Writers on Boxing

Reading List

  • #65: ‘The Fight’ by William Hazlitt

    #65: ‘The Fight’ by William Hazlitt

    ‘The Fight’ by William Hazlitt is, alongside the writing of Egan Pierce, one of the most quoted and cited boxing essays, informing boxing writers for over two hundred years. This essay is, as a young lad working on the building site I’m currently on says, a stone cold classic! I don’t know how many times… Read more

  • #64: ‘Sweet Fighting Man’ by Melanie Lloyd

    #64: ‘Sweet Fighting Man’ by Melanie Lloyd

    ‘Sweet Fighting Man – Inside Stories from British Boxers’ is a collection of 14 interviews with former British boxers, compiled by Melanie Lloyd. Book the first in what is now a series of three books. I ordered the second volume at the same time as the first so that will feature on the blog sometime… Read more

  • #63: ‘Grimmish’ by Michael Winkler

    #63: ‘Grimmish’ by Michael Winkler

    ‘Grimmish’ is Michael Winkler’s exploded non-fiction novel about Italian-American boxer Joe Grim’s time in Australia. Published in the UK by Peninsula Press and in the US by Coach House Press. Note: This post differs quite widely from the others on this blog. This is due to the nature of the book and my own response… Read more

  • #62: ‘Champion’ by Terence Blanchard and Michael Cristofer

    #62: ‘Champion’ by Terence Blanchard and Michael Cristofer

    ‘Champion’ is an opera composed by jazz musician Terence Blanchard, with libretti by Michael Cristofer, based on the life and career of Emile Griffith. It debuted at the Metropolitan Opera in May 2023. This is the first opera that I’ve sat through entirely and I’ll be honest, if it wasn’t based on one of my… Read more

  • Up to date!!

    Up to date!!

    Whew!! I’ve finally managed to catch-up with the books, articles and essays that I’ve already read. It was a bit of a challenge on my memory but I surprised myself with just how much I remembered about each piece of writing. Considering how obsessed I can get with a subject and my tendency to binge… Read more

  • #61: ‘Damage’ by Tris Dixon

    #61: ‘Damage’ by Tris Dixon

    ‘Damage – The Untold Story of Brain Trauma in Boxing’ is former Boxing News editor Tris Dixon’s personal investigation into the effects of the blunt force trauma that is, unfortunately, inherent in the sport of boxing. This book focuses on Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, or CTE, also known as Dementia Pugilistica, or informally as being punch… Read more