Boxing Books
Vertical Editions The Legend: The story of Steve Ward, the world's
Book SynopsisThe Legend is the remarkable autobiography of Steve Ward, the world's oldest ever professional boxer. It details the astonishing obstacles Steve has overcome to become a three-times Guinness World Record holder after taking up the sport he loves again at the age of 54. Steve's unstinting ambition is driven by a promise made by his late father Bernard, who introduced him to boxing and told allcomers his son would be a world champion. His story is an inspiration to anyone who has hit hard times and proof of the old adage that all things are possible. A very serious foot injury sustained in a freak accident at work eventually led to Steve planning to kill himself before he bounced back to confound the medical profession and achieve his dream of winning a world title in his very last fight, at 64 years of age.
£11.39
Empire Publications Ltd Gomez: The Autobiography
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£17.06
Empire Publications Ltd Collyhurst & Moston Boxing Club : 1917 - 2017:
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£17.00
Birlinn General Muhammad Ali: The Life of a Legend
Book SynopsisMuhammad Ali is one of the most remarkable sports personalities and celebrities of our time. He is a legend who transcended boxing and rose above all sport. A man of mythic proportions, Ali rose to become a prominent feature of our cultural landscape. Through exclusive accounts from family members, close friends, associates and adversaries, Fiaz Rafiq has compiled a compelling and intriguing insight into a sporting legend. Muhammad Ali's story is an epic one, one of bravery, courage, hope, skill and indomitable will. Muhammad Ali: The Life of a Legend is an oral biography of the greatest icon of world sport who continues to influence millions. Among those interviewed include, George Foreman, Larry Holmes, Chuck Wepner, Joe Bugner, Angelo Dundee, Don King, Jim Brown, Lou Gossett Jr., Dr. Harry Edwards, Butch Lewis, Sugar Ray Leonard, Evander Holyfield, some close family members and some of the top sports journalists who worked with Ali, and many more.Trade Review'An impressive collection of first-hand testimony from friends, rivals, contemporaries, scribes and his closest family illuminate Ali for a new generation while rekindling the memories for those that have always known he was The Greatest' * New York Daily News *'An obsorbing, insightful look at the most significant sporting figure of modern times. Conversations gives a fresh perspective on a genial man, his boxing legacy and the 'Greatest's' role in landmark changes of 20th century history' * Daily Mail *'A thoroughly absorbing read with intriguing insights into 'The Greatest' by those who know him best' * Daily Star *'Lets Ali admirers, friends and former foes speak for themselves, as well as providing fascinating insights...essential reading' * Men's Fitness *'A forensic examination of the greatest sportsman of his era, through the eyes of the people who knew him best, and an essential addition to the library' * The Independent *'Ali was the quintessential sports icon and media star who in his 20-year boxing career played into his image as a larger than life athlete who basked in the spotlight,but was actually an intensely private man. Particularly poignant in the book are the interviews with four of Ali’s adult children... Rafiq digs into Ali’s technical prowess up close with interviews with his opponents... giving the inside view unscripted recollections of Ali’s boxing style: the knockouts, the rope-a-dope strategies, and Ali’s mental tactics in the ring...Rafiq’s interview sessions with sports journalists are also revelatory' * New York Journal of Books *
£16.14
SelfMadeHero Knock Out!: The True Story of Emile Griffith
Book SynopsisThe American boxing champion Emile Griffith gained notoriety in 1962 when he brutally defeated the Cuban fighter Benny Paret. Ten days after the fight, Paret, who had directed a homophobic slur at Griffith during the weigh-in, died from his injuries. In Knock Out!, Reinhard Kleist draws a powerful, emotive portrait of a bisexual black athlete who, facing racism and homophobia in 1960s America, found success in the world of boxing. This is the story of a fierce and ambitious fighter, and of a knock-out blow that ended one life and changed a second forever.
£12.74
Snowbooks Ltd Boxing Fitness: A guide to get fighting fit
Book SynopsisThe Best Boxing Fitness Book in the World!Whether you''re serious about boxing or just serious about getting in shape this book will help. The same methods that build speed, stamina and power in the ring have just as much to offer the fitness enthusiast or the beginner. Ian Oliver''s credentials are indisputable and his advice indispensable. Whether you''re young or old, male or female, experienced fighter or enthusiastic amateur, Boxing Fitness will get you in the best shape of your life.
£9.49
Saraband The Boxing Diaries: How I Got Hooked
Book SynopsisAged fifty, on a whim, Marion Dunn joined a boxing gym. Training to improve fitness quickly became something of an addiction, and then a source of transformation. This is her myth-busting tale of four years of slogging in an amateur boxing gym in northern England. Marion's story is one of a developing love affair with the 'sweet science'. It's also about obsession, hard work, companionship and occasional bravery. But The Boxing Diaries is not just a story of hard graft. It's a revealing account of life in the amateur boxing gym: its idiosyncratic inhabitants, non-judgmental spirit, dedicated coaches and respect for all comers, irrespective of age or gender - provided their commitment to training is total. From the sweat and toil in draughty halls, Marion takes us through the years of preparation before she is finally ready to spar in the ring. Every micro-improvement, every emotion is laid bare, and along the way she considers the influences and events that might have ignited her passion for the sport in the first place. Warning: this is a knockout memoir that could make you want to start swinging punches, too.
