Download or read book The Fearless Harry Greb written by Bill Paxton and published by McFarland. This book was released on 2014-11-29 with total page 261 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The legendary Harry Greb stepped into the ring more than 300 times from 1913 to 1926, defeated opponents who outweighed him by more than 30 pounds, held the middleweight and light heavyweight titles and beat every Hall of Fame boxer he ever fought. Dubbed "the Pittsburgh Windmill" because of his manic, freewheeling style in the ring, Greb also crossed racial lines, taking on all comers regardless of color. An injury in the ring led to Greb's gradually going blind in one eye and should have ended his career, but he kept his condition secret and fought on. Tragically, the indomitable fighter would be dead by the age of 32, felled by complications during minor surgery. This biography of one of the toughest boxers of all time includes interviews, family recollections, modern doctors' analyses of Greb's eye injury and more than 120 rare photographs, as well as a complete fight record and round-by-round descriptions of his most famous fights.
Download or read book Live Fast Die Young the Life and Times of Harry Greb written by Stephen Compton and published by . This book was released on 2013-07 with total page 716 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Live Fast, Die Young tells the story of Harry Greb, the Pittsburgh Windmill, one of the most feared boxers in history. Greb terrified champions and contenders across three weight divisions for nearly a decade. Greb would become famous for fighting anyone regardless of size or race. Prior to his untimely death he harbored a long standing ambition to challenge for legendary heavyweight champion Jack Dempsey's title despite rarely weighing over 165 pounds. Along the way he won the world middleweight championship, American light heavyweight championship, and became the only man to defeat Dempsey's eventual conqueror Gene Tunney. Greb would become one of those outrageous characters that made the Roaring Twenties roar. It is a story that could only be found in the history pages of early 20th century America. He was born the son of an immigrant father who fled Germany one step ahead of the law and a first generation mother in Pittsburgh at a time when the city was helping to usher in the Second Industrial Revolution. The rugged, hard-working men who surrounded Greb during his formative years influenced a toughness and work ethic that carried him to the highest levels of one of the most unforgiving sports. As Harry gained fame and fortune he witnessed the world devolved into chaos as World War I broke out, the passing of Prohibition, the birth of the Jazz Age, and the Golden Age of Sports. Throughout these historic events Harry often found himself right in the middle of things and happy to be there. The author tells the story of one of the most colorful periods in history and one that period's most colorful and unforgettable characters in Live Fast, Die Young: The Life and Times of Harry Greb.
Download or read book Tunney written by Jack Cavanaugh and published by Ballantine Books. This book was released on 2009-04-02 with total page 498 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Among the legendary athletes of the 1920s, the unquestioned halcyon days of sports, stands Gene Tunney, the boxer who upset Jack Dempsey in spectacular fashion, notched a 77—1 record as a prizefighter, and later avenged his sole setback (to a fearless and highly unorthodox fighter named Harry Greb). Yet within a few years of retiring from the ring, Tunney willingly receded into the background, renouncing the image of jock celebrity that became the stock in trade of so many of his contemporaries. To this day, Gene Tunney’s name is most often recognized only in conjunction with his epic “long count” second bout with Dempsey. In Tunney, the veteran journalist and author Jack Cavanaugh gives an account of the incomparable sporting milieu of the Roaring Twenties, centered around Gene Tunney and Jack Dempsey, the gladiators whose two titanic clashes transfixed a nation. Cavanaugh traces Tunney’s life and career, taking us from the mean streets of Tunney’s native Greenwich Village to the Greenwich, Connecticut, home of his only love, the heiress Polly Lauder; from Parris Island to Yale University; from Tunney learning fisticuffs as a skinny kid at the knee of his longshoreman father to his reign atop boxing’s glamorous heavyweight division. Gene Tunney defied easy categorization, as a fighter and as a person. He was a sex symbol, a master of defensive boxing strategy, and the possessor of a powerful, and occasionally showy, intellect–qualities that prompted the great sportswriters of the golden age of sports to portray Tunney as “aloof.” This intelligence would later serve him well in the corporate world, as CEO of several major companies and as a patron of the arts. And while the public craved reports of bad blood between Tunney and Dempsey, the pair were, in reality, respectful ring adversaries who in retirement grew to share a sincere lifelong friendship–with Dempsey even stumping for Tunney’s son, John, during the younger Tunney’s successful run for Congress. Tunney offers a unique perspective on sports, celebrity, and popular culture in the 1920s. But more than an exciting and insightful real-life tale, replete with heads of state, irrepressible showmen, mobsters, Hollywood luminaries, and the cream of New York society, Tunney is an irresistible story of an American underdog who forever changed the way fans look at their heroes.
