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    Boxing Books

    A couple of recently purchased books on boxing -

    Four Kings - Leonard, Hagler, Hearns & Duran by George Kimball. Whilst I can remember some of the Ali fights in the 70's, the four great middleweights clashes at the end of that decade and into the next were the ones that really captured my imagination and this book brings those memories to life in great detail, including the great quote of Alan Minter that no black man would ever beat him before the Hagler fight... Highly recommended

    The Big If: The Life and Death of Johnny Owen by Rick Broadbent. I can't remember seeing Owen fight at all - especially as all big fights involving a UK boxer, including Hagler's obliteration of Minter, were on terrestial television. I remember however watching Grandstand when his tragic death was the lead story and sobbing my socks off at the The Long Journey documentary and the visit of Lupe Pintor to Owen's family in Merthyr Tydfil. An in-depth study of this highly unusual, shy man and his heartbreaking end. Again, highly recommended but it is pretty traumatic reading.

    #2
    When I saw the thread title I said to myself, "login and champion Four Kings." Since that book is the reason for the post I will simply say, seconded.

    I would also recommend The Last Great Fight by Joseph Layden. That tells the tale of Mike Tyson v Buster Douglas. A brilliant read and it really captures how Douglas truly believed he was going to win instead of hoping to win like your average underdog.

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      #3
      The Thomas Hauser oral history of Muhammad Ali, published in the early 1990s before the Atlanta Olympics reinstated him as a global celebrity, is great - I have a copy, signed by Ali who visited Sportspages in Cambridge Circus to promote the book. Hauser also wrote The Black Lights, very good.

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        #4
        Originally posted by multipleman78 View Post
        When I saw the thread title I said to myself, "login and champion Four Kings." Since that book is the reason for the post I will simply say, seconded
        I'd recommend the 'Fabulous Four' DVD too - available to view on YouTube.

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          #5
          I like boxing books much more than I like boxing - probably never watched a whole fight in my life. David Margolick's book on the Joe Louis/Max Schmeling rivalry is my favourite. Read the Hauser book on wingco's recommendation about 15 years ago. There's also a lot of good stuff on Ali in the Robert Lipsyte book I recommended in the 'current reading' thread, 'Sportsworld'.

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            #6
            "In The Red Corner" is such a great book that it pops up as a recommendation to Rogin on his Havana thread as well as by my now here. I am not sure whether there actually is another book on the history of Cuban boxing but, even if there is, I can't see it beating John Duncan's.

            I have got a handful of Ali books and still haven't got around to starting any of them yet.

            I will add all the ones on here so thanks. The story of Johny Owen is sort of iconic from when I was growing up.
            Last edited by Bored Of Education; 10-03-2019, 16:03.

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              #7
              Another vote for FOUR KINGS, George Kimball was a tremendous sports journalist, his column in the Irish Times was one of the main reasons I kept buying that paper.

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                #8
                Not a book but this documentary about the heavyweight champions of the 20th century tells their story using a lot of entertaining, intriguing, illuminating non-fight footage alongside action in the ring. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I8wIyrRPn-M&t=1120s

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                  #9
                  Thanks for that, wingco.

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