£8.99
Ad Lib Publishers Ltd Tyson Fury: Gypsy King of the World
Book Synopsis"He is the greatest fighter alive today" Daily Express Tyson Fury is colossal - six feet nine inches tall and a whisker under 20 stones in weight. He is spectacularly fast. He has a punch that could knock over a rhino and he can dance and weave like no one since the great Muhammad Ali. When he destroyed the fearsome Deontay Wilder in Las Vegas to become two-time world heavyweight champion in February 2020, the world held its breath. Fury was born in 1988 and named after Mike Tyson, who was then the world heavyweight champion. Tyson comes from a long line of gypsy bare knuckle fighters. His father, Gypsy John Fury and grandfather, Tiger Gorman, both fought as professionals. Tyson's success has not come easily, but he has fought the terrible battles of his personal life as bravely as those in the ring. In this extraordinary biography you will read how he overcame addiction to cocaine and alcohol and lost a staggering eight stone in weight to make his comeback. His bravery in talking about his mental health problems is an inspiration to many. Now he is happy and at the top of his game. There seems little doubt that, for Tyson Fury, Gypsy King of the World, the best is yet to come...
£7.64
GOST Books The Greatest
Book SynopsisThe Greatest brings together nearly 100 photographs of Muhammad Ali at the height of his careerby Chris Smith. The images are accompanied by Smith's memories of his time spent with Ali fromthe early days of his career until his final years before retirement.
£67.50
Rockpool Publishing Immortals of American Boxing
Book SynopsisThe Immortals of American Boxing celebrates our greatest ever fighters. It chooses the best of the best from over a century of the sport's colorful history. Renowned boxing writer Don Stradley selects his top 15 boxers and then delves into the careers of the true greats. Legendary fighters selected and profiled include pre-war figures Jack Dempsey and Joe Louis, plus the modern era's Mike Tyson and George Foreman. And the greatest of them all: Muhammad Ali. The book tells the remarkable stories behind each immortal's rise to the top and the adversity faced through their lives.
£19.80
SF Nonfiction Books Jeet Kune Do de Bruce Lee: Estrategias de
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£12.88
Sports Illustrated Books Sports Illustrated Muhammad Ali: The Tribute
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£33.96
Tracks Publishing,U.S. Boxer's Book of Conditioning & Drilling
Book SynopsisGoing beyond the standard workout for boxers, this innovative manual introduces a diverse set of training methods, integrating them into drill sets that build the athletic attributes for which past and present fighters are known. From Leroy Jones sparring with chickens and Ken Norton’s 15 combined rounds of shadow boxing, sparring, and bag work to Ricky Hatton’s staggering 12-round sparring bouts with a body belt and Kosta Tszyu’s creative tennis-ball and head-strap punching apparatus, this guide highlights a wide vocabulary of exercises, all incorporating boxing-specific equipment. The drills can be performed solo or with a partner, and each piece of equipment is approached individually with detailed descriptions of routines, including floor exercises and drills with the heavy bag, medicine ball, horizontal rope, and jump rope. With two workout menus for weight training, this guide guarantees a regime to suit any individual need—be it professional or simply a desire to train like some of the best athletes in the world.
£12.30
Tracks Publishing,U.S. Boxer's Bible of Counterpunching: The Killer
Book SynopsisAll the tools necessary to build a powerful defensive base for boxing—every defense for every punch from every angle—are included in this manual. Punching prowess has become equated with boxing, but what is done in response to that incoming flurry makes a truly good boxer: how to make an opponent miss, how to easily defend, and, most importantly, how to counterattack. Building on that defensive base, this book explores natural punching triggers, or logical counterpunching sequences, that move past the beginner’s realm of being a mere puncher into the upper echelons of crafty counter boxing. With encyclopedic boxing defensive drills bolstered by numerous illustrative photographs, this is a one-stop resource for learning the art of counterpunching.
