whats your top ten boxing reads

[donnydarkoIRL]

I think that a generalisation such as that is grossly unfair! Boxing has had a history of participants who come from uneducated backgrounds and ghettos yes, but that has no reflection on their intelligence or ability to chronicle their own life....
Furthermore, I find that the stereotypical "dumb" boxer is actually a lot more scarce than the articulate, worldly-wise veteran. Jack Dempsey was a saavy businessman after his retirement. Oscar De la Hoya is extremely intelligent. Floyd Mayweather has a sense of business and not just a boxing brain. etc. etc. etc.

If you were to find yourself in the situation that you needed to get to know a person in a certain amount of time and you had the option of reading a writers opinion of them or their personal diary, which would you read
If you attend a histrory lesson, often the first thing taught is the difference between a primary and second source. A primary source is something frrom the time, recorded by someone at the time of an events happeneing. A secondary source is a record compiled later by a writer.

Finally I stress the point...there is a monumental difference between uneducated and unintelligent.

[cpcompany]

Dark Trade by Donald Mcrae is my favourite boxing book by far.

He spends quite a lot of time with James Toney and they seem to become close. The sections with James Toney really make the book to be honest.

[Tins06]

I cant say Ive read alot of boxing Bios but one that really gave me an entirly new perspective on a legend is "Ali his life and times" by Thomas Hauser.

So in depth and so many accounts of from Ali's close freinds,entourage and family .

Ive got some books ive picked up the 10 greatest rounds of boxing,A bio on sonny liston.

And one particular I dont know if anyone ever heard of Johnny Owen, The Myrthyr matchstick. Its called "The Big If" but gives a very good view of Johnny who really belonged to the people. Wales watched him collapse on telly trying to take the title from Lupe pintor,the resulting punch he would later die of.There are some memorable scenes you can find on youtube of what must be most of Myrthyr showing there respect,and greiving to the loss of a man so many people felt close to, a great fighter.

[p4pking]

I think that a generalisation such as that is grossly unfair! Boxing has had a history of participants who come from uneducated backgrounds and ghettos yes, but that has no reflection on their intelligence or ability to chronicle their own life....
Furthermore, I find that the stereotypical "dumb" boxer is actually a lot more scarce than the articulate, worldly-wise veteran. Jack Dempsey was a saavy businessman after his retirement. Oscar De la Hoya is extremely intelligent. Floyd Mayweather has a sense of business and not just a boxing brain. etc. etc. etc.

If you were to find yourself in the situation that you needed to get to know a person in a certain amount of time and you had the option of reading a writers opinion of them or their personal diary, which would you read
If you attend a histrory lesson, often the first thing taught is the difference between a primary and second source. A primary source is something frrom the time, recorded by someone at the time of an events happeneing. A secondary source is a record compiled later by a writer.

Finally I stress the point...there is a monumental difference between uneducated and unintelligent.

I understand the differences you state perfectly. I just think it's kind of funny that out of the favourites you listed, not one of them was a primary source written by a boxer. I'd really like to hear of a great read written only by a fighter themself, I'm sure there are some.. But it's not unfair to say that someone who takes punches to the head for a living generally isn't going to be able to write well later in life. Even the fighter's you list as being intelligent, like I say.. I certainly wouldn't want to read anything written by DLH himself, and he's probably by far the most savy of those you said. Floyd Mayweather has business sense? I really don't see it, taking the highest payday for the lowest risk isn't exactly rocket science.. And he doesn't have any successful business ventures outside of boxing. I think he's an idiot aside from kinetic intelligence, which does count but hardly helps you to articulate anything. And yes there is a momumental difference between educated and intelligent... But you still need to have both to some extent in order to write a good book.

