Boxing Books

Book SynopsisGet a load of just some of the recently unearthed gold in this volume: 1. Jack Johnson’s “Biceps Punch.” 2. Gentleman Jim’s Not-Quite-a-Jab. 3. Joe Louis’s “Attacking the Buckler” strategy. 4. Gunboat Smith’s devastating “Occipital Punch.” 5. Bare-knuckle legend Jack Slack’s “Chopper.” 6. The real deal on how Jack Dempsey built the power in that Lead Hook. 7. “Hurricane” Jackson’s wild “Scoop Punch.” 8. How Joe Frazier built his eccentric defensive rhythm.

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Book SynopsisNo boxing book collection is complete without the classic, award-winning, Dark Trade: Lost in Boxing. With this updated edition, brought to the United States for the first time, the original cover art by fine artist Amanda Kelley, depicting James "Lights Out" Toney, a central figure in the book's gripping narrative, makes this a gorgeous and essential addition to any boxing fan's collection. "McRae brings to the highly charged, obsessive world of professional boxing a novelist's eye and ear for revealing detail and convincingly recalled dialogue. This is an impassioned book."--Joyce Carol Oates, LA Times "At the heart of this engaging and eloquent work...is McRae and his intriguing attempts to explain his 'seemingly illogical but enduring love' of boxing."--Kirkus Reviews Dark Trade: Lost in Boxing, by Donald McRae, award-winning author of twelve non-fiction books and staff writer for The Guardian, is widely considered of one of the best boxing books all time. This is a new edition, released in the United States for the first time, that includes a new chapter by the author, plus a stunning cover that features a painting of boxer James Toney by noted boxing artist Amanda Kelley. There is no other sport like boxing. Over twenty years ago, Donald McRae set out across the United States and his adopted home, Britain, to find deeper meaning in the brutal trade that had transfixed him since he was a young man. The result is a stunning chronicle that captures not only McRae's compelling personal journey through the world of professional prizefighting, but also the stories of some of its biggest names in boxing--James Toney, Mike Tyson, Evander Holyfield, Oscar De La Hoya, Naseem Hamed, Roy Jones, Jr., and others. Singular in his ability to uncover the emotional forces that drive men to get into the ring, McRae brilliantly exposes the hopes and fears and obsessions of these legendary fighters, while revealing some of his own along the way. What he shares with them most, he comes to realize, is that he is hopelessly, and willingly, lost in boxing. Table of Contents Introduction 1 The Baddest Man 2 The Force 3 This Is Boxing, Baby 4 Oscar's Night 5 The King and the Prince 6 Guns and Fathers 7 Looking on Darkness 8 Death and the Man 9 The Cinderella Men 10 The Soldier Boy 11 Nothing Is Forever 12 The Beacon 13 The Bite 14 Fading Away 15 Still Lost in Boxing Acknowledgments

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Book Synopsis"The masterful art of chess, Kung-fu sword play, and the sweet science of boxing are all hip-hop expressions that connect us universally. Beatboxing tells the story. It's razor sharp."—Masta Killa, Wu-Tang Clan“I love how Todd Snyder's brain works. Like him, I love hip hop, and I love boxing. But I've never seen someone tie them together so well, detailing their shared history, the way each impacted the other and the personalities involved. Beatboxing is written with such tethering, with that kind of impact and insight. It might be my favorite sports book—since the last one Snyder wrote.” —Greg Bishop, Sports IllustratedStep into a world of rap moguls turned fight promoters, boxers turned rappers, and rappers turned boxers. From Mike Tyson to Tupac, from Roy Jones Jr. to J Prince, explore how a cultural collision forever altered the relationship between music, race, sports, and politics.Daryl McDonald of Run-DMC once said that the rhyme Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee! The hands can’t hit what the eyes can’t see! was hip-hop’s most famous lyric. Muhammad Ali’s poetic brilliance and swagger—ignited by hype man Bundini Brown—gave hip-hop artists the template from which they forged their identities and performed their art. Hip-hop’s impact on boxing, on the other hand, has not been explored. Until now.In Beatboxing, Todd Snyder uncovers the unique connection between hip-hop and the sweet science, tracing a grassroots cultural movement from its origins in the South Bronx to its explosion across the globe and ultimately into the charged environment of the prize ring. Featuring interviews with champion fighters and music legends, this is the definitive book about an enduring phenomenon and is a must-read for boxing and hip-hop fans alike.Trade Review“I love how Todd Snyder's brain works. Like him, I love hip hop, and I love boxing. But I've never seen someone tie them together so well, detailing their shared history, the way each impacted the other and the personalities involved. Beatboxing is written with such tethering, with that kind of impact and insight. It might be my favorite sports book—since the last one Snyder wrote.” —Greg Bishop, Sports IllustratedTable of ContentsTABLE OF CONTENTSPRELUDE Tale of the (Cassette) TapeINTRODUCTION Check the RhimeCHAPTER 1 Streets Is WatchingCHAPTER 2 Brooklyn Go HardCHAPTER 3 Let the Rhythm Hit ’EmCHAPTER 4 Walk This WayCHAPTER 5 Welcome to the TerrordomeCHAPTER 6 Me Against the WorldCHAPTER 7 Ambitionz Az a RidahCHAPTER 8 Dirty SouthCHAPTER 9 Y’all Must’ve ForgotCHAPTER 10 Lean BackCHAPTER 11 Get MoneyCHAPTER 12 Get Rich or Die Tryin’CHAPTER 13 What’s Beef?CHAPTER 14 Hate It or Love ItCHAPTER 15 Watch the ThroneCHAPTER 16 Mo’ Money, Mo’ ProblemsAFTERWORD Don’t Call It a ComebackACKNOWLEDGMENTSAPPENDIXES : A COMPILATION OF HIP-HOP & BOXING SONGSAPPENDIX A Songs that Reference Boxing PersonalitiesAPPENDIX B Noteworthy Hip-Hop Collaborations with BoxersAPPENDIX C Noteworthy Hip-Hop Songs Specifically Crafted for BoxingAPPENDIX D Noteworthy Hip-Hop Songs by BoxersNOTESWORKS REFERENCED

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