enjoyed both departements: boxing stuff and non-boxing stuff because his life outside the ring was so intriguing. That's what represents a great boxing read.

 

Lewis-Britton series perhaps? Most fans only know that they met many times and saw the boxrec results for these bouts, without actual details.

 

Okkkkkkkkk

Have some trivia type boxer captions in there Ted. I'd use boxers that otherwise wouldn't get a huge mention in the book.

One might be a Charlie Burley, have a small pic, give his details, talk about how he is considered one of the greatest never to get a shot, outline the scenario and maybe thee Eddie Futch quotes on him.

Maybe a Chuvalo and talk of his durability. Ruben Carter would be make brilliant one. DeJesus and his obvious story maybe. Cervantes same. Tyson's self destruction story. Yada yada...

 

The cutting edge style of a boxing book is one that has as its subject either a singular boxer (Johnson, Tunney, Dempsey) or a singular fight (Louis-Schmeling) and places the subject in the context of the times. It makes for good reading and kind of doubles as a history book.

Greb was a representative man almost as much as Dempsey, although I believe something is coming out about him. Miske would be a fascinating study and a human interest story that would surely find its way to the big screen!

As to fights, well, Duran-Leonard pitted the fighter of the 70s against the fighter of the 80s and there are many themes there: The "hot ****" versus the "cool n*gger" as one famous columnist termed it... latin american vs. usa.... old school vs. new school... and it could really be a snapshot of the WW division at one of its most dangerous times. And of course, neither fighter were ever the same again. Leonard for the better, Duran for the worse.

 

Ted Spoon, I'd like to read more on famous middle/light heavy rivalries such as Ketchel/Papke and Thomas, Robinson/LaMotta, and especailly the Greb/Tunney series. Ketchel,Greb,Robinson, and LaMotta are all facinating boxers...and you could include Monzon/Briscoe/Valdez as well!
Stonehands suggested the Leonard/Duran fight...can't go wrong there either.
Addendum: The Burley/Williams series would be interesting reading too.