[Mowgli]

"Somebody up there likes me" the first boxing book i ever read,Rocky Graziano,its absolutely first class

[Greig]

Carlo Rotella - Cut Time
Teddy Atlas - From the Streets to the Ring
FX O'Toole - Pound for Pound (fiction)
Chris Jones - Falling Hard
Thomas Hauser - A Year in Boxing (any of them but 04 and 05 are particularly good)
Thomas Hauser - The Black Lights
Thomas Hauser - Ali, His Life and Times
W.C Heinze - The Book of Boxing (sports illustrated compendium)
Peter Fitzsimmons - The Ballad of Les Darcy
Louis Wacquant - Body and Soul: Notebook of an apprentice boxer (great book about a white French academic who hooks up with a gym in urban Detroit, trains his ass off and makes it to the Detroit Golden Gloves)
Norman Mailer - The Fight


Thats 11, but they are all good

[jake blackler]

Boxing's hall of shame.....Thomas Myler
The good,the bad and the ugly..Frank Butler
Boxing Babylon..Nigel Collins
Fighting the demons...Lester Ellis story....Robert Drane
Heart Soul Fire...Paul Briggs story...Paul Briggs and Gregor Salmon
King of the world..Ali story... David Remnick
The Hardest game...Hugh McIlvanney
Somebody up there likes me...THE BEST I've also ever read Mowgli.Couldn't put it down and reread it some three months later.
Fammo...Johnny Famechon story...Frank Quill
All of the now defunct Ring Boxing Encyclopedia and Record Books.
As you will be realise three of the above pertain to Australian fighters.There's always something very rewarding in reading of the feats of fellow countrymen.

[Saddo]

Tale of the Gator... true story of a one legged boxer

dosnt get a good reveiw here...

http://www.saddoboxing.com/boxing-bo...locale-us.html

but i liked it

[OumaFan]

I haven't read any boxing biographies or non-fiction books about boxing but there's a fictional book called The Professional which was real good. About a boxer in the 50's and goes through his training camp up to a title fight, a good book.

[telboy66]

i've read some great boxing books over the years most of which i still have up in the loft ,some of the latest books

unforgiveable blackness, Jack johnson
facing Ali
hands of stone, Roberto Duran
Charlie Magri, champagne charlie
irish thunder micky Ward
teddy atlas
pound for pound, Sugar ray Robinson
When the gloves came off, Billy Walker
i don't believe it but it's true, A year in boxing
mi vida loca, The crazy life of Johnny tapia

all ten I can reccomend to any true boxing fan
I'm just starting My view from the corner By angello dundee & bert Sugar

[Baby-Faced-Assassin]

facing ali is a great book

[chantelle]

i've read some great boxing books over the years most of which i still have up in the loft ,some of the latest books

unforgiveable blackness, Jack johnson
facing Ali
hands of stone, Roberto Duran
Charlie Magri, champagne charlie
irish thunder micky Ward
teddy atlas
pound for pound, Sugar ray Robinson
When the gloves came off, Billy Walker
i don't believe it but it's true, A year in boxing
mi vida loca, The crazy life of Johnny tapia

all ten I can reccomend to any true boxing fan
I'm just starting My view from the corner By angello dundee & bert Sugar

thats a good book most of dundee's book are great reads.

[Cortez The Killer]

Haven't read ten books about boxing myself..

But an excellent fictional story centered around boxing I read was "The Power of One" by the Australian author Bryce Courtenay.

Fantastic book, one that you don't need to be a boxing fan to enjoy, but it certainly helps. It's been a few years since I've read it and would recommend it to anyone looking for an excellent fiction book.

Some reviews:
Amazon.com: The Power of One: A Novel: Books: Bryce Courtenay

[Dizaster]

Haven't read ten books about boxing myself..

But an excellent fictional story centered around boxing I read was "The Power of One" by the Australian author Bryce Courtenay.

Fantastic book, one that you don't need to be a boxing fan to enjoy, but it certainly helps. It's been a few years since I've read it and would recommend it to anyone looking for an excellent fiction book.

Some reviews:
Amazon.com: The Power of One: A Novel: Books: Bryce Courtenay

Their is a movie about that book as well by the same name.. It's probably about 15 years old now, but for those that aren't book readers... I've heard the movie did a good job, but it had an extraordinary book to live up to though...

[Greig]

Forgot about this: Facing Tyson by Ted A. Kluck.


Great read, Kluck is really good at getting stuff out of them.

Facing Tyson by Ted Kluck