Was just thinking it's time I bought another boxing book and low and behold a new one has just been released. Too bad I couldn't wrangle it as a Father's Day present.
Grantlee Kieza has a new book out - his 11th I believe - simply titled: 'Boxing in Australia'.
Courtesy of Ray Wheatley's review - see shortcut to it below - the book takes a comprehensive look at the fight game from the colonial times to the present.
That's great the cover is very predictable when it comes to Grantlee hope he isn't stuck on the one subject tooo long Marrickville PCYC and his Jeff Fenech day's so some other great's get a mention.
Redback Rasta wrote:You just posted in another thread Fenech is our best ever. Who better to put on the cover then?
So what he is rated our best ever........... Grantlee needed a map to find his way out of Newtown one great aussie boxing trainer once quipped
because that's has far as his boxing journalism went the Newtown PCYC he needed to look at the big picture I see he's still in that bowl
Historian are bob a dozen. Got a few books including The Hamlyn Encyclopedia of Boxing by Gilbert Odd & The Method by Frank Quill & John Famechon & in both there's numerous & numerous errors...not to mention spelling.
Boxrec has its own would be historians, who are for ever & ever & ever at each others throat
Cheers for that... certainly a few there that peaked my interest I have some of those books... a few ive been meaning to grab off the book shelf for a while now but havent had the time...
Beltane wrote:
And they saved the best at the end.
Anyone familiar with Grantlee's books? Been meaning to buy his Illustrated History for some time now.
At some time i will probably give this book a go, though its not exactly something that hasnt been done before.
Id love to see something written on the next layer of history down, or more fighter specific pieces, but alas im sure the market isnt there.
Fenech was a poor choice for the cover
Who would you have put on the cover?
Well my personal choice would probably change from day to day
Im sure the pearly white smile of a young Lionel would be a sound alternative
I was surprized they/Grantlee settled on the one fighter for the cover. I would have preferred a cover split into perhaps 4 with pictures of say Fenech, Rose, Fammo and Sands. But the selections would depend on the emphasis of the contents of the book.
I like the cover, obviously an amateur Jeff Fenech. I remember him being interviewed after he lost at the Olympics.
I have always been slightly critical of Jeffs career in that he didn't ever stay in a weight class long enough to be the undisputed champ but thought he could have unified at Featherweight. But having said that i think he was in a hurry because of his brittle hands. And if he had have got the decision he deserved against Nelson the first time round then it would have been a different story altogether. Strange how that one bad decision affected his career.
Still a worthy cover of a young man on the way up
That robbery in Las Vegas at super featherweight deprived Fenech of a unique piece of history, because he'd already won the bantamweight, super bantamweight and featherweight titles. As you said, he just never seemed to be quite the same fighter after that. It was as though he felt someone had taken something from him he knew he could never get back.
Anyone familiar with Grantlee's books? Been meaning to buy his Illustrated History for some time now.
At some time i will probably give this book a go, though its not exactly something that hasnt been done before.
Id love to see something written on the next layer of history down, or more fighter specific pieces, but alas im sure the market isnt there.
Fenech was a poor choice for the cover
Who would you have put on the cover?
How about some-one who has won 100 fight's was a payed fighter for 3 decade's it'll be 100 year's before another aussie win's 100 pro fight's
and he was even trained at the Newtown PCYC by Johny Lewis for a while Grantlee must have forgot he's name Jeff [Flash] Malcolm............
Redback Rasta wrote:
Who would you have put on the cover?
How about some-one who has won 100 fight's was a payed fighter for 3 decade's it'll be 100 year's before another aussie win's 100 pro fight's
and he was even trained at the Newtown PCYC by Johny Lewis for a while Grantlee must have forgot he's name Jeff [Flash] Malcolm............
I have no issue with Flash sharing the cover with a few other fighters in a montage.
But like magazines, book rely a lot on their cover for sales and whereas Fenech is instantly recognisable to the masses, Flash is not.
Redback Rasta wrote:You just posted in another thread Fenech is our best ever. Who better to put on the cover then?
What about Young Griffo. I'm English and I'd defo be interested in reading more about his story
Same issue as above, books rely to some degree on their cover for sales and whereas Fenech is instantly recognisable to the masses, Young Griffo is not.
Though Young Griffo's story is a ripper. But most people would not be able to tell you what he looked like and therefore would not be drawn to a book with him on its cover.
Redback Rasta wrote:You just posted in another thread Fenech is our best ever. Who better to put on the cover then?
What about Young Griffo. I'm English and I'd defo be interested in reading more about his story
Same issue as above, books rely to some degree on their cover for sales and whereas Fenech is instantly recognisable to the masses, Young Griffo is not.
Though Young Griffo's story is a ripper. But most people would not be able to tell you what he looked like and therefore would not be drawn to a book with him on its cover.
What about Young Griffo. I'm English and I'd defo be interested in reading more about his story
Same issue as above, books rely to some degree on their cover for sales and whereas Fenech is instantly recognisable to the masses, Young Griffo is not.
Though Young Griffo's story is a ripper. But most people would not be able to tell you what he looked like and therefore would not be drawn to a book with him on its cover.
What's the matter with you people? :P ;;-)
That's exactly the question the man in the bookshop would be asking people in his shop who were picking up books but not the one with Young Griffo on the cover.
Tbf, boxing in Australia is probably even more of a niche market than in the UK. I mean here, it's not exactly "mainstream". I had a go at this a couple of years ago but I confess I never finished it but it wasn't bad, I just never quite got into it. Happened with a few...
hope he isn't stuck on the one subject tooo long Marrickville PCYC and his Jeff Fenech day's 
I have some of those books... a few ive been meaning to grab off the book shelf for a while now but havent had the time...