£12.30
Tracks Publishing,U.S. Willie Pep vs. Sandy Saddler: Notes on the Boxing
Book SynopsisAny discussion of great boxers must include Willie Pep and Sandy Saddler—midcentury featherweight champions whose heroics electrified the fistic world then and reverberate today. This book explores the boxing lives of both pugilists—early years, fighting years, training and conditioning, historical context, life after boxing, and, of course, the lasting controversy over their rivalry and legacy. Pep recorded 229 wins, only 11 losses and one draw over a pro career that spanned three decades. He won the featherweight crown twice. Sandy Saddler’s record of 144-16-2 includes an amazing 103 knockouts. He also won the title twice and retired an undefeated featherweight champion. Their four title bouts are an epic showcase of contrasts. Pep was the exquisite dancer/boxer, a wildly popular Italian American personality who made his opponents miss and scored at will. Saddler was a curious blend of unprepossessing menace—a tall, thin, black American banger who pressed and brutalized with singular leveraged force. Their matchups had it all: contrasting styles, dazzling skills, hard punching, splendid action, ridiculous brawling, heroic victories and crashing defeats. Included in this book are Pep’s plane crash and recovery as well as the legal wrangling with Newsweek over his boxing reputation. Saddler’s ongoing slight in boxing history and secondary status with Pep is examined under fresh light. The text is highlighted with several images of both fighters that bring to life the fierce glory of professional boxing in the 1940s and 50s.Trade Review" Start-Up Sports tackles the hottest sports. Forthright and Simple." -- Library Journal"Pep-Saddler was the ultimate rivalry between two different men and fighters. Doug Werner does a masterful job of covering it in detail and then some." -- Jack Hirsch, President, Boxing Writers Association of America (BWAA), Chief correspondent, Boxing News"Doug Werner has put together a wonderful compilation of stories, facts, analysis and historical opinion on the epic four-fight rivalry between featherweights Willie Pep and Sandy Saddler. And you get the feeling that [he] has brought everything to his book..." -- T K Stewart, author, "The Fight Racket" & 10-time winner of the Barney Award (Boxing Writers Association of America)
£13.25
Tracks Publishing,U.S. Boxing for MMA
Book SynopsisAlthough dramatic head kicks and garrote-tight submissions may get most of the airplay in highlight reels, the stats show that punching combinations and knockouts reap more MMA victories than any other fighting technique. This boxing primer not only covers the basics, including stance, footwork, punches, and combinations, it takes these boxing skills and views them through an MMA prism that addresses the realities of the mixed martial arts game. While there are some must-know fistic skills for MMA, there are also more than a few boxing tactics that will get you smashed in MMA. Boxing for MMA builds on the good and tosses the bad, discussing the differences in strategy and tactics when it comes to facing likely MMA scenarios. Matchups covered include Boxing vs. Wrestling, Boxing vs. Jiu-Jitsu, Boxing vs. Muay Thai, Boxing vs. the Slugger, Dirty Boxing Inside the Clinch, and Boxing off of the Fence. All the techniques are illustrated in hundreds of action-sequence images, making this guide the go-to resource for blending boxing skills into your fighting arsenal.
£11.35
Tracks Publishing,U.S. Boxing Like the Champs
Book SynopsisHow did the old school, all time champs — like Jack Dempsey, Kid McCoy, Sonny Liston and Stanley Ketchel — do it? This manual examines some of the best and most interesting fighters in boxing history and gets inside the historical import of what they accomplished. Examining the training, technique and tactics of past champions, this book provides readers with recreated templates to drill and box precisely as the greats did. Here are five benefits a reader will gain from this book: 1. Gain historical perspective on one of mankind's most riveting and oldest sports. 2. Hone boxing skills via historical recreation modeling. 3. Create bonding with the material through historical perspective and physical execution. 4. Transform your boxing game as you learn to shift gears through champion mindsets. 5. Learn the valuable skill of immersion training versus simulacra training.
£11.35
Tracks Publishing,U.S. Boxing Like the Champs 2: More Lessons from
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.
£12.30
Archipelago Books The Distance
Book SynopsisIn the spring of 1970, a Pretoria schoolboy, Joe, becomes obsessed with Muhammad Ali. He begins collecting daily newspaper clippings about him, a passion that grows into an archive of scrapbooks. Forty years later, when Joe has become a writer, these scrapbooks become the foundation for a memoir of his childhood. When he calls upon his brother, Branko, for help uncovering their shared past, meaning comes into view in the spaces between then and now, growing up and growing old, speaking out and keeping silent.Trade Review"South African novelist Vladislavic delivers a moving, closely observed study in family dynamics in a time of apartheid...Vladislavic's tale unfolds with grace and precision. A memorable, beautifully written story of love and loss." -- Kirkus, Starred Review "Violence meets quiet, action edges toward observation, and personality gives way to place. But where The Distance, like Portrait with Keys before it, asks that the reader build links across and between planes of memory, history, and city, the virtual world with which the book's past collides is discomfitingly edgeless. Vladislavic is an auteur of this moment of collision. Always hovering just askew of the city he loves, his is a voice for making new spaces within it." -- Africa is a Country "Ivan Vladislavic occupies a place all of his own in the South African literary landscape: a versatile stylist and formal innovator whose work is nevertheless firmly rooted in contemporary urban life." - JM Coetzee "Ivan's sentences are like no one else's; how does he manage to do it? They rise in the air like balloons and never seem to come down. One reads them looking up." - Arvind Krishna Mehrotra "One of South Africa's most finely tuned observers." - Ted Hodgkinson, Times Literary Supplement "The writing has a quality of unpredicitability, a wildness that seeps through the fabric of Vladislavic's peerless linguistic control. Ivan Vladislavic is one of the most significant writers working in English today. Everyone should read him. " - Katie Kitamura, BOMB
£14.24
BenBella Books Ali vs. Inoki: The Forgotten Fight That Inspired
