OK, not a competion or an opportunity to argue but everyones 5 favourite non-fiction boxing books. Mine to start:

Boxing's Greatest Prize: Memorable Fights for the World Heavyweight Championship
by Peter Wilson

In This Corner . . . !: Forty-Two World Champions Tell Their Stories
by Peter Heller

Men of Steel: The Lives and Times of Boxing's Middleweight Champions
by Peter Walsh

Muhammad Ali: His Life and Times
by Thomas Hauser


Four Kings: Leonard, Hagler, Hearns, Duran and the Last Great Era of Boxing by George Kimball

or my spare:

Ghosts of Manila: The Fateful Blood Feud Between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier by Mark Kram



Actually writing this I wish I would have made it 10 books.

If nothing else hopefully this thread might turn people onto books worth reading otherwise we can just degenerate into a good argument lol.

I just recently finished reading Four Kings and it was excellent...if you get a chance check out Sorcery At Caesers by Steve Marantz. It's about Hagler/Leonard and it's very good as well.

As for my list, it's ever change because I read new books and re-read old ones but here is my current list.

Sugar Ray by Sugar Ray Robinson
Hands Of Stone by Christian Giudice
The Sweet Science by AJ Liebling
Irish Thunder by Bob Halloran
The Ageless Warrior by Mike Fitzgerald
Facing Ali by Stephen Brunt

I just recently finished reading Four Kings and it was excellent...if you get a chance check out Sorcery At Caesers by Steve Marantz. It's about Hagler/Leonard and it's very good as well.

As for my list, it's ever change because I read new books and re-read old ones but here is my current list.

Sugar Ray by Sugar Ray Robinson
Hands Of Stone by Christian Giudice
The Sweet Science by AJ Liebling
Irish Thunder by Bob Halloran
The Ageless Warrior by Mike Fitzgerald
Facing Ali by Stephen Brunt
Hands Of Stone is a great book. The Ageless Warrior, Archie Moore right?
Will certainly have a look at the others, have you read In This Corner? Great book, basically its 40 champions interviewed chapter on each. Some of the lesser known fighters who might not have a book in them but contribute a very interesting chapter. If you don't like it i'll give you the money myself lol.

I'm new to boxing, but I've only read American Son (Oscar de la Hoya's biography) It's okay. I'm currently reading Sugar Ray's biography which seems to be a good book so far. :boxing:

Sugar Ray by Sugar Ray Robinson
Hands Of Stone by Christian Giudice
The Sweet Science by AJ Liebling
Irish Thunder by Bob Halloran
The Ageless Warrior by Mike Fitzgerald
Facing Ali by Stephen Brunt

Those titles sound interesting, might have to check out a few of those.

Hands Of Stone is a great book. The Ageless Warrior, Archie Moore right?
Will certainly have a look at the others, have you read In This Corner? Great book, basically its 40 champions interviewed chapter on each. Some of the lesser known fighters who might not have a book in them but contribute a very interesting chapter. If you don't like it i'll give you the money myself lol.

Yea, I have In This Corner...great book. I especially like the Roberto Duran and Alexis Arguello content.

Yea, I have In This Corner...great book. I especially like the Roberto Duran and Alexis Arguello content.
I found Gunboat Smith really interesting. Duran and Arguello, they must have updated it my copy was written before Duran won a title.

Only got like 3 - 4 books the one I loved was Raging Bull but still looking for Frazier's book and others, hard to get 'round here.

I found Gunboat Smith really interesting. Duran and Arguello, they must have updated it my copy was written before Duran won a title.

Maybe so, it's a supposed never before published interview with Duran.

Maybe so, it's a supposed never before published interview with Duran.
Must dig out my old copy, trying to remember who was the last fighter interviewed.
I know it was conceived in 1969 because Peter Heller thought it was a pity that both Liston and Marciano had died that year without ever really telling their story.
Does your version have Gunboat Smith, Micky Walker, Tommy Loughran etc?
Might have to get a newer version.

Unforgivable blackness was a very good book, Don King: his life and crimes was excellent. Raging bull was decent. Joe Louis' autobiography was good. Thomas Hauser's book on Ali is excellent.

I just ordered Charley Burley and the black murderes row, Hands of stone, the Mickey ward book and Barney Ross: jewish encounters.

after I finish each I'll give a review.

Have recently got Unforgivable Blackness but not had chance to read it yet. The Don King book was very good and quite fancy the Charley Burley book.