What is your favourite ever boxing book and why?

The Heavyweight Champions.By Stanley Weston?I Got it about forty years ago.Every champion from Sullivan to Frazier,(he hadn't even fought Ali yet).The paperback book is practically in shreads now.Got to remember when I got it back then,there was no internet then,and about the only matches ya got to watch,was on Wide World of Sports.So I read that book quite often.

 

mc,

One of the most treasured memories in my life was sittin' with W.C. Heinz at Jack Dempsey's Restaurant tryin' to convince him to take a chance on me makin' a film of his book; and what it felt like when he said yes.

 

the book about benny lynch was well written and i've just (xmas) read one about johnny owen which was good.
my trainer once gave me a little book by jimmy wilde written when dempsey was heavy king 80 odd years ago.

 

"The Great Prize Fight" by Alan Lloyd.
Covering the Sayers/Heenan fight of 1860.

Its definately a well descripted book, capturing the pre-fight happenings and allowing the mind to imagine the settings. Being unfamiliar with the territories of England, I was consumed by the book from start to finish. How accurate it is regarding surroundings, I can not answer. Just a good read.

 

uppercuts and daisies by reg gutteridge is a good read too !!

 

One of the more interesting reads I've had lately was Facing Tyson.

The title is a bit misleading as it really concentrates on the men who faced him. It wasn't what I was expecting, but I ended up really enjoying the book.
I often wonder what has happened to many of the retired boxers I used to watch, and this book gave an interesting insight to the lives of former boxers like Sammy Scaff or Jose Ribalta; fighters many fans have forgotten about.

Apollack's brilliant book on Sullivan is another standout read.

 

brillaint books

especially the one about lynch you learnt about him but also about the life of people around taht time and the fight game around taht time and not just little benny

 

"McIlvanney on boxing". Superb read.

Scottish journalist and one of the greatest boxing writers ever.

 

"Four Kings" was a great read. A real in-depth look into not just the fights themselves, but the hype, buildup and stories behind them. I also like how they had the win/loss records of the fighters in the back of the book.

 

He is the best writer the UK has produced in my time,imo.
He can read a fight he is articulate has a real respect for the game and has insight and intelligence,on a par with the best American writers.
I beleive his brother is a writer and is the author of The Big Man ,a fighting story made into a film starring Liam Neeson.

 

For some reason I haven't got around to reading this yet,many years ago ,when I was a lad I sent Reg a letter ,he was the boxing writer on the Evening News then ,to my surprise he replied ,a nice friendly letter.Years later ,I had the privilege of sitting next to him a few times at the fights ,I never told him that we had exchanged letters ,now I wish I had ,he was a real gent, a modest but shrewd man without an ounce of malice in him.

 

Other good books I've read:
Come Out Writing ( a boxing Anthology) Bill Hughes and Patrick King
A collection of writings from all the best. Included are Paul Gallico, Peter Heller, AJ Leibling, Ernest Hemingway, Hugh McIlvanney, Norman Mailer and Peter Wilson to name a few.
Boxing Babylon by Nigel Collins
A look at some of the scandals, tragedies and unsavoury side of life of some of our heroes. They're all in here. Ketchel, Greb, Stribling, Siki. Right through to Gypsey Joe Harris, Everett and Sanchez.
Willie Pep remembers...Fridays Heroes by Willie Pep and Robert Sacchi
This is a ******* with Willie talking about himself and his contemporaries. This book is about the Friday night TV boxing of the 40's and 50's and the fighters who became household names. Fighters included are Chico Vejar, Ralph Tiger Jones, Gavilan etc.
A must read and one of my personal favourites. My copy is actually signrd by Willie and co author Robert Sacchi.

 

Four Kings.

Would like to read the Langford book that's come out recently but it seems quite expensive.

 

So many to choose from!!!
In this corner as already mentioned, also 4 kings, Flame of Pire Fire is another great read as is Mickey Walkers and Barney Ross's bios

I really enjoyed Teddy Atlas's book, also just finished Black Lights which was very good, honourable mention must go the Thomas Hausers books that he releases every year which contain the previous years articles he has written for various sources, have read the last 3 years worth and am looking to get the remaining few

 

Ted Sares' "Boxing is my Sanctuary" is a great book and I'm looking forward to reading his new one "Reelin in the Years"