Book Synopsis"Inoki can use his bare fists. He can use karate. This is serious. There's $10 million involved. I wouldn't pull a fraud on the public. This is real. There's no plan. The blood. The holds. The pain. Everything is going to be real. I'm not here in this time of my life to come out with some phony action. I want you to know this is real." --Muhammad Ali, June 14, 1976, The Tonight Show On June 26, 1976, Muhammad Ali fought in a mixed-rules contest against iconic pro wrestling champion Antonio Inoki for the so-called "martial arts championship of the world." Broadcast from Tokyo to a potential audience of 1.4 billion in 34 countries, the spectacle foreshadowed and, in many ways, led to the rise of mixed martial arts as a major sport. The unique contest was controversial and panned by wrestling and boxing supporters alike, but the real action was behind the scenes. Egos, competing interests, and a general sense of apprehension over what would happen in the ring led to hodgepodge rules thrown together at the last minute. Bizarre plans to "save" Ali if the fight got out of hand were even concocted. In Ali vs. Inoki, author Josh Gross gets inside Ali's head leading up to the match by resurrecting pre-fight interviews. Gross also introduces us to Inoki, the most famous face in Japan who was instrumental in shaping modern mixed martial arts.Trade Review"It's only fitting the Josh Gross--an early MMA adopter and as fine a writer/reporter as the sport has--gives us this dispatch of an original boxer-versus-grappler contest. Our only question: when's the movie coming out?" --L. Jon Wertheim, executive editor, Sports Illustrated "If you're interested in Muhammad Ali, the history of combat sports or pro wrestling, this book is a must-have in your collection." --Denny Burkholder, features writer for CBS Sports
£12.34
Hamilcar Publications Off The Ropes: The Ron Lyle Story
Book Synopsis"Toft adeptly shows this to be the legacy Ron Lyle left behind, one that stands shoulder-to-shoulder with a boxing legacy that is nothing short of remarkable."—Rafael Garcia, The Fight City "[Ron Lyle's] life was a remarkable one and the story of it worth re-telling, which makes the book’s new edition thoroughly welcome. Off The Ropes is absolutely recommended reading."—Gary Lucken, Boxing Monthly "Nobody ever hit me that hard. No question. I’ll remember that punch on my deathbed. A great puncher, a great guy."—Earnie ShaversIn a life as tough as his battles in the ring, Ron Lyle had already served hard time for second-degree murder before he started his amateur boxing career at the age of twenty-nine. After he turned pro, fans knew him as the man who had Muhammad Ali beat on the scorecards for ten rounds in a fight for the heavyweight title; as the man who fought George Foreman in a legendary brawl with four knockdowns that nearly saw Foreman knocked cold; and as the man who was arrested for murder a second time. Off the Ropes: The Ron Lyle Story is not your typical boxing biography, exploring not only the greatest era of heavyweights in boxing history, but also telling an equally compelling personal tale. Ron Lyle grew up in the Denver projects, one of nineteen children in a tight-knit, religious family. At twenty, he was convicted for a disputed gang killing and served seven and a half years at the Colorado State Penitentiary at Cañon City, where at one point he was nearly shanked to death, and where he learned to box before he was paroled in 1969. After a meteoric amateur career, he turned pro in 1971, and over the next six years established an outstanding professional record, which, in addition to the near misses against Ali and Foreman, included a brutal knockout win over one of the era's most feared fighters, big-punching Earnie Shavers. Then, in 1978, Lyle was indicted for murder a second time and, even though he was acquitted, his career was effectively over. The years that followed were filled with struggle, a captivating love story, and eventual redemption. Today, a youth center in Denver that he ran still bears his name. Off the Ropes: The Ron Lyle Story is the poignant, uplifting biography of a singular man.Table of ContentsForeword: Al Bernstein . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ix Prologue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xi Chapter 1 Beginnings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Chapter 2 Cañon City . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 Chapter 3 Denver Rocks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 Chapter 4 Gaining Momentum . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63 Chapter 5 Starting Over . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99 Chapter 6 The Big Three . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135 Chapter 7 The Long Struggle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153 Chapter 8 Moving On . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181 Chapter 9 The Twelfth Round . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193 Epilogue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207 Afterword: Ron Lyle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209 Acknowledgments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 211 Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213
£17.99
Hamilcar Publications Jacobs Beach: The Mob, the Garden and the Golden
Book Synopsis"Brings to life the fight world of that era. Mr. Mitchell's account is full of memorably drawn scenes, and the stories we haven't heard before make Jacobs Beach a cigar-chomping read."--Wall Street Journal "The value of Mitchell's book lies not only in bringing back to life a lost era. He also shows us how the blood, sweat, and toil of the ring has been distilled into hard-won wisdom passed down through the generations--the connective tissue of the sweet science."--From the Foreword by Mike Stanton, author of the award-winning Unbeaten: Rocky Marciano's Fight for Perfection in a Crooked World Gangsters have always infected fight game. At the end of the First World War, through Prohibition, and into the 1930s, the Mob emerged as a poisonous force, threatening to ravage the sport. But it was only when cutthroat Madison Square Garden promoter Mike Jacobs, chieftain of a notorious patch of Manhattan pavement called Jacobs Beach, stepped aside that the real devil appeared former Murder, Inc. killer and underworld power broker Frankie Carbo, a man known to many simply as Mr. Gray. And Carbo wasn't alone. Along with a crooked cast of characters that included a rich playboy and an urbane lawyer, he controlled boxing through most of the 1950s, with the help of a diabolical deputy, Francis Blinky Palermo, who did much of Mr. Gray's dirty work, reportedly drugging fighters and robbing them blind. Not until 1961, when Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy shipped Carbo and Palermo to jail for twenty-five years, did it all come crashing down. Enriched by the recollections of some of the men who were there, Kevin Mitchell's Jacobs Beach offers a gripping, noirish look at boxing and organized crime in postwar New York City and reveals the fading glamour of both.
