The Greatest Boxing Stories Ever Told delivers a knockout collection of not only the best writing ever penned on the subject of “the sweet science,” but also stories that relate to the larger human issues this brutal sport has come to symbolize and embody. Whether the tale is about the triumph of a heroic champion, a tragic death in the ring, the shady tactics of fight promoters, or victories against seemingly impossible odds, each story in this varied collection connects with the sort of powerful punch one can only expect from the past century’s most talented and celebrated writers of both fiction and nonfiction. Included in these pages are contributions from:
Damon Runyon • Rod Serling • Ring Lardner • Dashiell Hammett W. C. Heinz • Jack London • A.J. Liebling • Joyce Carol Oates Norman Mailer • Ralph Ellison • George Plimpton • Pete Hamill Jimmy Cannon • Jim Murray • Red Smith • Nellie Bly • Paul Gallico Robert M. Lipsyte • Gene Tunney • Clarence Riordan • Homer William Hazlitt • Frank Deford • Irwin Shaw • Heywood Broun • Mark Kram.
This collection is perfect for fight fans and non-fight fans alike, and with its all-star lineup of “contenders” throwing “haymakers” and “uppercuts” in every round, it stands as the definitive volume of short stories on this enduring pugilistic pastime.
| Introduction | ix | |
| In the Face | 3 | |
| From On Boxing | 7 | |
| Ring Around the Writers | 13 | |
| From The Iliad | 19 | |
| The Fight | 23 | |
| "I Decide to Give Up Fighting" | 29 | |
| The Higher Pragmatism | 33 | |
| Like Father Like Son | 37 | |
| Cribb Repulses Molineaux's Challenge | 43 | |
| Jack Johnson vs. Jim Jeffries | 53 | |
| The Battle Royal | 63 | |
| A Visit with John L. Sullivan | 73 | |
| Sport for Art's Sake | 81 | |
| Ringside (Formal) | 85 | |
| The Sack of Shelby | 89 | |
| The Long Count | 107 | |
| Champion | 113 | |
| The Croxley Master | 133 | |
| From Requiem for a Heavyweight | 169 | |
| Bred for Battle | 183 | |
| You're Joe Louis | 193 | |
| The Boxer and the Blonde | 197 | |
| The Fight: Patterson vs. Liston | 223 | |
| The Death of Paret | 235 | |
| Return to Kansas City | 241 | |
| His Brother's Keeper | 249 | |
| "I Could've Been a Contender ..." | 263 | |
| The Greatest, Pound for Pound | 271 | |
| Pride of the Tiger | 291 | |
| Lawdy, Lawdy, He's Great | 301 | |
| Donnybrook Farr | 307 | |
| Onward Virgin Soldier: Johnny Owen's Last Fight | 319 | |
| Duran No Quitter | 329 | |
| Biting Commentary | 333 | |
| He Swung and He Missed | 339 | |
| Thicker Than Water | 347 |
Overview
The Greatest Boxing Stories Ever Told delivers a knockout collection of not only the best writing ever penned on the subject of “the sweet science,” but also stories that relate to the larger human issues this brutal sport has come to symbolize and embody. Whether the tale is about the triumph of a heroic champion, a tragic death in the ring, the shady tactics of fight promoters, or victories against seemingly impossible odds, each story in this varied collection connects with the sort of powerful punch one can ...