BOOK REV

THE LION AND THE EAGLE

Author: Iain Manson

The history of boxing. I love it. From the bare knuckle days to the present. It is all inner twined. The past, the now and the future. In my opinion to understand today, it's good to know about yesterday. How did we get here ?

If you want to go back to the beginnings a great book to read is Iain Manson's "The Lion And The Eagle". It is about the first "Super Bowl" of boxing. It pitted the best of America, John C.Heenan against the pride of England Tom Sayers. It caused an international stir in an era where pugilism was looked down upon. Yet even the British "fancy" showed tremendous interest in this contest. All the hoopla that led to this affair is just mind boggling. This all took place long before radio and TV yet it was still well publicized enough to have even the "common" people talking about it. It literally opened the door that years later led to the emergence was John L. Sullivan and big time boxing. It led to today...

The author did an amazing job in researching this outstanding book. It takes the reader back to a different time in both England and America. Just a very well presented piece of fistic history. I recommend this book to all boxing buffs. It was a pleasure to read.

Jim Amato

Like a fine craftsman, Ted Sares blends the decades since the’40s with the sport of Boxing, The result is a compelling series of stories that are skillfully sequenced and touch on some very atypical perspectives of the fight game. As he did with his last book, the acclaimed Boxing is my Sanctuary, he displays a humanity that is equal parts of brutal and tender. For example, the reader will ride the pendulum from love to hate when revisiting the dark side of boxing and the tragic bout involving Ray “Boom Boom” Mancini and Duk Koo Kim. The reader will also sense first-hand the chilling onset of the dreaded dementia pugilistica. Sares also gives many lesser known fighters their due which sets him apart from most boxing writers.

John Howard of the Ventura (CA) County Star had this to say in a recent review: “A sophomore jinx is a term that refers to a second effort that fails to live up to the first. This can happen in one’s sophomore year in college, a second year of playing professional sports, or a second attempt at writing a book. With his second book, “Reelin’ in the Years: Boxing and More,” Sares has landed a solid left hook to the body…

“The book is a chronological sequence of countless fights set to the pulse of America during both turbulent and tranquil times throughout our country’s history. What makes the book so special is the author’s sharp memory and his ability to translate these memories so eloquently to the reader. If you're a fight fan, it’s a tremendously satisfying journey you won't want to miss…

Reelin’ in the Years: Boxing and More can be purchased in selected bookstores, through the web via Amazon, directly through Book Surge, or through the author (who can be reached at tedsares@roadrunner.com).

Throughout my life I have read several boxing history books. I am always seeking more knowledge of this brutal yet beautiful sport aptly called the"sweet science." The newly released boxing history book "Prizefighting : An American History" is best new book of this genre I have read in years. In fact it is among the best I have ever read.

Author Arne K. Lang has done an outstanding job as he goes "outside the box" in bringing to light the trials and tribulations of boxing's humble beginnings and brings us up to speed as the sport now booms in Las Vegas as a multi-million dollar operation. In reviving the sports past history as well reviewing the recent events of the last decades. "Prizefighting" is well written and the outstanding effort of the author's research is apparent throughout the book. From the early days in jolly old England to the emergence of boxing as a popular sport in the United States, Lang serves up several slices of boxing's rich heritage to the reader. The author brings to life some of boxing's most influential participants like John L. Sullivan, Corbett, Jack Johnson, Dempsey, Louis, Marciano, Ali, Julio Cesar Chavez and more. There are various chapters on the impact of many ethnic groups who have broadened the landscape of the sport. In essence this book is a wonderful walk through spectrum of the sport. I recommend this book to fans young and old. You will not be disappointed.

The book is available from McFarland Publishing.

Price - $55.00 - 274 pages with photos - Hard cover.

E-mail address - www.mcfarlandpub.com

Order line - 1-800-253-2187

Jim Amato

HARLEY BURLEY AND THE BLACK MURDERERS' ROW

By ; Harry Otty

This is one of the best books I've read this year. Charley Burley was a special fighter in a time when there was a vast surplus of good boxers.

The author Harry Otty takes you on a journey that covers much more then the life of Charley Burley. It captures the historical existence of this whole era and the great men who did battle inside the ring. As in the case of
professional baseball, it is a shame that so many great players spent their careers in the Negro Leagues and never received their just due. In boxing there are several cases where competent fighters were denied title shots due to their color of their skin.

   Mr.Otty explores the plight of the outstanding Negro boxers of the 1930's and 1940's. Although the book centers on the life of the fabled Burley, it also enlightens the reader to the abilities of Holman Williams, Eddie Booker, Cocoa Kid, Lloyd Marshall, Jimmy Bivins and Jack Chase just to
name a few.

