Best Boxing Books You've Read

[Seano]

ya, mma'rs as i've long maintained are just wierd, never really liked them as people.

 

[Khan-age!]

Mentioned this quite a few times on this forum, but couldn't recommend it enough:

 

[MEGAhorse]

Charley Burley and the Black Murderers' Row by Harry Otty

Charley Burley, The Life & Hard Times of an Uncrowned Champion by Allen S. Rosenfeld

Sugar Ray by Sugar Ray Robinson and Dave Anderson

Sweet Thunder: The Life and Times of Sugar Ray Robinson by Wil Haygood

Pound for Pound: A Biography of Sugar Ray Robinson by Herb Boyd, Ray Robinson

 

[hell wall]

teddy atlas biography is dope and really lays out some cool stories...
like when shannon briggs fights some rednecks in a bar fight

 

[papitodd]

Mi Vida Loca by Tapia. Read like it was written by a 5th grader, but it got you into his mind. Good stuff.

 

[mozfonky]

Mi Vida Loca by Tapia. Read like it was written by a 5th grader, but it got you into his mind. Good stuff.

ya boxers are like that often. Jake Lamotta's book was very primitive syntax wise but you could tell the workings of the mind that wrote the book was a highly intelligent, thoughtful man. Same with Frazier, some of the things he said were just so heavy and insightful. Boxers get a bad rap as being dummies but people mistake a lack of proper english, of complicated vocabulary for lack of intelligence. Like cus d'amato said most of the top fighters are very smart men and only win by being smarter. Ali said it in an old interview too, comparing top fighters to astronauts and physicists. I mean, just consider how much thought goes into a good performance, how much adaptation, judgement of distance, strategy, anticipation. To the uninitiated it just looks like two dummies bashing on each other, sometimes that's what it is but it can be much, much more.

 

[Tony121]

Somebody up there likes me, about graziano , great stuff..

 

[papitodd]

ya boxers are like that often. Jake Lamotta's book was very primitive syntax wise but you could tell the workings of the mind that wrote the book was a highly intelligent, thoughtful man. Same with Frazier, some of the things he said were just so heavy and insightful. Boxers get a bad rap as being dummies but people mistake a lack of proper english, of complicated vocabulary for lack of intelligence. Like cus d'amato said most of the top fighters are very smart men and only win by being smarter. Ali said it in an old interview too, comparing top fighters to astronauts and physicists. I mean, just consider how much thought goes into a good performance, how much adaptation, judgement of distance, strategy, anticipation. To the uninitiated it just looks like two dummies bashing on each other, sometimes that's what it is but it can be much, much more.

Yes. I loved the book. I bought/read it to get insight into him. I didn't care about his literary skills and/or grammar correctness. I recommend the book to anyone who enjoyed his fights. Also, Raging Bull was such an interesting book that I couldn't get into the movie as much as I wanted. Awesome read for ANYONE who is remotely interested in boxing.

 

[King Ghidorah]

4 kings is great, Teddy Atlas book is another good read, and I just finished Tyson's book. I thought it was very good book that gave you some good insight into a lot of his shortcomings. The multiple run ins with Mitch Blood Green and his stories about Rick James were very funny.

Next book on my list is "Hands of Stone".

 

[mozfonky]

4 kings is great, Teddy Atlas book is another good read, and I just finished Tyson's book. I thought it was very good book that gave you some good insight into a lot of his shortcomings. The multiple run ins with Mitch Blood Green and his stories about Rick James were very funny.

Next book on my list is "Hands of Stone".

the tyson book has been great from what I've skimmed, funny as hell too. I love the part where he meets Michael Jackson and asks him how he's doing and Jackson decides to fuck with his head saying "i know you from somewhere". I also thought some parts were nearly plagiarized from other books about him, I don't know what the author's reasons were for doing that but I thought it a bit lazy. I don't think I could stomach a book by Atlas.

 

[mozfonky]

Yes. I loved the book. I bought/read it to get insight into him. I didn't care about his literary skills and/or grammar correctness. I recommend the book to anyone who enjoyed his fights. Also, Raging Bull was such an interesting book that I couldn't get into the movie as much as I wanted. Awesome read for ANYONE who is remotely interested in boxing.

I thought a major difference between the film and the book was Lamotta's realization that he did not kill the man he thought he did and how that effected his style in the ring. As he said "i fought like a man that didn't deserve to live". I don't know why an interesting thing like that would be left out of the movie, i can only guess scorcese figured a movie with the redundant man/woman drama would sell better.

 

[King Ghidorah]

the tyson book has been great from what I've skimmed, funny as hell too. I love the part where he meets Michael Jackson and asks him how he's doing and Jackson decides to fuck with his head saying "i know you from somewhere". I also thought some parts were nearly plagiarized from other books about him, I don't know what the author's reasons were for doing that but I thought it a bit lazy. I don't think I could stomach a book by Atlas.

Atlas book was good especially when he talks about working with Cus, his relationship with Tyson and the pre fight issues with Moore and Foreman. It's been about 5 years since I read the book but definitely worth a read.

 

[DoctorTaco]

 

[rikwebb]

"The Dark Trade" by Donald McRae is a great read.

Mentioned this quite a few times on this forum, but couldn't recommend it enough:

These, especially Dark Trade!

 

[sh1tehawke]

the fight - norman mailer
king of the world - david remnick
beyond glory: joe louis vs max schmelling, and a world on the brink - david margolick

 

[NHB7]

So after reading your suggestions I went to my local Barnes and Noble (not so local anymore as they are falling off the planet) and perused the boxing section (or should I say the half a shelf where "B" sports are all mixed together (basketball, baseball, badminton). There was basically nothing other than a couple of Muhammed Ali books, which are fine, but I've read enough Muhammed Ali books to last a life time. But I did find one book which I bought and I don't think I read mentioned here.

It's called "The Good Son" about the career of Ray "Boom Boom" Mancini. And, while I haven't got there yet, goes into how killing another fighter in the ring messed with him psychologically. Should be a good one I think. The writing is well done thus far.

 

[mozfonky]

the manciini book was interesting, for me, it humanized him. I've never liked white fighters of that era, they got too many breaks with less talent. But I liked the guy after reading some of that and it made me respect him a bit more.

as far as finding the other books, no book store would likely have them, these days you don't need a bookstore, go web.

 

[MC Paul Barman]

the manciini book was interesting, for me, it humanized him. I've never liked white fighters of that era, they got too many breaks with less talent. But I liked the guy after reading some of that and it made me respect him a bit more.

as far as finding the other books, no book store would likely have them, these days you don't need a bookstore, go web.

Yeah you read books.

You're too street for books, holmes.

 

[mozfonky]

Yeah you read books.

You're too street for books, holmes.

i don't know how you know me so well but i've always called myself a street geek. I've never fitted neatly into any category, which has been the bane of my existence.

 

[MC Paul Barman]

i don't know how you know me so well but i've always called myself a street geek. I've never fitted neatly into any category, which has been the bane of my existence.

Everyone says they don't fit neatly into any category.

I'll applaud when someone finally admits, "yes, I fit neatly into a specific category".