Customer Reviews

Box Like the Pros

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4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(3)
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This book is the best I have read on the subject of boxing training. I have been boxing for around 3 years and love it. This book is a practical primer geared more towards the beginner. But some of the intermediate to expierenced practioners can learn a thing or twelve from Smokin' Joe. He breaks down all the basics from punching, to sparring. Equiptment and training are all covered. He devotes a whole chapter to what training the fighters go through to stay fighting fit. He also tells how to wrap hands, how to eat well, and tells of the necessity of roadwork. It was writen by a legend and is nothing short of a modern classic. This thing will be worth a lot more than you paid for when you get to the gym or the ring. I'm sure it will also make a great collectors item in the future for any boxing historian.

The book's main title is misleading. The book will not cover how to "Box Like the Pros". It won't even help much if you are trying to fight in the amateurs. It's really geared towards someone who has never stepped into a boxing gym before, and is now thinking about fighting. The title should have reflected this to avoid confusing buyers.

Now, for the actual book itself, MANY fundamentals of boxing are not covered. For example, it doesn't discuss taking the inside position so that the other fighter is forced to fight on his weak side. It doesn't discuss feinting. It doesn't discuss pivoting. What it does discuss are the most fundamental of fundamentals. How to wrap properly. How to jab, cross, hook, and uppercut. (But no discussion of variations on this, like a shovel hook, jolt jab, etc.) How to keep your chin down, eyes on opponent, etc.

What's missing entirely are a list of drills for the beginner to work on when he/she gets into the gym. This is important because even if there is a good ratio of gym trainers to boxers, Joe should know that MOST GYM TRAINERS DON'T BOTHER WITH PEOPLE THEY DON'T THINK WILL FIGHT. In other words, even if there's one trainer for every five people, an abnormally high trainer to fighter ratio, that one trainer will spend fifty minutes with the most prospective young man/woman, and ten minutes with the other four. Like it or not, that's the name of the game, getting good fighters in and training them. Since most people do not have the talent of a good boxer, the trainers simply won't bother wasting their time that could be spent on a more promising fighter.

The same thing can be said of his training regime. It consists of a few simple calisthenics. He says almost nothing about diet, (Joe does make it all sound so simple that you're going to wonder at the end why everyone isn't a champion fighter), and just glosses over a lot of subjects.

In short, if you want a book that will give you a quick summary on a few vital subjects, this is your book. It does have a listing for various gyms in each state, which is nice for the novice boxer. However much my hat may be to Joe and his vicious body shots, this book is simply not up to the same standards he set in the ring. I would recommend Doug Werner's books for a much more in-depth and analytical look at proper boxing.

I'm an admitted fan of Joe Frazier, so I'll preface this review with the warning that I'm a bit biased. However, I thought the book was really good. The intro was done by Frazier, on how boxing has affected his life. The begginning of the book goes into the history of boxing, from as far back as Egypt and Greece. The post-Queensberry history gets the bulk of the attention, of course. The book then moves on to the rules of the ring, including amature and pro rules and weight classes. After that is a small chapter on running, conditioning, and diet, and another small chapter on finding the right gym, a fighter's gym. After that is a chapter that covers equipment rather extensively, and finally we start getting into actual boxing technique. Stance, offense, and defense are each given their own chapters, and herein we find things like combinations and counterpunching. Next we get into an actual boxers workout, and then get a chapter on sparring. The last two chapters are on boxing styles (ring generalship) and advice from Frazier on what ones first fight will be like. There's also an appendix on where to find boxing gyms in the US.

The book had a good tone to it, although I suspect much of it was ghost-written. Still, you could almost hear Frazier's voice as he's giving you advice on how to train, how to throw a punch, why he doesn't believe in weights, and so on. On the down side, some things weren't given much detail. I felt the diet and excercise part were somewhat rushed, and I was currious about how the medicine ball was used as a target, which never got really explained. I also felt there wasn't nearly enough info on combinations. On the other hand, maybe this allows for some freedom when creating one's own routine.

Will this book teach you how to "box like the pros"? Doubtful, but it imparts some advice that the pros already know. It's a very thorough introduction into the basics of boxing, and every now and then you get a piece of advice from a man who has been at the top of the sport that you probably wouldn't get anywhere else.

For those people who don't like this book: be realistic. Look, if Joe Namath writes a book about football, you can't expect to read it and become an all-star quarterback, or more importantly, can't expect to learn everything you need to know to BECOME an all-star just by reading a book, can you? Same thing here.

