Boxing books??

[DavidPayne]

Mike Tyson book.

http://www.bookzone.co.uk/rp=193164,info=3519659

Enjoy.

£20.

[TerribleTerry]

Has anyone read "Two Seconds From Glory" the Meldrick Taylor autobiography? Is it worth buying? What did you think of it?

It should make a great read if well written - the 17 yr old olympian and insanely quick Philly pro had a career full of high and low points. He looked awful the last few times I have heard him speak so I hope he is doing ok?

Would appreciate a review of the book too!

[Mensa07]

Anybody read 'The Sweet Science' by AJ Liebling? Any use?

yes, really enjoy Lieblings writing, defo recommend Sweet Science.

I picked up A Boxing Companion in a second hand book shop for a fiver recently, its brilliant its about 5 inches thick and stuffed full of pieces from Liebling, Mcilvanney, Hauser, Nat Fleischer, jose Torres, Ali, and tons more.

One book I'd really look forward to would be Bernard Hopkins autobiography.

[doctorboxing]

One book I'd really look forward to would be Bernard Hopkins autobiography.

That would be very interesting to see how he came across.

I may be in the minority here but I would also like to see an autobiography from Peter Buckley. He has worked with a lot of cornermen and promoters etc. in UK boxing and I bet he has some tales to tell!

[telboy66]

One book I'd really look forward to would be Bernard Hopkins autobiography.

That would be very interesting to see how he came across.

I may be in the minority here but I would also like to see an autobiography from Peter Buckley. He has worked with a lot of cornermen and promoters etc. in UK boxing and I bet he has some tales to tell!

Two good books for anyone interested in the guys that make up the down the bill fights are " Sweet fighting man 1 & 2" by melaine Lloyd including an interview with Peter Buckley

[mickey1975]

"boxing booth",not bad by tony and has some good stories of a true journeyman,algeria,africa,belguim on xmas day hungover...

[lorez]

Lots of great books on here that I have enjoyed and would recommend to people but one I haven't seen is boxing confidentail by Jim Brady, very interesting read especially the chapters on the IBF and Don King.

[the patriot]

I'll be checking out quite a few of these books, starting with Dark Trade by Donald McRae. It seems to have cropped up quite a bit in this thread.

I'm reading a book at the moment called "Wales and its Boxers - The Fighting Tradition" about Welsh boxers as it happens

Its actually quite good, covers boxers from the Driscoll, Welsh and Wilde era right through to Calzaghe et al.

Others I've read have pretty much been mentioned - Benn, Calzaghe, Nelson bios- War, Baby - Four Kings -McIlvenny on Boxing and also a book charting the lives of a lot of Tysons opponents after they fought cant remember the bloody name tho

All I'd highly recommend

[banjo]

"also a book charting the lives of a lot of Tysons opponents after they fought cant remember the bloody name tho"

Facing Tyson?

I have that one, quite a good read.

[the patriot]

isnt the Tyson book called the longest round? or something like that. Its the book talks to fighters who fought Tyson and they talk about the experience and what they have been doing since. its a good read

[/quote]

Thats the one

I was thinking it must be the one banjo said 'Facing Tyson' but it never rang any bells with me, but 'The Longest Round' definately does

[banjo]

This is the one I've got

[the patriot]

This is the one I've got

Defo not that one mate, the one Im on about had a pic of the Buster Douglas fight on the cover I think. I think I'll lokk up this one aswell tho. Cheers for the recommendation

[dr_devious]

Im currently reading "Dark Trade" by Donald McRae. Its superb and I can highly recommend it

[Scrap]

Charlie Burley and the Dark Murderers Row, loved the Book, great insights into the 40s.

[tonyevs]

Charlie Burley and the Dark Murderers Row, loved the Book, great insights into the 40s.

isn`t that ` .. The Black Murderers Row`?

Good book.

