Sports & Recreation: Boxing

Bare Fists : the history of bare-knuckle prize-fighting by Bob Mee

Boxer's Bible of Counterpunching : The Killer Response to Any Attack by Mark Hatmaker

Boxing's Ten Commandments : Essential Training for the Sweet Science by Alan Lachica and Doug Werner This boxing handbook provides up-to-date, in-depth coaching for serious contenders. Weaving fundamental skills into a progression of drills that hone technique in increasingly complex, demanding, and realistic fighting situations, the handbook aids fighters in developing the reflexes of a complete boxer and teaches the move from a process-and-react mentality to one of seeing-and-reacting. Hundreds of sequential images illustrate vital steps in the progression—from proper stance, effective footwork, and range to defense and counters, the importance of angles, and creating winning strategies.

Counterpunch : The Cultural Battles over Heavyweight Prizefighting in the American West by Meg Frisbee Boxing was popular in the American West long before Las Vegas became its epicenter. However, not everyone in the region was a fan. "Counterpunch" examines how the sport's meteoric rise in popularity in the West ran concurrently with a growing backlash among Progressive Era social reformers who saw boxing as barbaric. These tensions created a morality war that pitted state officials against city leaders, boxing promoters against social reformers, and fans against religious groups. Historian Meg Frisbee focuses on several legendary heavyweight prizefights of the period and the protests they inspired to explain why western geography, economy, and culture ultimately helped the sport's supporters defeat its detractors. A fascinating look at early American boxing, " Counterpunch" showcases fighters such as "Gentleman" Jim Corbett, Bob Fitzsimmons, and Jack Johnson, the first African American heavyweight champ, and it provides an entertaining way to understand both the growth of the American West and the history of this popular--and controversial--sport.

A History of Womens Boxing by Malissa Smith Records of modern female boxing date back to the early eighteenth century in London, and in the 1904 Olympics an exhibition bout between women was held. Yet it was not until the 2012 Olympics—more than 100 years later—that women’s boxing was officially added to the Games. Throughout boxing’s history, women have fought in and out of the ring to gain respect in a sport traditionally considered for men alone. The stories of these women are told for the first time in this comprehensive work dedicated to women’s boxing. A History of Women’s Boxing traces the sport back to the 1700s, through the 2012 Olympic Games, and up to the present. Inside-the-ring action is brought to life through photographs, newspaper clippings, and anecdotes, as are the stories of the women who played important roles outside the ring, from spectators and judges to managers and trainers. This book includes extensive profiles of the sport’s pioneers, including Barbara Buttrick whose plucky carnival shows launched her professional boxing career in the 1950s; sixteen-year-old Dallas Malloy who single-handedly overturned the strictures against female amateur boxing in 1993; the famous “boxing daughters” Laila Ali and Jacqui Frazier-Lyde; and teenager Claressa Shields, the first American woman to win a boxing gold medal at the Olympics. Rich in detail and exhaustively researched, this book illuminates the struggles, obstacles, and successes of the women who fought—and continue to fight—for respect in their sport. A History of Women’s Boxing is a must-read for boxing fans, sports historians, and for those interested in the history of women in sports.

An Illustrated History of Boxing by Nat Fleischer and Sam Andre

Straight Writes and Jabs : An Inside Look at Another Year in Boxing by Thomas Hauser Commenting on Thomas Hauser's annual collections of articles on boxing, Ring Magazine declared, "What makes Hauser's stories so extraordinary is that the man many consider 'The Dean of Boxing Writers' refuses to allow his admiration for the sport to blind him to its dark side. His annual volumes on boxing have become required reading for hardcore and casual fans alike." Straight Writes and Jabs is the latest in the popular series. It brings readers into the dressing room with elite champions in the moments before some of 2012's biggest fights. Hauser's award-winning investigative journalism is on display in a groundbreaking exposé of the use of performance-enhancing drugs. There's a look back in time at the incomparable Archie Moore and much more. Thomas Hauser is the author of forty-five books. His first work, Missing, was made into an Academy Award–winning film. He later authored Muhammad Ali: His Life and Times, the definitive biography of the most famous fighter ever. In 2004, the Boxing Writers Association of America honored Hauser with the Nat Fleischer Award for Career Excellence in Boxing Journalism.