£14.99
Hamilcar Publications Macho Time: The Meteoric Rise and Tragic Fall of
Book Synopsis"In yet another skillful excavation of a dazzling Latino champion, Christian Giudice...follows Hector 'Macho' Camacho from his embattled childhood in Spanish Harlem, to the heights of his electrifying yet too-brief stardom and onto his abject end by hail of gunfire in a carful of cocaine. It is a compelling journey."-Mark Kram Jr., author of Smokin' Joe: The Life of Joe Frazier Raised in 1970s Spanish Harlem, Hector Camacho lived a life as fast as his fists flew in the ring. Handsome, flamboyant, and outspoken, Camacho electrified the boxing scene of the 1980s and, shouting his mantra "Macho Time!", beat some of the greatest fighters of his generation. His fast-lane life caught up with him eventually-and tragically-when he was shot dead outside a nightclub in Puerto Rico at the age of fifty. Macho Time is written by Christian Giudice, author of Hands of Stone, the definitive biography of Roberto Duran, which was made into the motion picture of the same name starring Robert De Niro Macho Time will be the first biography of Hector Camacho Sr., who lived a life as fast as his fists flew in the ring. Camacho's son, Hector Camacho Jr., also a professional boxer, has worked closely with author Christian Giudice to give him unprecedented access and insight into this complex man, who was tragically murdered in San Juan, Puerto Rico in 2012 I thought I was cocky. Camacho surpasses me by three or four levels. But when Camacho brags, he's not trying to convince you of anything; he's just telling you what's going to happen."-Sugar Ray Leonard, from the pages of Macho Time "He would give me a hug and a kiss, then he would sit on the couch and make everyone laugh so hard. He had such good energy and spirit. He brought such joy to people whenever he entered a room. It was a gift."-Hector Camacho Jr., from Afterword of Macho TimeTrade Review"Hector 'Macho' Camacho...survived a difficult childhood to become a world champion before his lifelong struggle with addiction led to his murder at the age of 50. Giudice's take on the complicated fighter will move even those who've never tuned into a boxing match."--Publishers Weekly "The first full-length biography of the legendary boxer...with a penchant for flamboyant outfits and behavior that won him both fans and foes. Giudice writes with sensitivity about Camacho's lifelong struggle with drugs and excessive partying that robbed him of a chance at true greatness...Boxing fans who remember the ascendant days of lighter-weight fighters such as Roberto Duran, Sugar Ray Leonard, Julio Cesar Chavez, and Oscar De La Hoya will want to read."--Library Journal "In yet another skillful excavation of a dazzling Latino champion, Christian Giudice--the author of acclaimed biographies of Roberto Duran, Alexis Arguello and Wilfredo Gomez--follows Hector 'Macho' Camacho from his embattled childhood in Spanish Harlem, to the heights of his electrifying yet too-brief stardom and onto his abject end by hail of gunfire in a carful of cocaine. It is a compelling journey."--Mark Kram Jr., author of Smokin' Joe: The Life of Joe Frazier "The bullets that eventually found Hector Camacho had shadowed him throughout his tempestuous life. In this penetrating biography, Christian Giudice reveals the showman, the artist, the clown and the assassin--the erratic family man and the pride of Spanish Harlem. The Macho Man was a blazing comet streaking across the sky, bringing brilliance and destruction, then disappearing all too soon."--Mike Stanton, author of Unbeaten: Rocky Marciano's Fight for Perfection in a Crooked World "All of boxing's dark romance is here. The raw material of Hector Camacho's wild, sad yet sometimes stellar life expertly distilled and movingly told."--Jon Hotten, author of The Years of the Locust: A True Story of Murder, Money and Mayhem in the Last Age of Boxing
£17.99
Hamilcar Publications Berserk: The Shocking Life and Death of Edwin
Book Synopsis"Just finished Don Stradley's book on Edwin Valero, Berserk. Outstanding. Predictably so because 1) Don is a super writer, and 2) the story is chilling and amazing."—Steve Farhood, Showtime boxing analyst, and International Boxing Hall of Fame member"There’s no telling what went on during the next few hours, or where his paranoia took him, but in that room something terrible happened. At 5:30 a.m. Valero appeared in the lobby. As calmly as one might order something from room service, he told the staff that he had just killed his wife."Within the dark pages of Berserk: The Shocking Life and Death of Edwin Valero, author Don Stradley uncovers the gritty details of the undefeated (27-0, 27 KO), troubled, boxer Edwin Valero.Edwin Valero’s life was like a rocket shot into a wall. With a perfect knockout record in twenty-seven fights, the demonic Venezuelan boxer, known as “El Inca” and “El Dinamita,” seemed destined for a clash with all-time great Manny Pacquiao. But the Fates had other ideas.Fueled by cocaine and booze and paranoia, Valero blazed into a mania that derailed his career in the ring and resulted in the brutal death of his young wife Jennifer–and soon afterward, his own. In chilling detail, Don Stradley captures one of the darkest and most sensational boxing stories in recent memory, which, until now, has never been fully told.Filled with firsthand accounts from the men who trained Valero and the reporters who covered him, as well as insights from psychologists and forensic experts, Berserk is a hell-ride of a book.Berserk is the first in the Hamilcar Noir series, from Hamilcar Publications. Hamilcar Noir is "Hard-Hitting True Crime" that blends boxing and true crime, featuring riveting stories captured in high-quality prose, with cover art inspired by classic pulp novels.Perfect Gift For Boxing and True Crime Fans!Berserk, combined with other books in the Hamilcar Noir series, makes a great gift for fans of stories about the darker side of boxing. Books in the Hamilcar Noir series also make for a great gift idea for true crime fans—whether they are a die-hard boxing fan or not, they will devour these quick reads and ask for more!Trade Review“Stradley [has]…a clipped, hard-hitting narrative style that makes no excuses and offers no apologies. Boxing fans interested in this…tragic figure should be captivated. A gritty, absorbing account of a boxer who couldn’t defeat his own inner demons.”