Hi, my name is David Turner, I’m a joiner, writer and artist from London. I’m also a boxing fan, though mostly amateur boxing nowadays. I’ve been reading a lot of books, essays and articles about the sport over the past few years. One thing that has slightly annoyed me is how difficult it can be to find books outside of the usual ’10 Best Boxing Books’ you come across on the internet.
I’ve decided to put together a list of books and articles I’ve read in case they’re of interest to anyone else. I won’t necessarily be reviewing them, and I definitely won’t be rating them. I’ll simply post them in the order I read them, in an attempt to bring some attention to the less well-known publications.
I probably should have started this blog sooner, but when I first bought McIlvanney on Boxing I had no idea where it would lead me. Anyway, this late decision has meant that my first sixty-one blog posts have all had to be done retrospectively, with me hoping that I’d be able to remember what I’d read. This was not always very successful, or indeed wise.
You can find me on X (Twitter) here.
For those who just like to look at book covers you can find me on Instagram here.
A bit about me:
Boxing – I’ve never boxed competitively and only started training seriously at age 40, first at All Stars in north-west London, then East London Boxing Club, but for the last 18 months I’ve been training weekly at the fantastic Islington Boxing Club. In November 2023 I qualified as ‘Grade C’ judge and timekeeper with England Boxing.
Podcasts – More recently I’ve been writing, making books and recording ridiculous sounds as one half of You Don’t Know. I used to produce a podcast in which I interviewed poets and other writers about their work called Lunar Poetry Podcasts.
Writing – Here are some examples of my writing. My first (and possibly last) collection of poetry, Contained, was published by Hesterglock Press in 2019. Here’s an essay about my dad and his (our) grief, and here’s one about his mum (my nan), and time, and boxing, and family.
As of September 2024 I will be studying for an MA in creative writing at Birkbeck College.
A huge thank you to my wife, Lizzy, who proof reads all of my posts. I am a writer who almost resents the rules foisted upon me by the grammar-police, so my posts would be a whole lot messier without her help.
Writers on Boxing 