The Greatest Boxing Stories Ever Told; Thirty-Six Incredible Tales from the Ring

by Edited by Jeff Silverman

• ISBN13: 9781585746132
• ISBN10: 1585746134
• Format: Trade Book
• Copyright: 2002-10-01
• Publisher: The Lyons Press

Summary

"Every once in a while, a book publisher comes up with a great concept for a series of books that deserve more than superficial recognition. Such a series is The Greatest (fill in the blank) Stories Ever Told, anthologies that should win places on many bedside tables. On the long winter nights that lie ahead, such stories make great reading." -The Lexington County Chronicle "THE GREATEST BOXING STORIES EVER TOLD assembles some of the best writing available on the sweet science and illuminates boxing in all its literal and symbolic glory. Each piece in this varied collection connects with the sort of powerful punch one can only expect from the world's greatest writers." -Boxing Digest In THE GREATEST BOXING STORIES EVER TOLD, editor Jeff Silverman delivers a knockout collection of not only the best writing ever penned on the subject of "the sweet science," but also stories that relate to the larger human issues the brutal sport has come to embody. Whether the story be about the triumph of a heroic champion, a tragic death in the ring, the shady tactics of fight promoters, or victories against seemingly impossible odds, each story in this varied collection connects powerfully with the reader. THE GREATEST BOXING STORIES EVER TOLD is the perfect gift for fight fans and non-fight fans alike, and with its allstar lineup of "contenders" throwing "haymakers" and "uppercuts" in every round, it stands as the definitive volume of short stories on this enduring pugilistic pastime.

Author Biography

JEFF SILVERMAN, a former columnist for The Los Angeles Herald Examiner, has written for The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, and several national magazines. He is the editor of The Greatest Baseball Stories Ever Told, The Greatest Golf Stories Ever Told, and The First Chapbook for Golfers. He lives with his family in Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania.

Table of Contents

Introduction	ix
Jeff Silverman
In the Face	3	(4)
Richard Ford
From On Boxing	7	(6)
Joyee Carol Oates
Ring Around the Writers	13	(6)
George Plimpton
From The Iliad	19	(4)
Homer
The Fight	23	(6)
William Hazlitt
``I Decide to Give Up Fighting''	29	(4)
Daniel Mendoza
The Higher Pragmatism	33	(4)
O. Henry
Like Father Like Son	37	(6)
Clarence Riordan
Cribb Repulses Molineaux's Challenge	43	(10)
Pierce Egan
Jack Johnson vs. Jim Jeffries	53	(10)
Jack London
The Battle Royal	63	(10)
Ralph Ellison
A Visit with John L. Sullivan	73	(8)
Nellie Bly
Sport for Art's Sake	81	(4)
Heywood Broun
Ringide (Formal)	85	(4)
Robert Benchley
The Sack of Shelby	89	(18)
John Lardner
The Long Count	107	(6)
Gene Tunney
Champion	113	(20)
Ring Lardner
The Croxley Master	133	(36)
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
From Requiem for a Heavyweight	169	(14)
Rod Serling
Bred for Battle	183	(10)
Damon Runyon
You're Joe Louis	193	(4)
Jimmy Cannon
The Boxer and the Blonde	197	(26)
Frank Deford
The Fight: Patterson vs. Liston	223	(12)
James Baldwin
The Death of Paret	235	(6)
Norman Mailer
Return to Kansas City	241	(8)
Irwin Shaw
His Brother's Keeper	249	(14)
Dashiell Hammett
``I Could've Been a Contender . . .''	263	(8)
Budd Schulberg
The Greatest, Pound for Pound	271	(20)
W.C. Heinz
Pride of the Tiger	291	(10)
Robert M. Lipsyte
Lawdy, Lawdy, He's Great	301	(6)
Mark Kram
Donnybrook Farr	307	(12)
A.J. Liebling
Onward Vir gin Soldier: Johnny	319	(10)
Hugh McIlvanney
Owen's Last Fight
Duran No Quitter	329	(4)
Red Smith
Biting Commentary	333	(6)
Jim Murray
He Swing and He Missed	339	(8)
Nelson Algren
Thicker Than Water	347
Paul Gallico