—Kirkus Reviews"Stradley does well to separate fact from fiction and to dismiss conspiracy theories while recognising the limits of what we can really know about Valero and his relationships. It is a short sharp captivating read and one any boxing fan will find interesting. The punchy style of the book neatly matches Valero’s own relentless fighting style."—All Sports Books Reviews"Stradley doesn’t leave out the action in the ring, but he understands where best to turn his focus in an effort to humanize a man who many now see only as a maniac, a brute, a killer."—The Fight CityTable of ContentsPART I Birth of a Nightmare . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 PART II Mad Love . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27 PART III Carnage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ...49
£7.99
Hamilcar Publications The Ghost of Johnny Tapia: —Hamilcar Noir True
Book Synopsis“A gritty, engrossing, and concise account of a boxer’s meteoric career and tortured personal life.”—Kirkus Reviews "If I wake up, I know I'm a success. The day I don't wake up, I know I'll be home. I have one foot on this earth and one foot has crossed over. I didn’t just die, I lived.”—Johnny Tapia ...the ghost of Johnny Tapia lives on “Mi Vida Loca” (My Crazy Life) was Johnny Tapia’s nickname and his reason for being. Haunted by the brutal murder of his beloved mother when he was a child, fighting and drugs gave him the escape he craved—and he did both with gusto. In The Ghost Of Johnny Tapia, Paul Zanon, with the help of Tapia’s widow Teresa, tells the harrowing and unforgettable story of a boxing genius who couldn’t, in the end, defeat his demons. From the Foreword: "Johnny had incredible heart, was such a sweet man, but was also tormented. He had two sides to him. The sweetest, nicest guy, but then the other side which could probably kill you. He was tortured with his addictions, but Johnny was always pure emotion in that ring."—Sammy ‘The Red Rocker’ Hagar, Musician The Ghost of Johnny Tapia is the second in the Hamilcar Noir series. Hamilcar Noir is "Hard-Hitting True Crime" that blends boxing and true crime, featuring riveting stories captured in high-quality prose, with cover art inspired by classic pulp novels. Perfect Gift For Boxing and True Crime Fans! The Ghost of Johnny Tapia, combined with other books in the Hamilcar Noir series, makes a great gift for fans of stories about the darker side of boxing. Books in the Hamilcar Noir series also make for a great gift idea for true crime fans—whether they are a die-hard boxing fan or not, they will devour these quick reads and ask for more!Table of ContentsForeword Sammy Hagar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .ix Prelude: D.O.A. Teresa Tapia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 CHAPTER 1 Baptism of Hell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 CHAPTER 2 Meeting His Match . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9 CHAPTER 3 Escape to Victory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13 CHAPTER 4 Resurrection Boulevard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23 CHAPTER 5 Cheating Death . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33 CHAPTER 6 Guilt Trip . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41 CHAPTER 7 Hanging Up the Gloves . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45 CHAPTER 8 Final Bell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .51 CHAPTER 9 Adios Johnny . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .55 Acknowledgments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .59
£7.99
Hamilcar Publications Bundini: Don't Believe The Hype
Book Synopsis“Mr. Snyder writes lyrically, and his research appears to be impeccable: It’s hard to imagine that anyone has slipped through his interview net… When Bundini died, Ali was abroad and unable to attend the funeral, but he sent flowers with a card that read: ‘You made me the greatest.’ Many members of the boxing fraternity, George Foreman and Larry Holmes included, think that Ali wasn’t exaggerating. Mr. Snyder’s affecting portrait will convince the rest of us as well.” —Gordon Marino, Wall Street Journal“I think Bundini was the source of Muhammad Ali’s spirit. I wouldn’t even call him a trainer or cornerman, he was more important than a trainer. Ali had an unmeasurable determination and he got it from Bundini.” —George Foreman“When you talk about Bundini, you are talking about the mouthpiece of Muhammad Ali, an extension of Muhammad Ali’s spirit. There would never have been a Muhammad Ali without Drew Bundini Brown.” —Khalilah Camacho-Ali (Muhammad Ali’s second wife)“Bundini gave Ali his entire heart. Bundini played a very important part in Ali’s career. He was Ali’s right hand man. He knew exactly how to motivate him. He was the one guy who could really get him up to train and get him ready to fight.” —Larry HolmesFifty years after he coined the iconic phrase Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee, Drew “Bundini” Brown remains one of boxing’s most mysterious and misunderstood figures. His impact on the sport and the culture at large is undeniable. Cornerman and confidant to two of the greatest fighters ever—Sugar Ray Robinson and Muhammad Ali—Brown lived an extraordinary American life.After a poverty-stricken childhood in Jim Crow Florida, Brown came of age traveling the world as a naval steward. On being discharged, he settled in New York City and spent wild nights in the jazz joints of Harlem, making a name for himself as the charismatic street philosopher and poet some called “Fast Black.” He married a white woman from a family of Orthodox Jewish immigrants, in dramatic defiance of 1950s cultural norms, and later appeared in films such as the blaxploitation classic, Shaft.In Bundini, Todd Snyder digs deep into Brown’s expansive story, revealing not only how he became Muhammad Ali’s “hype man,” but also, as boxing’s greatest motivator, how he became a model for others who seek to inspire, in any endeavor.
