best boxing book you've ever read????

[GJC]

Facing Ali was impossible to put down..
Another great read is King Of The Gypsies, the memoirs of bare knuckle fighter, Bartley Gorman.. It tends to exaggerate in places, but it's also very atmospheric & captures certain moments brilliantly..

Not read Facing Ali always been one I pick up and put down, might have to give it a punt. Not sure about Bartley Gorman, heard he is a bit of a bull ****ter to be honest

[JAB5239]

Jab,
You read "In This Corner"?
Terrific book, I'm sure Graziano is in it.

Not yet my friend, but I'll be on the look out for it. Right now Im reading the book "Irish thunder" about Micky Ward, with the Duran biography on deck. I'll be sure to look for it when Im done with those though. Thanks for the heads up!

[GJC]

Not yet my friend, but I'll be on the look out for it. Right now Im reading the book "Irish thunder" about Micky Ward, with the Duran biography on deck. I'll be sure to look for it when Im done with those though. Thanks for the heads up!

Written by Peter Heller in around 1970. Basically Liston and Marciano died in 69 without ever really giving their story so Heller decided to go round interviewing as many living world champions as he could. Around 40 fighters a chapter on each. Whilst I don't buy into the theory that everyone has a book in them I certainly believe that everyone has a chapter. Lots of the big fighters in it such as Armstrong, Moore and Robinson but the real gems for me are people like Zivic and Gunboat Smith. Spent most of the morning trying to find my dog eared copy with no success. Trust me you'll love it, if I have a criticism is the fact that no fighter in it ever lost a fight! Lots of guys in there that wouldn't warrant a book on them so its a chance to hear their story.

[mickey malone]

Not read Facing Ali always been one I pick up and put down, might have to give it a punt. Not sure about Bartley Gorman, heard he is a bit of a bull ****ter to be honest

Yeah... I may have used the word exaggeration liberally..
I know a few people that knew him (while alive)... The toughest bloke in the pub would have probably been more appropriate, but the nostalgia surrounding "The Lord Of The Lanes" certainly captured my imagination...
Maybe I'm just an old romantic at heart, but there are some tough old hombres lying low within the deepest English countryside..

[GJC]

Yeah... I may have used the word exaggeration liberally..
I know a few people that knew him (while alive)... The toughest bloke in the pub would have probably been more appropriate, but the nostalgia surrounding "The Lord Of The Lanes" certainly captured my imagination...
Maybe I'm just an old romantic at heart, but there are some tough old hombres lying low within the deepest English countryside..

The one who most reckon was the toughest unlicensed fighter was Cliff Fields who didn't exactly have the most stellar pro boxing career, in fact his career was ended by Richard Dunn. It seems that any of them who had any kind of boxing background flourished such as Fields or Pretty Boy. From what I understand Gorman wasn't even heard of by most of the guys he reckoned he fought or who avoided him. Been to a few unlicensed fights and it is really just like watching 2 guys fighting in a pub, not for me.

[Kid McCoy]

The one who most reckon was the toughest unlicensed fighter was Cliff Fields who didn't exactly have the most stellar pro boxing career, in fact his career was ended by Richard Dunn. It seems that any of them who had any kind of boxing background flourished such as Fields or Pretty Boy. From what I understand Gorman wasn't even heard of by most of the guys he reckoned he fought or who avoided him. Been to a few unlicensed fights and it is really just like watching 2 guys fighting in a pub, not for me.

I believe it was Cliff Fields who also beat Lenny McLean. McLean was lethal "on the cobbles", as he put it, but in a semi-legal setting (ie with a ring, gloves and some rules), he did get beaten a few times by guys with decent boxing skills. Joey Pile said he would have fought McLean in the ring, but never a street fight, where he was too dangerous.

On a side note, Shaw once had an unlicensed fight with Ron Stander, who as a pro beat Earnie Shavers and fought Joe Frazier for the title. Shaw by his own admission couldn't even put a dent in Stander, and admitted he only won because Stander had broken a couple of ribs a few days previously. He called him the toughest man he ever faced.

[JAB5239]

Written by Peter Heller in around 1970. Basically Liston and Marciano died in 69 without ever really giving their story so Heller decided to go round interviewing as many living world champions as he could. Around 40 fighters a chapter on each. Whilst I don't buy into the theory that everyone has a book in them I certainly believe that everyone has a chapter. Lots of the big fighters in it such as Armstrong, Moore and Robinson but the real gems for me are people like Zivic and Gunboat Smith. Spent most of the morning trying to find my dog eared copy with no success. Trust me you'll love it, if I have a criticism is the fact that no fighter in it ever lost a fight! Lots of guys in there that wouldn't warrant a book on them so its a chance to hear their story.

Speaking of Zivic...here a little piece of info I didn't know till reading "Charley Burley and the black murderers row"....did you know Zivic actually bought Burleys contract a one point and had control of him, keeping him from a welterweight title shot even though Charley had already beaten Zivic twice? I never knew that till reading that book.

[GJC]

Speaking of Zivic...here a little piece of info I didn't know till reading "Charley Burley and the black murderers row"....did you know Zivic actually bought Burleys contract a one point and had control of him, keeping him from a welterweight title shot even though Charley had already beaten Zivic twice? I never knew that till reading that book.

Yes that does ring a bell though can't remember the circumstances. Fascinating fighter Zivic, seriously tough and dirty but have to respect that he beat a pretty much peak Armstrong. As for trivia I believe that no world champion lost as many fights as Zivic. How is that Burley book keep meaning to get it?

[JAB5239]

Yes that does ring a bell though can't remember the circumstances. Fascinating fighter Zivic, seriously tough and dirty but have to respect that he beat a pretty much peak Armstrong. As for trivia I believe that no world champion lost as many fights as Zivic. How is that Burley book keep meaning to get it?

Its a very good book with much information and facts that are not widely known. But it does get somewhat monotonous. To me, I've read most of the articles and newspaper accounts, I want to know about the person. It gives you that, but it doesn't get into it as much as I'd like. Still, its a must read for any amateur boxing historian.

[Richie-G]

as someone said earlier i think the bartley gorman book is a really good read.