Dog Rounds

Dog Rounds
Author: Elliot Worsell
Publisher: Bonnier Publishing Ltd.
Total Pages: 272
Release: 2017-07-13
Genre: Sports & Recreation
ISBN: 1911600109

'There's a kindness in beating a man badly, and that kindness is based on correctness,' Chris Eubank March 2016: boxer Chris Eubank Jr punches his opponent, Nick Blackwell, into a coma. Blackwell dies momentarily, before being brought back to life. He remains in a coma for seven days. The boxing world is thrown into turmoil. In his corner, Junior's dad, Chris Sr., had been imploring his son to aim for the body. Was this a coach making a tactical change? Or was this a former boxer pleading with his son to show mercy? Twenty five years previously it had been Chris Sr. who had left his opponent Michael Watson with severe brain damage following a brutal encounter. Elliot Worsell was ringside, reporting as part of Blackwell's camp with exclusive access to both dressing rooms. A lifelong boxing fan and experienced journalist, what Worsell saw left him questioning himself and his sport. Blackwell survived, but in Dog Rounds Worsell goes in search of the men who have killed in the ring. In spending time with these pariahs, as well as taking some of them back to the venue in which their tragedy occurred, Worsell uncovers a story that is raw, unflinching and extraordinary. Dog Rounds asks, should these men feel culpable when tragedy occurs in the ring? Should they carry the burden? Should they be apologetic? And it asks, what is our responsibility as spectators, cheerleaders and rubberneckers?

The Boxer's Story

The Boxer's Story
Author: Nathan Shapow
Publisher: Biteback Publishing
Total Pages: 212
Release: 2012-07-11
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 1849544263

Before 1940, Nathan Shapow, a young Latvian, had nothing more on his mind than enjoying his teenage years and becoming a champion boxer. But the Nazis' systematic extermination of the Jews quickly put paid to his dreams. Soon he was to face a different sort of fight, where the prize for victory would be his life. Escaping certain death time and time again, Shapow saw his youth disappear in the terror of the Ghettos and the horror of the camps. Fighting for his very existence for the simple reason of being Jewish, remarkably, he survived, fell in love and forged a new life in what was then British-controlled Palestine. There, he joined an underground military organisation and quickly became involved in the struggle to create a Jewish state. Extraordinary and powerful, The Boxer's Story is the inspiring true story of one man's enduring fortitude.

After the Count

After the Count
Author: Stephanie Convery
Publisher: Random House Australia
Total Pages: 297
Release: 2020-03-03
Genre: Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN: 0143791532

When Sydney boxer Davey Browne died in 2015 after being knocked out in the final round of a title fight that he was about to win, boxing once again came under intense public scrutiny. For journalist Stephanie Convery, the story of that fatal fight raised questions she became determined to answer- who should be held accountable when someone dies in the ring? Did the actions of the referee, the ringside doctor, the combat sports inspectors, and the trainer affect what happened that night? Is death inevitable in a sport in which the only sure way to win is to knock your opponent out? And why aren't boxers, professional and amateur, told more about the dangers of concussion and head trauma? These questions were especially compelling for one reason- at the time of Davey's death, Stephanie had been training to fight in a boxing match of her own. After the Count not only investigates the fight and the aftermath of David Browne Jr's death, but it also interrogates the culture and history of boxing, its gender dynamics, the visceral appeal of the ring and the inherent contradictions of a violent sport that refuses to face up to the consequences of that violence. It is a book that explores the grit and euphoria of combat sport as it digs deep into our collective relationship with physical power, masculinity and violence.

Sweet Thunder

Sweet Thunder
Author: Wil Haygood
Publisher: Chicago Review Press
Total Pages: 479
Release: 2011-04
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 1569768641

Sugar Ray Robinson was one of the most iconic figures in sports and possibly the greatest boxer of all time. His legendary career spanned nearly 26 years, including his titles as the middleweight and welterweight champion of the world and close to 200 professional bouts. This illuminating biography grounds the spectacular story of Robinson's rise to greatness within the context of the fighter's life and times. Born Walker Smith Jr. in 1921, Robinson's early childhood was marked by the seething racial tensions and explosive race riots that infected the Midwest throughout the 1920s and 1930s. After his mother moved their family to Harlem, he came of age in the post-Renaissance years. Recounting his local and national fame, this deeply researched and honest account depicts Robinson as an eccentric and glamorous--yet powerful and controversial--celebrity, athlete, and cultural symbol. From Robinson's gruesome six-bout war with Jake "Raging Bull" LaMotta and his lethal meeting with Jimmy Doyle to his Harlem nightclub years and thwarted showbiz dreams, Haygood brings the champion's story to life.

Zora Folley

Zora Folley
Author: Marshal Terrill
Publisher: Pulp Hero Press
Total Pages: 130
Release: 2017-10-13
Genre:
ISBN: 9781683900955

How Did Zora Die? Everyone who knew professional boxer Zora Folley called him a gentleman. Even Muhammad Ali, who fought Folley in Madison Square Garden, withheld his usual pre-fight insults. This true-crime story cracks the cold case of Folley's untimely death in the swimming pool of a sketchy motel.

Four Kings

Four Kings
Author: George Kimball
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
Total Pages: 365
Release: 2008-10-01
Genre: Sports & Recreation
ISBN: 1590131789

Roberto Duran, Marvelous Marvin Hagler, Sugar Ray Leonard, and Thomas "Hit Man" Hearns all formed the pantheon of boxing greats during the late 1970s and early 1980s—before the pay-per-view model, when prize fights were telecast on network television and still captured the nation's attention. Championship bouts during this era were replete with revenge and fury, often pitting one of these storied fighters against another. From training camps to locker rooms, author George Kimball was there to cover every body shot, uppercut, and TKO. Inside stories full of drama, sacrifice, fear, and pain make up this treasury of boxing tales brought to life by one of the sport's greatest writers.

Chinese Boxing

Chinese Boxing
Author: Robert W. Smith
Publisher: North Atlantic Books
Total Pages: 164
Release: 1993-01-26
Genre: Sports & Recreation
ISBN: 9781556430855

Distilling the martial art known in the West as kung fu, Robert Smith presents Chinese boxing (ch’uan shu) as an art “that combines the hardness of a wall and the softness of a butterfly’s wings.” His lively, pragmatic account conveys the discipline and insights acquired in ten years of study and travel in Asia. Smith describes his work with t’ai chi master Cheng Man-ch’ing, and connects ch’uan shu with the softer aspects and inner power of that popular practice. Fifty black and white photos illustrate this informative and personal account of the Chinese boxing tradition.

Ezzard Charles

Ezzard Charles
Author: William Dettloff
Publisher: McFarland
Total Pages: 232
Release: 2015-05-23
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 1476619476

Greatness is often overlooked in its own time. For Ezzard Charles--one of boxing's most skilled practitioners, with a record of 93-25-1 (52 KO)--recognition took decades. Named by The Ring magazine as the greatest light heavyweight of all time, Charles was frustrated in his attempts to get a shot at the 175-pound title, and as World Heavyweight Champion (1949-1951) struggled to win the respect of boxing fans captivated by Joe Louis' power and charisma. This first-ever biography of "The Cincinnati Cobra" covers his early life in a small country town and his career in the glamorously dirty business of prizefighting in the 1950s, one of the sport's Golden Ages. Charles' fights with Louis, Jersey Joe Walcott, Rocky Marciano and his three wins over the legendary Archie Moore are detailed.