£17.99
Hamilcar Publications The President of Pandemonium: The Mad World Of
Book Synopsis“The story of Ike Ibeabuchi is one of the strangest in modern boxing history and Luke G. Williams has told it with great clarity, sensitivity, and skill. President of Pandemonium is crammed with raw and revealing details as Williams draws us into the unsettling world of a man as vulnerable as he was destructive. It is a gripping read.”—Donald McRae, The Guardian Ike “The President” Ibeabuchi had the boxing world at his feet in 1997 after vanquishing David Tua in a battle for the ages in Sacramento. The Nigerian heavyweight’s subsequent descent into a vortex of mental illness and crime and punishment was as shocking as it was tragic. Was Ibeabuchi a vulnerable man exploited by a ruthless sport and a dysfunctional criminal justice system, or was he guilty-as-charged for his deeds and rightly punished? Somewhere amid a colorful cast of characters including Republican politicians, crooked promoters, and demons hiding in air-conditioning units, lies the uncomfortable truth. In President of Pandemonium, Luke G. Williams vividly recreates Ibeabuchi’s life in and out of the ring. Combining exclusive interviews with those who guided his career and observed him closely, as well as firsthand testimony from “The President” himself, this is a story of brilliance destroyed by dark forces, both real and imagined.
£9.49
Hamilcar Publications Beatboxing: How Hip-hop Changed the Fight Game
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
£14.24
Hamilcar Publications Macho Time: The Meteoric Rise and Tragic Fall of
Book Synopsis“In yet another skillful excavation of a dazzling Latino champion, Christian Giudice...follows Hector ‘Macho’ Camacho from his embattled childhood in Spanish Harlem, to the heights of his electrifying yet too-brief stardom and onto his abject end by hail of gunfire in a carful of cocaine. It is a compelling journey.”—Mark Kram Jr., author of Smokin’ Joe: The Life of Joe Frazier Hector Camacho lived fast, and his fists flew even faster in the ring. Handsome, flamboyant, and outspoken, Camacho electrified the boxing scene of the 1980s and, shouting his mantra “Macho Time”, he beat some of the greatest fighters of his generation. But his high-speed life caught up with him eventually―and tragically―when he was shot dead outside a nightclub in Puerto Rico at the age of fifty. Macho Time is written by Christian Giudice, author of Hands of Stone, the definitive biography of Roberto Duran, which was made into the motion picture of the same name starring Robert De Niro. Macho Time is the first biography of Hector Camacho Sr. Camacho's son, Hector Camacho Jr., also a professional boxer, worked closely with author Christian Giudice to give him unprecedented access and insight into this complex man. I thought I was cocky. Camacho surpasses me by three or four levels. But when Camacho brags, he’s not trying to convince you of anything; he’s just telling you what’s going to happen.”—Sugar Ray Leonard, from the pages of Macho Time “He would give me a hug and a kiss, then he would sit on the couch and make everyone laugh so hard. He had such good energy and spirit. He brought such joy to people whenever he entered a room. It was a gift.”—Hector Camacho Jr., from Afterword of Macho Time
£17.99
Rutgers University Press The Boxing Film: A Cultural and Transmedia
Book SynopsisAs one of popular culture’s most popular arenas, sports are often the subject of cinematic storytelling. But boxing films are special. There are more movies about boxing, by a healthy margin, than any other sport, and boxing accompanied and aided the medium’s late nineteenth-century emergence as a popular mass entertainment. Many of cinema’s most celebrated directors—from Oscar Micheaux to Martin Scorsese—made boxing films. And while the production of other types of sports movies generally corresponds with the current popularity of their subject, boxing films continue to be made regularly even after the sport has wilted from its once-prominent position in the sports hierarchy of the United States. From Edison’s Leonard-Cushing Fight to The Joe Louis Story, Rocky, and beyond, this book explores why boxing has so consistently fascinated cinema and popular media culture by tracing how boxing movies inform the sport’s meanings and uses from the late nineteenth century to the early twenty-first century.Trade Review“While focusing on African American representation and racial conflict, Travis Vogan offers a fluent and engaging survey of boxing’s transmedia history.” -- Leger Grindon * author of Knockout: the Boxer and Boxing in American Cinema *"29 Best New Cinema Books To Read In 2021" * Book Authority *"I have a soft spot for boxing movies. They are about the triumph of humanity and the specificity of training. This is another book that takes on an entire genre and breaks it down from memorable hits to forgotten titles." * No Film School *Table of ContentsIntroduction: The Boxing Film Over Time and Across Media 1. The Boxing Film through the Golden Age of Sports Media 2. St. Joe Louis, Surrounded by Films 3. TV Fighting and Fighting TV in the 1950s 4. Muhammad Ali, The Super Fight, and Closed-Circuit Exhibition 5. The 1970s, Rocky, and the Shadow of Ali 6. HBO Sports: Docu-Branding Boxing 7. Protecting Boxing with the Boxing Film Conclusion: Handling the Rules Acknowledgements Index
