Muhammad Ali and Company: Inside the World of Professional Boxing [Paperback]

Tom Hauser (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 25, 1998

Inside the world of professional boxing.

Product Details

• Paperback: 279 pages
• Publisher: Hastings House (February 25, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0803894112
• ISBN-13: 978-0803894112
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,154,792 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good compilation of articles, October 24, 2005

By 

Matt Hetling "Matt" (Bethel, ME USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Muhammad Ali and Company: Inside the World of Professional Boxing (Paperback)

This is a compilation of newspaper and magazine articles written by Thomas Hauser on Muhammad Ali and other subjects in the world of boxing. Most of the articles are the length that you would expect in a newspaper column: about 3 pages of fairly large type.

If you walk into this book with the proper expectations, you'll probably enjoy it a great deal. Hauser has rubbed elbows with many boxing legends, and displays a sports columnist's enthusiasm and knowledge of the great sport of boxing.

But I think it's important to point out what this book is not, because I found the book's appearance to be somewhat misleading. The title and a front-cover declaration of a "foreword by Muhammad Ali" led me to think that the bulk of the book would be about Ali. In reality, only about 40 of over 270 pages cover Ali, and the foreword is a disappointingly brief three paragraphs.

Nowhere on the front or back cover is there a mention that the book is in fact a compilation of newspaper articles, and there is an implication that the reader will get in-depth coverage of the inside world of pro boxing. However, the format of a newspaper column only allows the author to briefly touch on issues within the sport, and many of the columns deal with the issue of the day. Be prepared to read three or four praiseees singing the praises of a boxer you've never heard of, without any kind of surrounding context to let you know what became of him. There is also some repetitiveness that is fine for a regular column, but gets tedious to those who are reading the book in just a few sittings.

It sounds like I'm slamming the book, but that's really not my intent. The writing is clean and crisp, Hauser articulates some interesting positions on some interesting subjects, and there is the highly billed and very compelling coverage of Muhammad Ali, perhaps the greatest living legend in the world today.

If you know what you're getting, this is a pretty good read. But if you think you're getting in-depth coverage of the inside world of boxing, or a book about Muhammad Ali, then buyer, beware!

4.0 out of 5 stars Too brief, I want more!, February 16, 2011

By 

Peter (Melbourne Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Muhammad Ali and Company: Inside the World of Professional Boxing (Paperback)

Thomas Hauser is a writer who generally specialises in boxing. His earlier books concentrated on Muhammad Ali almost exclusively (they are friends) but with Muhammad Ali and Company, Hauser commences breaking away from Ali and he writes about other boxers in short articles.

This books features quite a number of articles starting off with Ali but then branching out into a number of topics and fighters. Most of the articles featured in various columns published at the time.

Hauser is a good columnist and knows his boxing, although the need to avoid lengthy articles means that sometimes the stories are ok but just not deep enough for my liking.

All in all, I am looking forward to reading future books by Hauser in the hope that he writes lengthier pieces of work.

5.0 out of 5 stars Easy Reading, Wonderfully Written & Hey - Butterbean!, September 23, 2003

By 

Buster Paris (Boston, MA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Muhammad Ali and Company: Inside the World of Professional Boxing (Paperback)

I loved this book.

Easy to read - it's light and simple in its approach - it floats like a butterfly and...well...you get it. What we have are a bunch of Thomas Hauser articles with very clever and interesting introductions to each article.

I did not want to put it down - it was fun, exciting entertaining, informative and fun - yes, I said fun twice.

Hauser is such a modest and humble guy - he knows Muhammad Ali, he has interviewed and hung out with many a boxer and has been involved in and with boxing history - yet he remains incredibly humble and in the background - the book ain't about him, but he's a part of it - VERY well done.

Most importantly - he makes mention of Butterbean not once, but twice! - AND quotes him!

This is a great, fun, exciting, entertaining, informative and fun book - you won't want to stop reading - each article is like a Pringles potato chip - you can't just stop with one.