[bennie]

I don't read many boxing books but I enjoyed Dancing Shoes is Dead by Gavin Evans (Jacob Morake was nicknamed "Dancing Shoes", killed in the ring against Brian Mitchell), although it is only for 1980s buffs like me.
Me and McGuigan by Frank Mulligan is funny, if only for Mulligan's crazy lifestyle - and then he wonders why McGuigan left him!
Nigel Collins write a top book, in my opinion: Boxing Babylon, which details the wilder side of some of the sport's top fighters and their untimely deaths. His piece on Monzon is superb.
The greatest book on Tyson I have ever read is The Inner Ring by his one-time chauffeur, Rudy Gonzalez, a normal guy who stunned Tyson by refusing any surplus money (unlike everyone else in Team Tyson), struggled to to control the car when Tyson was humping Naomi Campbell in the back (and hundreds of others) and just says it as it is.

[alexpaterson]

Benn, Eubank and Hatton are ok books Eubank is an idiot hes so weird and Benn thinks hes amazing and Hatton tries to be 1 of the lads all the time. Buchanan, Calzaghe, Duran and 4 Kings are all very good books especially 4 kings the best boxing ive ever read so well writing and very insitval.

[tonyevs]

But in all fairness - the money wasn`t coming out of Tysons pocket.

I prefer to read the book on Tyson in a good few years - I think his story is only half finished

[Neil Jones Jnr]

i love a boxing book thread and am a collector of boxing books and i think i posted this list on boxrec end of last year (my first post) . here are my top ten:

1. Dark Trade by Donald McRae
not only the best boxing book i've ever read but also the best book i've read a must for all boxing fans.

2. Mama's Boy BY Gavin Evans
this story of Lennox Lewis book gives you a real insight to the politics and problems a boxer has to cope and an excellent insight to what goes on behind the scenes.

3. Atlas from the streets to.... by Teddy Atlas and Peter Alson
the life story of Teddy Atlas never has a dull moment from his wild youth to training of Tyson to the rollercoaster that was Michael Moorer.

4.war baby by Kevin Mitchell
this is the tale of the Benn - McClellan fight from the fight itself to those involved in it and gives a fantastic account of the fight and fighters.

5.Night Train by Nick Tosches
is a hard hitting account of the life of Sonny Liston and his connections to the underworld which led to his death.

6.In black and White by Donald McRae
this is the untold story of Joe Louis and Jesse Owens and gives a good insight what it was like to be a black sportsman in 30's-60's America.

7.Unforgivable Blackness by Geoffrey Ward
is the rise and fall of Jack Johnson and is a heavy read but a must for all those who love their boxing history.

8.Mi Vida Loca by Johnny Tapia and Bettina Gilois
the crazy life of Johnny Tapia is not best writen book but certainly is an enteraining one.

9. Irish Thunder by Bob Halloran
the Mickey Ward story surprised me and like the Tapia story is not best writen book a good read.

10. Hard Road to Glory by Johnny Nelson
another good tale of a boxer who has an up and down career.

honourable mention to :
No Baloney by Frank Maloney
the paddy and the prince by Nick Pitt
hands of stone by roberto duran
the Benn, Eubank, Watson, Calzaghe, Hatton books are all much the same and all ok but not the best.

i am currently reading "Four Kings" which i would imagine will soon be in my top ten.

i have never read a Ali book but have about six to get through

i dont know why i included the Liston book because though interesting it is a tough read. i should really replace it with "the life and Crimes of Don King" which is a top read.

I really enjoyed the Liston book. very interesting I thought.

some good ones I've read
Against the Odds by Larry Holmes is a brilliant read.
Going the Distance by Ken Norton
Reaching for the Stars (Howard Winstone Story) by Brian Hughes (pm me if you'd like to purchase a copy)
American Son by Oscar

I've read about 200 hundred boxing books in all. Always enjoy reading about fighters.

[LethalLeprechaun]

I've read a number of boxing books over the years and they tend to be a real mixed bag.

