Boxing in Philadelphia

Boxing in Philadelphia PDF

Author: Gabe Oppenheim

Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield

Published: 2014-10-16

Total Pages: 251

ISBN-13: 1442236469

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

Philadelphia was essentially the birthplace of boxing in America, the city where matches first took shape in the back of bars. Jack Johnson, the first black heavyweight champ, fought more times in Philly than any other city besides his hometown; Sugar Ray Robinson, perhaps the best boxer ever, fought under his first promotional contract in Philadelphia, appearing there twenty times; and Joe Louis, one of the greatest heavyweights of all time, was trained by a Philadelphia fighter. In Boxing in Philadelphia,Gabe Oppenheim examines the rise and fall of boxing in Philadelphia, and how it often mirrored the city’s own narrative arc. Originating from the tales told to Oppenheim by a retired Philadelphia trainer, this history of boxing is drawn from personal interviews with current and former fighters and managers, from attending the fights in local arenas, and from watching the boxers train in their gyms. In this book, Oppenheim opens a window into the lives of such fighters as Jimmy Young, Meldrick “The Kid” Taylor, Teon Kennedy, and Mike Jones, telling with remarkable detail their struggles, triumphs, and defeats. Throughout, Oppenheim weaves together cultural history, urban studies, and biographical sketches of past boxers to create this comprehensive account of Philadelphia and its fighters. Featuring an array of photographs and exclusive interviews, this book captures the unique history of Philadelphia boxing. It will interest boxing fans, those who enjoy sports and cultural histories, and of course, native Philadelphians who want to discover more about their city and their fighters.

Thirty Dollars and a Cut Eye

Thirty Dollars and a Cut Eye PDF

Author: J Russell Peltz

Publisher: Benniebriscoe

Published: 2021-09-15

Total Pages: 442

ISBN-13: 9781737569602

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

Boxing promoter J Russell Peltz fell in love with boxing when he was 12, saw his first live fight at 14, and was hooked for life. He was named Outstanding Male Journalism Graduate, Temple University, 1968, but after a short career on the sports copy desk of the Evening and Sunday Bulletin in Philadelphia, he became a boxing promoter when he couldn't land the boxing beat at the newspaper. In his more-than-half century in boxing, Peltz has promoted fights at every major venue in Philadelphia as well as most of the casinos in Atlantic City. His fights have been televised by ABC, CBS, NBC, HBO, Showtime, ESPN, USA and SportsChannel. He has promoted or co-promoted more than 30 world championship fights and his business has taken him around the world, from Beijing to Buenos Aires and from Paris to Tokyo. Peltz was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2004, the Temple University School of Communications and Theatre Hall of Fame in 2010, and the Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame in 2020.

Philadelphia's Boxing Heritage 1876-1976

Philadelphia's Boxing Heritage 1876-1976 PDF

Author: Tracy Callis

Publisher: Arcadia Publishing

Published: 2002

Total Pages: 132

ISBN-13: 9780738511344

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

Philadelphia has long been called the number one fight town in the world. The relentless fighting style of its boxers has thrilled fans over the years. Twenty-seven champions have come from the city over the course of more than a century. Philadelphia's Boxing Heritage: 1876-1976 retraces the legacy of determined battlers such as Joe Frazier, Benny Bass, Gil Turner, Bob Montgomery, and Bennie Briscoe. Philadelphia has also produced legions of highly skilled craftsmen such as Tommy Loughran, Jack O'Brien, Midget Wolgast, Harold Johnson, and Joey Giardello. In 1926, the Gene Tunney-Jack Dempsy heavyweight championship bout was witnessed by more than one hundred thousand fans. In 1956, Rocky Marciano brought his guns to town and won the heavyweight title from Jersey Joe Walcott. In 1971, Philadelphia-trained Joe Frazier won the "Fight of the Century" from Muhammad Ali at Madison Square Garden in New York. Philadelphia's Boxing Heritage: 1876-1976 showcases these legends and retraces their championship bouts through more than two hundred dazzling photographs.

Smokin' Joe

Smokin' Joe PDF

Author: Mark Kram

Publisher: HarperCollins

Published: 2019-06-04

Total Pages: 425

ISBN-13: 0062654489

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

A gripping, all-access biography of Joe Frazier, whose rivalry with Muhammad Ali riveted boxing fans and whose legacy as a figure in American sports and society endures History will remember the rivalry of Joe Frazier and Muhammad Ali as one for the ages, a trilogy of extraordinary fights that transcended the world of sports and crossed into a sociocultural drama that divided the country. Joe Frazier was a much more complex figure than just his rivalry with Ali would suggest. In this riveting and nuanced portrayal, acclaimed sports writer Mark Kram, Jr. unlinks Frazier from Ali and for the first time gives a full-bodied accounting of Frazier’s life, a journey that began as the youngest of thirteen children packed in small farm house, encountering the bigotry and oppression of the Jim Crow South, and continued with his voyage north at age fifteen to develop as a fighter in Philadelphia. Tracing Frazier’s life through his momentous bouts with the likes of Ali and George Foreman and the developing perception of him as the anti-Ali in the eyes of blue-collar America, Kram follows the boxer through his retirement in 1981, exploring his relationship with his son, the would-be heavyweight Marvis, and his fragmented home life as well as the uneasy place that Ali continued to occupy in his thoughts. A propulsive and richly textured narrative that is also a powerful story about race and class in America, Smokin' Joe is unparalleled in its scope, depth, and access and promises to be the definitive biography of a towering American figure whose life was galvanized by conflict and whose mark has proven lasting.

