Boxing Greats: An Illustrated History of the Legends of the Ring [Hardcover]

Steve Bunce (Author), Bob Mee (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1998

"Boxing Greats" chronicles the history of boxing from the eighteenth century to the present day through the careers, characters, and charisma of its greatest -- from Jack Dempsey and Rocky Marciano to Evander Holyfield and Oscar De La Hoya. Here is a hard-hitting volume of boxing's finest fights and fighters.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Love it or hate it, boxing is about as primal and compelling as a sport can get. There's nothing more basic than doing battle one-on-one, but that's just where the sweet science begins; rarely is a punch thrown that isn't filled with social--and even political--overtones. Boxing Greats is a large-format volume that does a credible job of presenting the history and social import of the sport, from its ancient beginnings right up to and beyond the collision of Mike Tyson's teeth with Evander Holyfield's ear, but what elevates its yeoman prose into a knockout experience are the exquisite illustrations that fill every page. You'll find a feast of images here--historical, publicity, and in-the-ring action. The prephotography era is built on lovely drawings and paintings of famous early fights and fighters, but the real treat is in what the lens has preserved over the last hundred or so years: James Jeffries training, Jess Willard sending Jack Johnson to the canvas; the ultimate knockdown of the brutal Dempsey-Firpo brawl; stark images of fists and fury from the storied careers of Joe Louis, Sugar Ray Robinson, Rocky Marciano, Archie Moore, Hearns and Hagler, Duran and Leonard, and, of course, Muhammad Ali. With the possible exception of Babe Ruth, the camera has never caressed an athlete the way it does Ali. Ali is the obvious love interest and centerpiece of Boxing Heroes; his career kept reinventing itself. But the book's appeal is in how it's willing to go the distance with so many other terrific fighters. --Jeff Silverman

Product Details

• Hardcover: 255 pages
• Publisher: Courage Books (August 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0762404027
• ISBN-13: 978-0762404025
• Product Dimensions: 11.9 x 10.8 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.9 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,814,420 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fabulous, May 8, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Boxing Greats: An Illustrated History of the Legends of the Ring (Hardcover)

Having spent the majority of over 40 years in and around boxing, and having been an avid reader of boxing books since I first laid eyes on Nat Fleischers Pictorial History of Boxing back in 1959, I was simply blown away by this volume. Bunce and Mee have done a beautiful job, mixing scholarship with beautiful photographs. I especially enjoyed the British slant, since the American press (which hardly covers boxing anyway!)generally ignores any boxing outside its own borders. I run a boxing gym in Seattle, and I plan to post some of the best pics on the walls so my boxers will be able to share in them. Then I will buy my second copy and keep it on my coffee table to educate my non-boxing friends. Way to go. 5 stars.

Bo Brumble Seattle WA.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Bunce and Mee do all right by Me!, January 27, 2000

By 

Charles Rigler - See all my reviews

This review is from: Boxing Greats: An Illustrated History of the Legends of the Ring (Hardcover)

This is a fantastic coffee table book for those interested in showing off there love of the sweet science. The photos are stunning and Bunce and Mee show proper respect to Pernell Whitaker as well as some of the other great fighters often over shadowed by Ali. While the book is predictable in glorifying Ali, it does take the time to track the history of lighter weights.