BoxRec

Old bones Ian wrote:I must recommend Lance Armstrongs biography for his honest account of how to win without cheating.

Paul Briggs wrote one of the best i have ever read, no exaggeration. Heartbreakingly honest and shocking. Was amazed at the mental strength of the guy and how he had turned his life around from the rape, drugs, crime and generally being such a bad man. Boxing, and religion, saved him. I was so happy for him, it made a fan of me. In fact, i was cheering for him against Danny Green when he went down from half a jab in the first round that grazed his hair amidst a betting scanda lwith Green stood over him screaming "get up you fornicating dog" and the crowd baying for his blood...

It was Valery Abadzhyan who beat Lewis in the TSC tournament in Berlin in October 1986. it was a third round stoppage or count-out - a body shot did it. Seem to remember Ivan Berenyi reported it in Boxing News at the time, I remember a conversation with Reg Gutteridge about it and he asked Lennox when he saw him soon after that. Lennox said it was true.

Cheers Bob.

mickey1975 wrote:

Old bones Ian wrote:I must recommend Lance Armstrongs biography for his honest account of how to win without cheating.

Paul Briggs wrote one of the best i have ever read, no exaggeration. Heartbreakingly honest and shocking. Was amazed at the mental strength of the guy and how he had turned his life around from the rape, drugs, crime and generally being such a bad man. Boxing, and religion, saved him. I was so happy for him, it made a fan of me. In fact, i was cheering for him against Danny Green when he went down from half a jab in the first round that grazed his hair amidst a betting scanda lwith Green stood over him screaming "get up you effing dog" and the crowd baying for his blood...

Just ordered the Briggs book - 1 pence + postage from amazon, cheers, look forward to reading it

I loved the Briggs book, never got through to finishing it but it was one of the best books I've "almost fully read".

It is a good book that one, i wouldn't read to much into the Green fight. Yes it was a farce, but then Greens people shouldn't of made the match to start with, there were stories that Briggs was damaged goods way before that fight took place.

loaded_gloves wrote:

JLP wrote:

loaded_gloves wrote:I disagree with JLP's assessment of autobiogs, although I understand the logic. Foreman, Holmes and Frazier released wonderful, high quality autobiographies. Foreman's is painfully honest.

I am being a bit of a cynic, I admit. I have always preferred biographies, though. There's the occasional autobiographies that I read, it all depends who the ghost-writer is and how much of a sycophant they are.

I do know what you mean - the majority are selective and self serving and the ones I cited are exceptions to the rule. Unforgivable Blackness and King of the World are outstanding examples of biography.

Ken Burns' documentary Unforgivable Blackness is also fantastic - if a bit long at 4 hours.