Writers on Boxing

Reading List

  • #51: ‘The Tragedy of Randolph Turpin’ by Jack Birtley

    #51: ‘The Tragedy of Randolph Turpin’ by Jack Birtley

    ‘The Tragedy of Randolph Turpin’ by Jack Birtley tells the story of British Middleweight Randolph Turpin’s rapid rise as a professional boxer, and the ultimately tragic end to his life. In 1951, Turpin shocked the boxing world by beating the legendary Sugar Ray Robinson to win the world middleweight title. This, unfortunately, was a high Read more

  • #50: ‘Hook to the Chin’ by Lev Kreft

    #50: ‘Hook to the Chin’ by Lev Kreft

    ‘Hook to the Chin’ is an article originally published in Physical Culture and Sports Studies and Research, written by Lev Kreft, from the Department of Philosophy, Faculty of Arts – University of Ljubljana, Slovenia. (DOI: 10.2478/v10141-009-0005-1) This article focuses on how artists of the Avant-Garde during the 1920s and 30s held sport, and specifically boxing, Read more

  • #49: ‘Chatteris Thunderbolt’ by Bob Lonkhurst

    #49: ‘Chatteris Thunderbolt’ by Bob Lonkhurst

    ‘Chatteris Thunderbolt – The Eric Boon Story’ is a biography of Eric Boon, written by Bob Lonkhurst. Despite going to secondary school in Chatteris and walking past a portrait of Dave ‘Boy’ Green everyday, and being very aware of his boxing legacy, I had never heard of Eric Boon – the original boxing Fen Tiger Read more

  • #48: ‘Willie Pep Remembers… Friday’s Heroes’ with Robert Sacchi

    #48: ‘Willie Pep Remembers… Friday’s Heroes’ with Robert Sacchi

    ‘Friday’s Heroes’ takes a look at the boxers who made their names on TV during the 1950s, appearing on the Friday Night Fights. Featherweight legend Willie Pep remembers the likes of Sandy Saddler, Tony Janiro, Tiger Jones, Tony Canzoneri and ‘Kid’ Gavilan, weaving in personal stories as he does so. Read more

  • #47: ‘The Black Lights’ by Thomas Hauser

    #47: ‘The Black Lights’ by Thomas Hauser

    ‘The Black Lights – Inside the World of Professional Boxing’ is an investigation of the world of professional boxing, by Thomas Hauser. The book follows the trials and tribulations of former WBC Super-Lightweight Champion, Billie Costello. I really liked this format, following a boxer who was far from a superstar, and who had to just Read more

  • #46: ‘Cashel Byron’s Profession’ by Bernard Shaw

    #46: ‘Cashel Byron’s Profession’ by Bernard Shaw

    ‘Cashel Byron’s Profession’ is Bernard Shaw’s fictional life story of English champion bare knuckle fighter Cashel Byron. There are some interesting aspects to this story, namely the aspects around how bouts were arranged and held while under the scrutiny of the local authorities. Because of Bernard Shaw’s firm interest in boxing and its history, it Read more