To really learn to do something, you have to DO it.

So right, this isn't the most thorough book on boxing you are ever going to read. If it was, it would be 10 times longer, and you probably wouldn't read it because if you already box, you'd already know much of it, and if you are a beginner, you would want something short to get the general idea. This book gives you a general idea, and is therefore a good beginner's book. Also, someone probably ghost wrote it for him, as it reads easily.

In summary then, I'd say it's a great introductory book written by someone who really HAS "been there" as both an Olympic gold medalist and world heavyweight champ. What more do you want?

People write about other people every day, but I like learning about a person from their own perspective and accounts. When I saw Joe Frazier recently on Donald Trump's "The Apprentice" show it made me want to inform myself about his history. Thankfully, he took the time to author this book. The boxing instructions and tips are timeless!

This is an excellent introductory guide for novice fighters. It is the best "how-to" boxing book that I have seen, and fills what was a gaping hole in the literature of the sport. Of course there have been many attempts to write a "how-to" boxing book in the past, going back to Jack Dempsey and before, but nearly all of them have been mediocre efforts.

Joe Frazier keeps it simple and to the point, outlining the basic principles, techniques, and exercises that top fighters have relied on for more than a century. William Dettloff has done an excellent job of making the text crisp and clear without diluting Frazier's ideas and personality.

I would reccomend this book to anyone who is starting out in the sport of boxing. Of course there is more to learn, but the fundamentals for success are here, and for the rest you have to get into the gym, train hard, and find a good coach!

So... Box!

A little over a year ago I signed up for a boxing class sponsored by a community college. The class was held once a week at a small urban boxing gym. We began by learning to wrap our hands, and then proceeded to basic exercises and drills. It didn't take long for me to get hooked (literally and figuratively). After finishing the community college term, I signed up with the gym as a full member. Since then, I've gotten deeper into boxing, especially sparring. I really enjoy facing off against an opponent in the ring. While giving punishment is ideal, I also like taking it and not giving up the fight.

To expand my boxing toolkit, I've started reading some books about the sport. "Box Like The Pros" caught my eye because it was written by former heavyweight champion Smokin' Joe Frazier. Mr. Frazier and his coauthor William Dettloff have crafted a no-nonsense book packed with lots of practical boxing information and wisdom. From my limited experience and what my coach has taught me so far, his advice appears to be solid. Heck, it's hard to argue with the guy who dropped Muhammad Ali.

"Box Like The Pros" starts out with a brief history of boxing, and then gets into the sport's nitty-gritty. Mr. Frazier goes over rules, training, equipment, offense and defense, sparring, and even entering the ring for real as a Golden Gloves or white-collar boxer. I found his down-and-dirty descriptions to be both entertaining and instructional. Indeed, I wish I'd heeded his advice to keep my jaw clenched shut while sparring. And for further help, one appendix lists boxing gyms by state (none were included for Oregon, where I box), while another contains additional resources such as other books on boxing and websites where you can order gear.

One thing I found interesting is how the book inadvertently highlights the differences in boxing technique and instruction. For example, my coach advocates a stance with a pronounced profile, and teaches a left hook with a front foot pivot. However, Mr. Frazier insists on a more straightforward stance, and instructs that the front foot remain planted while firing the left hook. I asked my coach about this, and he confirmed that accepted variations do exist.

At any rate, I recommend "Box Like the Pros" for anyone interested in boxing - especially latecomer fortysomething dudes like me who want some good information on the Sweet Science. And don't forget to keep your hands up!

This is a good, basic overview of boxing, written primarily for the layperson. It is a quick read and excellent for the beginner or novice. I bought it, read it, and gave it to one of my new trainees to supplement our training. Every new person to boxing should read this book. I highly recommend it.

This has to be one of the best books on boxing. Very user friendly for the beginner and an excellent reference tool for the experienced fighter. This is a no frills book written by the one and only Joe Frazier (RIP). There are many books out there that are indeed helpful, but this is written by a man who has been there and done that.

Good book by a great fighter! I've always "Smokin" Joe, and this book was a great read. Frazier tells it like it is, on most things especially when it comes to training.

Joe is old school telling fighters to stay away from weights and other "modern" techniques, and he is correct.

Only bone I had to pick was his insistence on the idea of "styles making fights." While there is a grain of truth to this, it's way over simplified. (Joe seems to think since he lost to Foreman any guy who fought a similar style would likewise lose to big George.

He pays homage to fighters of the past as well as there is a section on the history of the sport. All in all a good read and worth picking up.