Writers on Boxing

Reading List

  • #40: ‘A Neutral Corner’ by A.J. Liebling

    #40: ‘A Neutral Corner’ by A.J. Liebling

    ‘A Neutral Corner’ is a collection of essays by A.J. Liebling. In my opinion this collection is a much more varied and superior collection of essays than Liebling’s celebrated ‘The Sweet Science’. I feel as though Liebling’s greatest skill, as with Budd Schulberg and Djuna Barnes, is as an observer of people, and perhaps the… Read more

  • #39: ‘Fighter’ by Andy Lee (with Niall Kelly)

    #39: ‘Fighter’ by Andy Lee (with Niall Kelly)

    ‘Fighter’ is the autobiography of Andy Lee. I wasn’t expecting much from this book except to get a better insight into the career of a boxer who I mainly know from his TV work here in the UK, and as the trainer of the likes of Joseph Parker. It turned out to be so much… Read more

  • #38: ‘King of the Gypsies’ – Bartley Gorman (with Peter Walsh)

    #38: ‘King of the Gypsies’ – Bartley Gorman (with Peter Walsh)

    ‘King of the Gypsies’ is an attempt to document what is, frankly, the wild life story of bare knuckle fighter Bartley Gorman. I’ve said previously that I don’t seek out books about ‘hard men’ as they don’t appeal to me at all, but I’d heard enough about the character and personality of Gorman to pick… Read more

  • #37: ‘Ringside’ by Budd Schulberg

    #37: ‘Ringside’ by Budd Schulberg

    ‘Ringside – A Treasury of Boxing Reportage’ is a collection of boxing articles written by Budd Schulberg for a number of publications, including Esquire, Boxing Illustrated, Sunday Herald and Sports Illustrated. I really like BS’s writing, which is rooted in a lifetime of fight-watching and a remarkable knack for observing the characters within the professional… Read more

  • #36: ‘In This Corner…!’ by Peter Heller

    #36: ‘In This Corner…!’ by Peter Heller

    ‘In This Corner…! – Forty World Champions Tell Their Story’ by Peter Heller is a collection of interviews with forty former world champions from 1912-1960s. There are some really great interviews in this book, including the likes of Charley Phil Rosenberg, Henry Armstrong, Willie Pep and Emile Griffith. I feel very lucky that a number… Read more

  • #35: ‘The Tartan Legend’ by Ken Buchanan

    #35: ‘The Tartan Legend’ by Ken Buchanan

    ‘The Tartan Legend’ is Ken Buchanan’s autobiography, published in 2000. I don’t read a lot of boxers’ autobiographies as they usually follow the same dull pattern of empty, glossy celebrity books, totally lacking in substance. However, I’ve always been a big fan of Buchanan’s fighting style so I’ve had this book on my reading list… Read more