Writers on Boxing

Reading List

  • #60: ‘The Boxer’s Heart’ by Kate Sekules

    #60: ‘The Boxer’s Heart’ by Kate Sekules

    ‘The Boxer’s Heart – A Woman Fighting’ is Kate Sekules’ first-hand account of boxing as a woman in London and New York in the very early days of women’s professional boxing, and at a time when women’s boxing was yet to be admitted to the Olympics. Sekules began boxing (perhaps just boxercise-style classes) at All… Read more

  • #59: ‘Inside and Outside’ by Joshua Harry George

    #59: ‘Inside and Outside’ by Joshua Harry George

    ‘Inside and Outside’ by Joshua Harry George at Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College. This thesis was written as part of George’s LSU Masters studies, and it focuses on the influence of the work of George Bellows and Thomas Eakins on his own paintings of boxers. Completely coincidentally the essay contains a quote… Read more

  • #58: ‘The Harder They Fall’ by Budd Schulberg

    #58: ‘The Harder They Fall’ by Budd Schulberg

    ‘The Harder They Fall’ is Budd Schulberg’s novel about fictional boxer and man-mountain ‘El Toro’ Molina. The narrator of the book is boxing journalist Eddie Lewis, who, like a lot of writers I know, is procrastinating and putting off finishing the play he believes is his life’s work, while scratching a living filing copy for… Read more

  • #57: ‘The Greatest Boxing Stories Ever Told’ edited by Jeff Silverman

    #57: ‘The Greatest Boxing Stories Ever Told’ edited by Jeff Silverman

    ‘The Greatest Boxing Stories Ever Told – Thirty-six Incredible Tales from the Ring’, edited by Jeff Silverman, is yet another anthology of essays to add to your already groaning book shelves. As with all ‘greatest’ of ‘best of’ collections, if you buy enough of them there are bound to be overlaps and you’ll find the… Read more

  • #56: ‘In the Red Corner’ by John Duncan

    #56: ‘In the Red Corner’ by John Duncan

    ‘In the Red Corner – A Journey into Cuban Boxing’ is John Duncan’s account of a madcap voyage to Cuba, to lure some of their superstar amateur boxers with professional contracts. I love a good “so I just decided to book my flights and go” kind of story, and this is one of the best… Read more

  • #55: ‘The Professional’ by W.C. Heinz

    #55: ‘The Professional’ by W.C. Heinz

    ‘The Professional’ is W.C. Heinz’s seminal novel, about fictional professional boxer Eddie Brown and his trainer Doc Carroll. The story follows both middleweight Brown and Carroll as they prepare, together, for Brown’s first shot at a world title. The book examines the relationship between trainer and fighter as the training camp progresses, at its centre… Read more