Battling Nelson, the Durable Dane: World Lightweight Champion, 1882-1954

by Mark Allen Baker

Overview

Oscar "Battling" Nelson (1882-1954) was perhaps the toughest professional boxer ever to enter the ring. Although a Hall of Fame inductee, Nelson remains a lesser known great of boxing lore. From the beginning of his career at 14, the Danish immigrant presented himself as a man of integrity who never smoked, drank or took a dive.

In the ring and in public, Battling Nelson crafted a Renaissance man image as a lightweight champion, reporter, entertainer, real estate mogul, entrepreneur and ladies' man. The first ever champion in his weight class to mount a comeback, he strove to break new ground (even if he wasn't always successful).

This book tells the story of a ring legend whose endurance was second to none and whose trilogy with Joe Gans is one of the great rivalries in sports history.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781476663722
Publisher:	McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers
Publication date:	12/01/2016
Pages:	296
Product dimensions:	6.90(w) x 9.90(h) x 0.90(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Mark Allen Baker, business executive and author of hundreds of articles and more than 30 books, is the only person to serve the International Boxing Hall of Fame as an author, historian, chairperson, sponsor, volunteer and biographer. He was accorded a Lifetime Award of Merit by the State University of New York in 2022, and inducted into the Connecticut Boxing Hall of Fame in 2023.

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments viii
Preface
One—1882–1899: From Copenhagen to Hegewisch
Two—1900–1903: Making Headlines
Three—1904: Positioning for the Title
Four—1905: Five Memorable Lightweights
Five—1906: McGovern and the Fight of the Century I
Six—1907: Repositioning for the Ascent
Seven—July 4, 1908: The Fight of the Century II
Eight—September 9, 1908: The Fight of the Century III
Nine—1909: Retaining the Title
Ten—February 2, 1910: A Disappointing Loss
Eleven—1911–1912: Mounting a Comeback
Twelve—1913: Fay and a Final Descent
Thirteen—1914–1917: At Long Last, Freddie Welsh
Fourteen—1918–1954: The Final Rounds
Appendix: Records
Chapter Notes
Bibliography
Index

Editorial Reviews

[Baker] enthralls the readers of the brutal encounters Nelson engaged in in his scrappy career...It is simply the best book ever written on the life of Battling Nelson. Not only does Mr. Baker bring to life the long forgotten pugilist, but his era is vividly reconstructed where the reader feels as if he were sitting in the early years of the 20th Century…. To those fans who enjoy reading about a bygone era and the great fighter who plied their trade, this is the book for you. It is terrific...highly recommended”—The USA Boxing News

From the Publisher