Are today's boxers better than their predecessors, or is modern boxing a shadow of its former self? Boxing historians discuss the socioeconomic and demographic changes that have affected the quality, prominence and popularity of the sport over the past century. Among the interviewees are world-renowned scholars, some of the sport's premier trainers, and former amateur and professional world champions. Chapters cover such topics as the ongoing deterioration of boxers' skills, their endurance, the decline in the number of fights and the psychological readiness of championship-caliber boxers. The strengths and weaknesses of today's superstars are analyzed and compared to those of such past greats as Joe Louis, Sugar Ray Robinson, Jack Dempsey and Jake LaMotta.
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments
Foreword by Budd Schulberg
Preface
Panel of Experts
1. Origins
2. The Golden Age
3. The Incredible Shrinking Sport
4. Paying Their Dues
5. Cooking the Books: Boxing's Nutty Knockout Numbers
6. Where Have You Gone Charlie Goldman?
7. Boxing's Missing Links
8. The Good, the Bad, and the Inconsistent
9. Fistic Forensics: Two Fights Analyzed
10. Too Much Amateur
11. The Dominance Factor, Part One: Roy Jones, Jr., and Bernard Hopkins
12. The Dominance Factor, Part Two: Roberto Duran, Pernell Whitaker, Floyd Mayweather, Jr.
13. The Bigger They Are-The Harder They Fall
14. Boxing's Snake Oil Salesmen
15. Boxing's Death by Alphabet
Epilogue
Appendix: Statistics for Reigning Champions
Chapter Notes
Bibliography
Index
