Jersey Joe Walcott

Author: James Curl
Publisher: McFarland
ISBN: 0786489634
Category : Sports & Recreation
Languages : en
Pages : 241

Book Description
Born into extreme poverty in 1914, Jersey Joe Walcott began boxing at the age of 16 to help feed his hungry family. After ten years, without proper training and with little to show for his efforts beyond some frightful beatings, Walcott quit the ring. A chance meeting with a fight promoter who recognized the potential in his iron chin and hard punch turned Walcott's fortunes around, launching one of the greatest comebacks in boxing history. This biography details Walcott's youth, his dismal early career, and his legendary climb to become the heavyweight champion of the world at age 37, at the time the oldest man ever to win the coveted title. Along the way, he battled some of the most feared champions of his day, including Joe Louis, Ezzard Charles, and Rocky Marciano. With numerous period photographs and a foreword from Walcott's grandson, this work provides an intimate look at one of the grittiest, most determined boxers of the 20th century.

Ezzard Charles

Author: William Dettloff
Publisher: McFarland
ISBN: 1476619476
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 232

Book Description
Greatness is often overlooked in its own time. For Ezzard Charles--one of boxing's most skilled practitioners, with a record of 93-25-1 (52 KO)--recognition took decades. Named by The Ring magazine as the greatest light heavyweight of all time, Charles was frustrated in his attempts to get a shot at the 175-pound title, and as World Heavyweight Champion (1949-1951) struggled to win the respect of boxing fans captivated by Joe Louis' power and charisma. This first-ever biography of "The Cincinnati Cobra" covers his early life in a small country town and his career in the glamorously dirty business of prizefighting in the 1950s, one of the sport's Golden Ages. Charles' fights with Louis, Jersey Joe Walcott, Rocky Marciano and his three wins over the legendary Archie Moore are detailed.

The Longest Fight

Author: William Gildea
Publisher: Macmillan
ISBN: 0374280975
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 257

Book Description
The dramatic, little-known story of Joe Gans, an early African-American sports hero and the welterweight champion of the world. Though he is largely unknown today, this book will change that with its emphasis on one key fight in 1906.

Third Man in the Ring

Author: Ruby Goldstein
Publisher: New York : Funk & Wagnalls
ISBN:
Category : Boxers (Sports)
Languages : en
Pages : 242

Book Description

The Magnificent Max Baer

Author: Colleen Aycock
Publisher: McFarland
ISBN: 1476632901
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 321

Book Description
Boxing might not have survived the 1930s if not for Max Baer. A contender for every heavyweight championship 1932-1941, California's "Glamour Boy" brought back the "million-dollar gate" not seen since the 1920s. His radio voice sold millions of Gillette razor blades; his leading-man appeal made him a heartthrob in The Prizefighter and the Lady (1933). The film was banned in Nazi Germany--Baer had worn a Star of David on his trunks when he TKOed German former champ Max Schmeling. Baer defeated 275-pound Primo Carnera in 1934 for the championship, losing it to Jim Braddock the next year. Contrary to Cinderella Man, (2005), Baer--favored 10 to 1--was not a villain and the fight was more controversial than the film suggested. His battle with Joe Louis three months later drew the highest gate of the decade. This first comprehensive biography covers Baer's complete ring record, his early life, his career on radio, film, stage and television, and his World War II army service.

The Boxing Kings

Author: Paul Beston
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
ISBN: 1442272902
Category : Sports & Recreation
Languages : en
Pages : 374

Book Description
For much of the twentieth century, boxing was one of America’s most popular sports, and the heavyweight champions were figures known to all. Their exploits were reported regularly in the newspapers—often outside the sports pages—and their fame and wealth dwarfed those of other athletes. Long after their heyday, these icons continue to be synonymous with the “sweet science.” In The Boxing Kings: When American Heavyweights Ruled the Ring, Paul Beston profiles these larger-than-life men who held a central place in American culture. Among the figures covered are John L. Sullivan, who made the heavyweight championship a commercial property; Jack Johnson, who became the first black man to claim the title; Jack Dempsey, a sporting symbol of the Roaring Twenties; Joe Louis, whose contributions to racial tolerance and social progress transcended even his greatness in the ring; Rocky Marciano, who became an embodiment of the American Dream; Muhammad Ali, who took on the U.S. government and revolutionized professional sports with his showmanship; and Mike Tyson, a hard-punching dynamo who typified the modern celebrity. This gallery of flawed but sympathetic men also includes comics, dandies, bookworms, divas, ex-cons, workingmen, and even a tough-guy-turned-preacher. As the heavyweight title passed from one claimant to another, their stories opened a window into the larger history of the United States. Boxing fans, sports historians, and those interested in U.S. race relations as it intersects with sports will find this book a fascinating exploration into how engrained boxing once was in America’s social and cultural fabric.

Rocky Marciano

Author: Everett M. Skehan
Publisher: Robson Books Limited
ISBN: 9780860512349
Category : Boxers (Sports)
Languages : en
Pages : 0

Book Description
The sensational and dramatic story of one of boxing's greatest fighters.

A Few More Rounds

Author: Jerry Fitch
Publisher: Win by Ko Publications
ISBN: 9781949783049
Category : Sports & Recreation
Languages : en
Pages : 154

Book Description
Jerry Fitch and John J. Raspanti examine the sights, sounds, and assorted types that populate the fistic landscape. The 20 chapters include unique stories from Fitch, who writes lovingly of his lifetime friendships with legendary fighters of the past, and Raspanti, whose prose includes instances of racism, hate, retribution, and loyalty.

The Great White Hope

Author: Howard Sackler
Publisher: Samuel French, Inc.
ISBN: 9780573609602
Category : Drama
Languages : en
Pages : 140

Book Description
"[The dramatist] has used his hero, a fighter based on the first Black heavyweight champion of the world, Jack Johnson ... as a symbol in part of Black aspiration"--Back cover.

Merchantville

Author: Maureen A. McLoone
Publisher: Arcadia Publishing
ISBN: 9780738509129
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 132

Book Description
One hundred feet above the Delaware River is Merchantville, a spirited community founded in 1874. Many wealthy Philadelphia merchants established residences while others summered in this key South Jersey center for goods and services. In 1926, the building of the Benjamin Franklin Bridge opened the door to a new era of expansion, which continues today, as Merchantville forges ahead on its prosperous path. A sign of Merchantville's past and a crowning jewel of today is the wonderful Victorian architecture seen throughout town. Many historical homes still stand, lovingly restored and maintained by enthusiastic, caring residents. Merchantville includes a look at these great homes, as well as a chronicle of the town's greatest asset, its people. Boxing champion Jersey Joe Walcott, born in 1914 in Merchantville, trained right in the center of town; Jane Eayre Fryer wrote the Mary Frances series for young girls (1911-1918); and Wallis Warfield Simpson, later the Duchess of Windsor, visited Merchantville c. 1900. But everyday life and everyday residents are what make any study of history vital, and they are what make Merchantville so outstanding.