£26.99
Rutgers University Press The Boxing Film: A Cultural and Transmedia
Book SynopsisAs one of popular culture’s most popular arenas, sports are often the subject of cinematic storytelling. But boxing films are special. There are more movies about boxing, by a healthy margin, than any other sport, and boxing accompanied and aided the medium’s late nineteenth-century emergence as a popular mass entertainment. Many of cinema’s most celebrated directors—from Oscar Micheaux to Martin Scorsese—made boxing films. And while the production of other types of sports movies generally corresponds with the current popularity of their subject, boxing films continue to be made regularly even after the sport has wilted from its once-prominent position in the sports hierarchy of the United States. From Edison’s Leonard-Cushing Fight to The Joe Louis Story, Rocky, and beyond, this book explores why boxing has so consistently fascinated cinema and popular media culture by tracing how boxing movies inform the sport’s meanings and uses from the late nineteenth century to the early twenty-first century.Trade Review“While focusing on African American representation and racial conflict, Travis Vogan offers a fluent and engaging survey of boxing’s transmedia history.” -- Leger Grindon * author of Knockout: the Boxer and Boxing in American Cinema *"29 Best New Cinema Books To Read In 2021" * Book Authority *"I have a soft spot for boxing movies. They are about the triumph of humanity and the specificity of training. This is another book that takes on an entire genre and breaks it down from memorable hits to forgotten titles." * No Film School *Table of ContentsIntroduction: The Boxing Film Over Time and Across Media 1. The Boxing Film through the Golden Age of Sports Media 2. St. Joe Louis, Surrounded by Films 3. TV Fighting and Fighting TV in the 1950s 4. Muhammad Ali, The Super Fight, and Closed-Circuit Exhibition 5. The 1970s, Rocky, and the Shadow of Ali 6. HBO Sports: Docu-Branding Boxing 7. Protecting Boxing with the Boxing Film Conclusion: Handling the Rules Acknowledgements Index
£107.20
Conquistador Press The Fight That Started the Movies: The World
Book Synopsis
£21.80
Taschen GmbH Norman Mailer. Neil Leifer. Howard L. Bingham.
Book SynopsisOn October 30, 1974, in Kinshasa, Zaire, at the virtual center of Africa, two boxers were paid five million dollars apiece to confront each other in an epic match. One was Muhammad Ali, who vowed to reclaim the championship he had lost. The other was George Foreman, who was as taciturn as Ali was voluble and who kept his hands in his pockets “the way a hunter lays his rifle back into its velvet case.” Observing them both was Norman Mailer, whose grasp of the titanic battle’s feints and stratagems—and sensitivity to their deeper symbolism—made his 1975 book The Fight a masterpiece of sportswriting. Whether analyzing the fighters’ moves, interpreting their characters, or weighing their competing claims on the African and American souls, Mailer was a commentator of unparalleled acumen—and surely one of the few intrepid enough to accompany Ali on a late-night run through the bush. Through The Fight he restores our tarnished notions of heroism to a blinding gleam, and establishes himself as a champion in his own right. Over four decades after its original publication, this edition of The Fight has been introduced and abridged by Mailer scholar J. Michael Lennon and illustrated for the first time with principal photography by the two men who captured Ali and Foreman in the ring and in private like no one else: Neil Leifer and Howard L. Bingham. Widely considered to be the greatest sports photographer of his generation, Neil Leifer’s vibrant color coverage dominates from ringside. It also serves as a living testimony to the pageantry, sheer physical power, and deep psychological interplay of the fighters, their camps, and their controversial host, Zaire’s President Mobutu Sese Seko. Behind the scenes, meanwhile, Howard Bingham was Ali’s constant companion, documenting his every move from the moment he stepped off the plane in Zaire, his daily training regime, right through to the dressing room tension as he prepared to face Foreman once and for all. Together with pictures from other photojournalists, reproductions of Mailer’s original manuscript pages, and additional visual documentation of the media frenzy surrounding the “Rumble in the Jungle,” the result is a dazzling tribute to The Champ and a vivid document of one of the most epic, adrenaline-laced events in sporting history.Trade Review“…the most in-depth look at every step of the fight for the Heavyweight Championship of the World.” * thedailybeast.com *“A sensitive portrait of an extraordinary athlete and man, and a pugilistic drama fully as exciting as the reality on which it is based.” * The New York Times *“No fighter, no American athlete, would ever be so connected with a writer as Ali would be with Mailer.” * The Atlantic *
£60.00
Edition Patrick Frey Muhammed Ali: Zurich, 26.12.1971: 1971
Book Synopsis
£54.00
Independently Published Anthony Joshua No Trash Talk: Professional Boxer
Book Synopsis
£19.00
Insight Editions Boxing The 100 Greatest
Book Synopsis
£28.58