Download or read book Give Him to the Angels written by James R. Fair and published by . This book was released on 1997 with total page 158 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Undisputed Truth written by Mike Tyson and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2014-10-28 with total page 641 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Be sure to check out IRON AMBITION: My Life with Cus D’Amato by Mike Tyson “Raw, powerful and disturbing—a head-spinning take on Mr. Tyson's life.”—Wall Street Journal Philosopher, Broadway headliner, fighter, felon—Mike Tyson has defied stereotypes, expectations, and a lot of conventional wisdom during his three decades in the public eye. Bullied as a boy in the toughest, poorest neighborhood in Brooklyn, Tyson grew up to become one of the most ferocious boxers of all time—and the youngest heavyweight champion ever. But his brilliance in the ring was often compromised by reckless behavior. Yet—even after hitting rock bottom—the man who once admitted being addicted “to everything” fought his way back, achieving triumphant success as an actor and newfound happiness and stability as a father and husband. Brutal, honest, raw, and often hilarious, Undisputed Truth is the singular journey of an inspiring American original.
Download or read book Smokestack Lightning written by Springs Toledo and published by . This book was released on 2019 with total page 171 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Springs Toledo is the best boxing writer working today, and perhaps the best sportswriter, period. His work combines the rarest of attributes: a literary and poetic grasp of the English language, and a detailed and rigorous understanding of history." --Dr. David Crawford Jones, Ohio State University In January 1919, a Pittsburgh prizefighter married an ex-chorus girl and with her at his side, proclaimed himself ready to thrash "the whole world." It was no idle threat. Harry Greb embarked on an unparalleled 45-0-0 campaign that year, often fighting once, twice, and sometimes three times a week. His motto? "All-comers." His objective? To prove himself the superior of every rival within reach--including Jack Dempsey. By December 1919, Greb was pressing his shoulder up against the limits of human endurance, and moving it. Smokestack Lightning brings you back to an America in the aftermath of war, at the dawn of the Jazz Age and the brink of Prohibition. It is a unique and heavily-researched encounter with the greatest fury fighter of the 20th century. Meet him mid-stride.
Download or read book Stanley Ketchel written by Manuel A. Mora and published by AuthorHouse. This book was released on 2010-10 with total page 234 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Stanley Ketchel was an early 20th century Middleweight Champion from 1908-1910. This book tells the story of a young boy who left home to find his place in the world, and hopefully find the means by which to assist his family economically. His parents, and three sibling brothers, at the time, would not see him again for nine years. When they, finally, saw him, again, he was a newly-named pugilistic challenger whose boxing fame was building higher with each bout. This book is an excursion into the, researched, truth of both Stanley Ketchel's life, and his boxing career.
Download or read book Ingemar Johansson written by Ken Brooks and published by McFarland. This book was released on 2015-12-11 with total page 271 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Ingemar Johansson's right hand--dubbed "The Hammer of Thor"--was the most fearsome in boxing, and Johansson's three fights with Floyd Patterson rank among the sport's classic rivalries. Yet most fans know little about the Swedish playboy who won the world heavyweight championship with a shocking third round knockout of Patterson and held it for six days short of a year (1959-1960). During his reign, the raffish "Ingo" hit fashionable nightspots on two continents, romanced Elizabeth Taylor, and refused to kowtow to the mobsters who controlled boxing. This first-ever biography of Johansson chronicles his fistic triumphs as a Goteborg teen prodigy, his humiliating disqualification for "cowardice" at the 1952 Olympics, his storybook romances with Birgit Lundgren and Edna Alsterlund and his post-career life and tragic early dementia.
