Writers on Boxing

Reading List

  • #89: ‘The Constant Sinner’ by Mae West

    #89: ‘The Constant Sinner’ by Mae West

    ‘The Constant Sinner’, published in 1930, is Mae West’s novel whose protagonist, Babe Gordon, grows up around New York’s 1920s professional boxing circuit. The novel opens by introducing us to Babe, who is essentially a teenage prostitute being used by boxing promoters to either sabotage the chances of an opponent, by disrupting their training and… Read more

  • #88: ‘Dancing Shoes is Dead’ by Gavin Evans

    #88: ‘Dancing Shoes is Dead’ by Gavin Evans

    ‘Dancing Shoes is Dead’ is Gavin Evans’ memoir about his life as a political activist and lifelong boxing fan. The book is published by Black Swan. The memoir charts Evans’ life growing up in Apartheid-era South Africa and his early involvement as a committed activist, eventually aligning with the ANC. His political ideals are interwoven… Read more

  • #87: ‘The Saga of Sock’ by John V. Grombach

    #87: ‘The Saga of Sock’ by John V. Grombach

    ‘The Saga of Sock’ by John V. Grombach, published in 1949, was a contemporary attempt to trace the history of boxing from its inception (as stated in this book) in Ancient Greece, through the place it held in the Roman Empire, to its reemergence in Georgian Britain, with the ultimate intention of showing the influence… Read more

  • #86: ‘Mighty Atoms’ by Amanda Whittington

    #86: ‘Mighty Atoms’ by Amanda Whittington

    ‘Mighty Atoms’, written by Amanda Whittington, is a play which was commissioned by Hull Truck Theatre in 2017, the year in which Hull was named as Britain’s City of Culture. As with so many plays, I heard about this one only weeks after it was performed near where I live. Annoyingly, the play was staged… Read more

  • #85: ‘The Final Round’ by Jane Couch and Abi Smith

    #85: ‘The Final Round’ by Jane Couch and Abi Smith

    ‘The Final Round’ is the autobiography of Jane Couch, co-written by Abi Smith and published by Pitch Publishing. It feels like perfect timing that I am writing this blog post about the autobiography of one of the most influential women boxers in recent history, while my wife and I are at one of the world’s… Read more

  • #84: ‘Bella of Blackfriars’ by Leslie Bell

    #84: ‘Bella of Blackfriars’ by Leslie Bell

    ‘Bella of Blackfriars’ is Leslie Bell’s biography of the first woman to work as a boxing promoter in Britain. Bella Burge was born (Leah Belle Orchard) to British parents in New York in 1877 before moving, with her mother, to Whitechapel, London when she was four years old. By the age of 11 Bella was… Read more