The Ultimate Guide to Weight Training for Boxing by Rob Price

A Flame of Pure Fire : Jack Dempsey and the roaring '20s by Roger Kahn

Jack Johnson, Rebel Sojourner : Boxing in the Shadow of the Global Color Line by Theresa Runstedtler In his day, Jack Johnson--born in Texas, the son of former slaves--was the most famous black man on the planet. As the first African American World Heavyweight Champion (1908-1915), he publicly challenged white supremacy at home and abroad, enjoying the same audacious lifestyle of conspicuous consumption, masculine bravado, and interracial love wherever he traveled. Jack Johnson, Rebel Sojourner provides the first in-depth exploration of Johnson's battles against the color line in places as far-flung as Sydney, London, Cape Town, Paris, Havana, and Mexico City. In relating this dramatic story, Theresa Runstedtler constructs a global history of race, gender, and empire in the early twentieth century.

Joe Louis by Randy Roberts; Don Lamm (Other Primary Creator) A “humbling, inspiring... deeply emotional” biography of the boxing legend who held the heavyweight world championship for more than eleven years (Kirkus Reviews, starred review). Known as the Brown Bomber, Joe Louis defended his heavyweight title an astonishing twenty-five times. Through the 1930s, he got more column inches of newspaper coverage than President Roosevelt. At a time when the boxing ring was the only venue where black and white could meet on equal terms, Louis embodied Black America's hope for dignity and equality. And in 1938, his politically charged defeat of German boxer Max Schmeling made Louis a national hero on the world stage. Through meticulous research and first-hand interviews, acclaimed biographer Randy Roberts presents a complete portrait of Louis and his outsized impact on sport and country. Digging beneath the simplistic narratives of heroism and victimization, Roberts reveals an athlete who carefully managed his public image, and whose relationships with both the black and white communities—including his relationships with mobsters—were deeply complex. “Roberts is a fine match with his subject. He supports with powerful evidence his contention that Louis's impact was enormous and profound.” —The Boston Globe

King of the World : Muhammad Ali and the rise of an American hero by David Remnick

Larry Holmes : against the odds by Larry Holmes; Phil Berger; Phil Berger

The Muhammad Ali Reader by Gerald Early

Rocky Marciano : the rock of his times by Russell Sullivan

Creed by directed by Ryan Coogler Adonis Johnson never knew his famous father, world heavyweight champion Apollo Creed, who died before he was born. Still, there's no denying that boxing is in his blood, so Adonis heads to Philadelphia, the site of Apollo Creed's legendary match with a tough upstart named Rocky Balboa.

The Fighter by directed by David O. Russell Once upon a time, Dicky Eklund was known as the pride of Lowell, Massachusetts. There isn't a person in Lowell who doesn't know about the time that Dicky knocked down the great Sugar Ray Leonard. By the early 1990s, Dicky's crack addiction has soured everything, although he dreams of making a comeback. The real contender is his half-brother Micky Ward. 31-year-old Micky is an unassuming nice guy, long regarded as little more than a stepping-stone for rising fighters, but with undeniable potential. Between his controlling mom Alice, who manages his career, his crack head trainer brother, and a Greek chorus of seven sisters, Micky doesn't have a chance. Until his tough-chick bartender girlfriend Charlene gives him the confidence and support to consider a different course. But his success comes at a cost--as he must leave his family behind in the process. Reading Level: MPAA rating: Rated R for language throughout, drug content, some violence and sexuality

The Hurricane by directed by Norman Jewison Rubin "Hurricane" Carter, in the prime of his boxing career, finds himself wrongfully convicted of murder. Sentenced to life in prison, Carter's published memoir, The Sixteenth Round, inspires a teenager from Brooklyn and three Canadian activists who believe in the truth, to join forces with Carter to prove his innocence.

Raging Bull by director, Martin Scorsese

Real Steel by directed by Shawn Levy Charlie Kenton is a washed-up fighter who lost his chance at a title when 2000-pound, 8-foot-tall steel robots took over the ring. Now nothing but a small-time promoter, Charlie earns just enough money piecing together low-end bots from scrap metal to get from one underground boxing venue to the next. When Charlie hits rock bottom, he reluctantly teams up with his estranged son Max to build and train a championship contender.

Rocky by directed by John G. Avildsen Rocky Balboa is a struggling boxer trying to make the big time. He works in a meat factory in Philadelphia for a meager wage so he also earns extra cash as a debt collector. When heavyweight champion Apollo Creed visits Philadelphia, his managers want to set up an exhibition match between Creed and a struggling boxer. The promoters are touting the fight as a chance for a "nobody" to become a "somebody". The match is supposed to be easily won by Creed, but someone forgot to tell Rocky, who sees this as his only shot at the big time.