Download or read book Ezzard Charles written by William Dettloff and published by McFarland. This book was released on 2015-05-23 with total page 232 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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.
Download or read book Sweet Thunder written by Wil Haygood and published by Chicago Review Press. This book was released on 2011-04 with total page 479 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Sugar Ray Robinson was one of the most iconic figures in sports and possibly the greatest boxer of all time. His legendary career spanned nearly 26 years, including his titles as the middleweight and welterweight champion of the world and close to 200 professional bouts. This illuminating biography grounds the spectacular story of Robinson's rise to greatness within the context of the fighter's life and times. Born Walker Smith Jr. in 1921, Robinson's early childhood was marked by the seething racial tensions and explosive race riots that infected the Midwest throughout the 1920s and 1930s. After his mother moved their family to Harlem, he came of age in the post-Renaissance years. Recounting his local and national fame, this deeply researched and honest account depicts Robinson as an eccentric and glamorous--yet powerful and controversial--celebrity, athlete, and cultural symbol. From Robinson's gruesome six-bout war with Jake "Raging Bull" LaMotta and his lethal meeting with Jimmy Doyle to his Harlem nightclub years and thwarted showbiz dreams, Haygood brings the champion's story to life.
Download or read book Sam Langford written by Clay Moyle and published by . This book was released on 2012-12 with total page 448 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Standing no more than 5' 7" tall, Sam Langford was one of the 20th century's greatest fighters. In 1951, the great featherweight champion Abe Attell was asked if Sugar Ray Robinson was the best of all time, either as a welterweight or middleweight. He named Stanley Ketchel as the greatest welterweight he'd ever seen and said that, as for the middleweights, he'd take Sam Langford, "the greatest of them all at that poundage." Remarkably, the man Attell felt was the greatest middleweight fighter in history fought and defeated many of the leading heavyweight contenders of his day. Over time, he matured physically and grew into a light heavyweight, then began fighting heavyweights on a regular basis, but he was almost always the much smaller of the two combatants. Nat Fleischer, founding editor of The Ring magazine, called Sam one of the hardest punchers of all time, and ranked the little man seventh among his personal all-time favorites "Sam was endowed with everything. He possessed strength, agility, cleverness, hitting power, a good thinking cap, and an abundance of courage He feared no one. But he had the fatal gift of being too good, and that's why he often had to give away weight in early days and make agreements with opponents. Many of those who agreed to fight him, especially of his own race, wanted an assurance that he would be merciful or insisted on a bout of not more than six rounds." Other leading sportswriters of that era had even higher opinions of Sam. Hype Igoe, well known boxing writer for the New York Journal, proclaimed Sam the greatest fighter, pound-for-pound, who ever lived. Joe Williams, respected sports columnist of the New York World Telegram wrote that Langford was probably the best the ring ever saw, and the great Grantland Rice described Sam as "about the best fighting man I've ever watched." At the time of Sam's induction into the Boxing Hall of Fame (October 1955) he was the only non-champion accorded the honor. Many ring experts considered Sam the greatest pound-for-pound fighter in the history of boxing Under different circumstances he might have been a champion at five different weights: lightweight; welterweight, middleweight; light heavyweight; and heavyweight. Blind and penniless at the end of his life, Sam lived quietly in a private nursing home But when one visitor expressed sympathy for his circumstances, Sam replied, "Don't nobody need to feel sorry for old Sam. I had plenty of good times. I been all over the world. I fought maybe 600 fights, and every one was a pleasure " With 98 photographs and illustrations, primarily from private collections.
Download or read book The First Black Boxing Champions written by Colleen Aycock and published by McFarland. This book was released on 2014-01-10 with total page 303 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This volume presents fifteen chapters of biography of African American and black champions and challengers of the early prize ring. They range from Tom Molineaux, a slave who won freedom and fame in the ring in the early 1800s; to Joe Gans, the first African American world champion; to the flamboyant Jack Johnson, deemed such a threat to white society that film of his defeat of former champion and "Great White Hope" Jim Jeffries was banned across much of the country. Photographs, period drawings, cartoons, and fight posters enhance the biographies. Round-by-round coverage of select historic fights is included, as is a foreword by Hall-of-Fame boxing announcer Al Bernstein.
