#16: ‘Shadow Box’ by George Plimpton

‘Shadow Box’ by George Plimpton is an example of a boxing book regularly making ‘top ten’-style lists. Plimpton is best known for a series of books he wrote as a ‘participatory journalist’, in which he played (backup) quarterback for the Detroit Lions, trained as an ice hockey goalie with the Boston Bruins, and, in this book, sparred with the legendary Archie Moore.

It’s an odd premise for the book as he never really takes the training seriously (nor does Moore), and the attempt to spar appears very early in the book, which then continues as a fairly straightforward journalistic exploration of boxing in that period.

I suppose the issue with this kind of book is that, unless the journalist in question had previously been a professional boxer, they’re never going to be capable of sparring with even an average pro, never mind a legend such as Archie Moore, without risking serious injury or enormous embarrassment.