   This is a fine read. I highly recommend it.

Jim
Amato

The University of Arkansas Press is proud to announce the publication of a new book by acclaimed author Thomas Hauser.

Tom Hauser has become "must reading" in the boxing community, and his latest collection of columns demonstrates why. "The Greatest Sport of All" recreates another year in professional boxing and adds to the definitive record that Hauser is creating of the contemporary boxing scene. The book includes an inside look at great fighters, great fights, and the powers behind the throne. There are revealing portraits of contemporary luminaries, a look back at giants like Joe Louis and Muhammad Ali, and more.

"The Greatest Sport of All" is available at bookstores and through Amazon.com, Barnesandnoble.com, and other major websites.

Larry Merchant (HBO Sports): "Nobody else does what Tom Hauser does for boxing. And if they tried, they couldn't do it as well."

Jim Lampley (HBO Sports): "There are two kinds of people in boxing. Those who say, 'Oh, boy; Tom Hauser is writing an article about me,' and those who say, 'Big problem; Tom Hauser is writing an article about me.'"

Teddy Atlas (ESPN): "Thomas Hauser gives boxing fans a press pass into restricted places."

Jerry Izenberg (Newark Star-Ledger): "Thomas Hauser is the rarest of the rare among boxing writers. He's a relentless reporter, a good listener, a thorough source-developer, a conscientious fact-checker, and a superb writer. If Hauser writes it, you know it's true."

Jay Larkin (former head of Showtime Boxing): "Thomas Hauser is the conscience of boxing, which makes him the conscience of the unconscionable."

Lennox Lewis: "Thomas Hauser respects boxing and boxers. He gives readers insight into what happens in and out of the ring. Everything he writes is fair-minded and reality-based with a human touch."

MILLION DOLLAR MAYBE ( Book review )

Category: Books
Genre: Sports
Author: Bill Coleman

Bill Coleman wanted to be boxer. He wrote about his aspirations while in High School in 1979. He did embark on an amateur career and he won the 1986 South Dakota 132 pound Golden Gloves title. As the saying goes, " Life comes at you fast ". Soon Bill was working his way up the corporate ladder and raising a family. Nevertheless the boxing bug never left Bill.

By now Bill had become a corporate Vice President with a lucrative income but he still had that burning desire to box. Finally Bill made a decision that would alter his life. In 2002 at the age of forty he became a professional boxer. He walked away from a high paying job. He strained his relationships with family and friends but he was determined to pursue his dream.

His dream ended in 2004 compliments of the Nevada State Athletic Commission for reasons Bill never quite agreed with. Bill estimates with projected income, stock options and other perks he lost about a million dollars while chasing the brass ring. That is not to mention the extensive damage to his personal life.

I enjoyed this book. It was honest and to the point. It is not yet in mass print but if you would like a copy contact Bill Coleman at :

hometowndecisions@earthlink.net

Jim Amato

Author: Arthur Mercante

He was the best referee of my time and were some great ones. Men like Mills Lane and Joe Cortez among others. Arthur Mercante was the cream that rose to the top. Now he has written a book titled " Inside The Ropes ". It is a recollection of Mercante's travels through the landscape of boxing. Mr. Mercante has decades of memories that he shares his readers. It is a wonderful trip back in time as he talks about some of the famous fights that he acted as the third man. Patterson - Johannson II and Ali - Frazier I among others. Mercante talks about some of the best boxers he's come in contact with. Foreman, Frazier, Tyson, Sugar Ray Leonard and a young Cassius Clay.

I thoroughly I enjoyed this book. It's a slice of boxing history through the eyes of a man who has seen it up close and personal. I highly recommend this fine book.

Jim Amato

Check out this book by Gleason's. It is a total 4 week body makeover that gets you into the habit of exercise that you will get you going. An interesting forward by the owner of Gleason's Gym, Bruce Silverglade, a gym which fighters have contributed to its rich, traditional history.

Basically a book which provides a basic plan for women, men can also get a hint of what fighters go through, the exercise routine and the discipline and dedication that is needed to complete the boxer's regimen.

And the basics include a vast array of a boxer's arsenal, from the left hook to the right cross, of how to properly punch and what goals to set for yourself.

The book is set to four weeks workout regimen, each week giving the prescription for the participant to work the body.

Young or old, male or female, the basics of boxing and the techniques involved are here, from building a foundation to evolving into something better, both physically and mentally, to a much better lifestyle for the individual participant.

You don't have to turn pro, you don't have to be the tough one, all you need is a need and will to get better and definitely this is the script to get you started. And I do recommend this for a woman who is looking for the discipline to get into the best shape of her life.