Download or read book Their Greatest Victory written by David L. Porter and published by McFarland. This book was released on 2013-07-30 with total page 303 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book profiles 24 athletes who overcame seemingly insurmountable medical odds to attain athletic success. Each profile describes the athlete's problem, the medical issues he or she faced, how success was achieved despite the setback, and the personal qualities that helped the athlete to prevail. Part I features 15 athletes who dealt with diseases and physical disabilities, including Babe Didrikson Zaharias (cancer), Ron Santo (diabetes), Gail Devers (Graves' disease), Alonzo Mourning (kidney disease), Wilma Rudolph (polio), Scott Hamilton (a pancreatic disorder in childhood) and Jimmy Abbott (born with one hand). Part II highlights nine athletes who dealt with near-fatal or life-changing accidents and injuries, including Bill Toomey, Three-Finger Brown, Greg LeMond, Lou Brissie and Tommy John.
Download or read book A World Without Reality written by Bill Paxton and published by . This book was released on 2019-07 with total page 608 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: You now have the key that will unlock the toy vault and transport you into a whirlwind adventure filled with the secrets behind the top toys and games of your childhood. This biography is of the toy king himself Marvin Glass, who created the first, largest and most successful independent toy invention studio. His genius and fervor for life was said to be a magical blend of Willy Wonka and Howard Hughes. Wonka had his Oompa Loompas and so too did Glass fill his high-security fortress with a cast of crazy characters. Their own words reveal the story of what really went on inside Marvin's legendary studio. This book includes nearly 100 exclusive interviews with first-hand accounts about Marvin, the toys and his wacky studio.The author, a veteran Chicago toy inventor of 30 years asks, "What kind of man can create an industry that didn't exist before him and how did he make it flourish?" If you're ready for the answers, then buckle up because you're about to enter A World Without Reality. Includes:- Over 200 original color photographs including rare prototypes.- Over 1,000 additional images of ads, patents, illustrations, tv commercials, Glass family photos and internal company promotional images.- Over 130 playthings from the 1940's-1980's are profiled with compelling behind-the-scene creation stories of items like Operation, Simon, Rock'em Sock'em Robots, Mouse Trap, Lite-Brite, the Blythe doll, Yakity Yak Teeth, Whoops (fake vomit), the Pie Face game, Evel Knievel Stunt Cycle and many more!
Download or read book Ray Arcel written by Donald Dewey and published by McFarland. This book was released on 2014-01-10 with total page 221 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Without Ray Arcel (1899-1994), the 20th century world of boxing would have been markedly different. The credibility of it as a sport would have been greatly lessened. Arcel's prominence is all the more interesting because he made his mark not as a fighter, promoter, or manager, but as a trainer. From Benny Leonard to Roberto Duran and Larry Holmes, Arcel stood in the corner for champions of every weight division that existed in his lifetime, a record that remains unequalled. This biography chronicles Arcel's life inside the ring--and outside, where he was a highly secretive man who maintained relationships with some of the chief mob figures of his day. Through a wealth of information from Arcel's unpublished memoir, this work offers an extraordinary portrait of one of boxing's most influential and enigmatic figures.
Download or read book Jersey Joe Walcott written by James Curl and published by McFarland. This book was released on 2014-01-10 with total page 241 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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.
Download or read book Toy Bulldog written by John Jarrett and published by McFarland. This book was released on 2013-05-28 with total page 247 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This is a cradle-to-grave biography of Mickey Walker, former welterweight (1922-1926) and middleweight champion (1926-1931) of the world, one of the greatest fighters in ring history. He fought at a time when boxing was a major sport with only eight championships, and he held two of them over a nine-year period. He fought at a time when each weight division was jammed with good fighters, and he fought them all from welterweight up to heavyweight, frequently being outweighed 20 to 30 pounds. Walker was also a great personality who loved life and lived it to the fullest. He was married seven times to four different women, and he cavorted with movie stars and mobsters. When his boxing career ended in 1935, Walker ran saloons in various locations and eventually became an artist of some standing. He died in 1981 at age 79.