The best I've read recently is The Boxing Scene by Thomas Hauser, which comprises a collection of essays about the likes of Pavlik, Cotto, Hopkins...etc, as well as stories about Bob Arum and Don King and a great insight into the inner workings of HBO. Probably the best boxing book I've read since Dark Trade by Donald McCrae.

A Fighter's Heart by Sam Sheridan is an interesting book about what makes fighters tick and why fighting is so addictive, although it's not really exclusively about boxing. The author goes around the world learning different fighting styles including boxing, muay tai, brazilian ju jitsu...etc, and collecting stories along the way. On the boxing front he spends a lot of time with Andre Ward and his trainer Virgil Hunter, which makes for an interesting couple of paragraphs. His paragraph about dog and cock fighting is somewhat less interesting.

The worst book's are usually fighters biographies. They tend to be much like football biographies insofar as they are heavily scripted with nothing controversial, full of facts boxing fans already know, and short of genuine insight into the mind of the fighter. The Hatton and McCullough biographies were particularly dissapointing, given that they're both quite colourful characters outside the ring. I suspect the publishers made sure they were pitched at the lowest common denominator. At least the Chris Eubank biography was entertaining and brilliantly showed what an eccentric character he is. The story about his strawberry bonbons had me in stiches and his relationship with that homeless guy was nothing short of bizarre.

[DavidPayne]

In the Red Corner; The Story of Cuban Boxing

Brilliant.

[Autobarn]

Im currently reading "Dark Trade" by Donald McRae. Its superb and I can highly recommend it

i used to go to whsmith's after school and reac the james toney chapters in that book. ended up getting a copy for christmas when i was a teenager. it is excellent, i agree. there's an updated version now isn't there, with an afterword on toney, holyfield, etc.

[Autobarn]

Benn, Eubank and Hatton are ok books Eubank is an idiot hes so weird and Benn thinks hes amazing and Hatton tries to be 1 of the lads all the time. Buchanan, Calzaghe, Duran and 4 Kings are all very good books especially 4 kings the best boxing ive ever read so well writing and very insitval.

yeah the buchanan book is good. the benn book - as much as i admire benn - is tabloid shite. i shagged this german bird, i had my photo taken with mike mccallum, i smashed so and so's head in.

calzaghe book must be worth it for thoughts on the RJJ fight, as he ended up totally contradicting himself by fighting a "shot" Jones and failing to stop him (though it probably should have been stopped on cuts).

[Autobarn]

Hurricane - The Paul Briggs story. Most of you will totally ignore this as Briggs didn't win a world title and wasn't a big name. But he had a disturbing life, dabbled in everything from Muay Thai to local crime, and fought Tomasz Adamek to two classics for the WBC light heavyweight title (both very close in Adamek's adopted hometown). It gets into Briggs rehabilitation, his battle with his demons, in a seemingly thorough and honest way. Comes across much more honest than, say, Benn's tacky book. Mostly ppl will just read about the great ones, which can be a shame. Briggs could easily have been the best of the Aussie fighters (Mundine, Green, etc) but had some hard luck, hard fights (eg vs 6'6 southpaw Stipe Drews, whom Briggs dropped 5x) and lack of opportunity.

[alexpaterson]

Benn, Eubank and Hatton are ok books Eubank is an idiot hes so weird and Benn thinks hes amazing and Hatton tries to be 1 of the lads all the time. Buchanan, Calzaghe, Duran and 4 Kings are all very good books especially 4 kings the best boxing ive ever read so well writing and very insitval.

yeah the buchanan book is good. the benn book - as much as i admire benn - is tabloid shite. i shagged this german bird, i had my photo taken with mike mccallum, i smashed so and so's head in.

calzaghe book must be worth it for thoughts on the RJJ fight, as he ended up totally contradicting himself by fighting a "shot" Jones and failing to stop him (though it probably should have been stopped on cuts).

The J.C book is written before the RJJ fight but your right that would be intresting. I thought it was funny how on Benns book he was bad and then the last chapter is him now and he is heavily christian and is anti-violence a total change to how he was