Boxing in Atlantic City

Boxing in Atlantic City PDF

Author: John DiSanto and Matthew H. Ward

Publisher: Arcadia Publishing

Published: 2021-11

Total Pages: 128

ISBN-13: 1467107077

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

During the early years of Atlantic City (AC) boxing, the fight game was bustling. An array of ring talent, from club fighters to champions, came to the shore to compete at thriving venues like the Northside's Waltz Dream Arena and Convention Hall on the boardwalk. Although ring action was plentiful, the biggest fights were still happening elsewhere, and boxing was just one of many entertainment options in AC. However, everything changed once gambling came to town. As casinos popped up along the boardwalk, Atlantic City fights got bigger and bigger. By the late 1970s, boxing was on the rise, and within a few years, business was booming. Heavyweight champion Mike Tyson ushered in the city's peak era in the late 1980s, a time when more than just fight fans turned their attention to Atlantic City for some of the biggest sporting events ever. Although AC never again topped the impact of those days, boxing action at the shore remained vital for decades to come.

Philadelphia Fighters

Philadelphia Fighters PDF

Author: Lew Freedman

Publisher: Camino Books

Published: 2015

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9781933822655

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

The 1970s and early 1980s were truly a golden era of boxing in Philadelphia. Fighters from the city and the surrounding area were remarkably well represented in the world ratings. The fists and personalities of legends like Smokin' Joe Frazier and Randy "Tex" Cobb brought an atmosphere of genuine excitement to Philadelphia fans. It was a grand time for the sport of boxing overall and especially for the City of Brotherly Love. This book tells the story of that golden era. Larry Holmes of Easton, Pennsylvania, ruled the heavyweight ranks. South Philadelphia's Jeff Chandler was about to become the bantamweight champion. And there was a tough, wily group of middleweight contenders-from Bennie Briscoe to Cyclone Hart to Bobby Watts to Willie Monroe and Curtis Parker-all of them Philadel-phians. Then Frank Fletcher came along. Matthew Saad Muhammad, a man whose matches always seemed to carry the dramatic punch of a Eugene O'Neill play, owned a piece of the light-heavyweight crown. So did New Jersey's Mike Rossman. Then Michael Spinks, the Olympic gold medalist from St. Louis, won a piece of the title and practically became a fixture at the casinos in Atlantic City. Dwight Braxton - soon to be Dwight Muhammad Qawi-rose up from South Jersey and captured the light-heavyweight prize. These men may have been the greatest group of light-heavyweights to battle at the same time. Although the gyms all remained in Philadelphia, boxers, trainers, managers and legendary promoters like J. Russell Peltz made the 60-mile trek to Atlantic City during the '70s and early '80s. More than 30 years have gone by, and picking up the story of many of the fighters of that era became a special part of this book. But sadnesses were revealed as well. Some fighters had passed away, and others had fallen on hard times. Yet many of the old contenders and champions have gone on with life, and they still savor their glory years. Book jacket.

Fighting Is Like a Wife

Fighting Is Like a Wife PDF

Author: Eloisa Amezcua

Publisher: Coffee House Press

Published: 2022-04-12

Total Pages: 99

ISBN-13: 1566896428

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

In Fighting is Like a Wife, Eloisa Amezcua uses striking visual poems to reconstruct the love story—and the tragedy—of two-time world boxing champion “Schoolboy” Bobby Chacon and his first wife, Valorie Ginn. Bobby took to fighBobby took to fighting the way a surfer takes to water: the waves and crests, the highs and the pummeling lows. Valorie, as girlfriend, then wife, then mother of their children, was proud of Bobby and how he found a way out of the harsh world they were born into. But the brain-sloshing blows, the women, and the alcohol began to take their toll, and soon Bobby couldn’t hear her anymore. With her fate affixed to Bobby’s, and Bobby’s to the ring, Valorie sought her own way out of this dilemma. Using haunting, visceral language to evoke the emotion of the fight, and incorporating direct quotations from sports commentators and Bobby himself, Fighting Is Like a Wife reveals how boxing, like love and poetry, can be brutal, vulnerable, and surprising.

Boxing in the Los Angeles Area, 1880-2005

Boxing in the Los Angeles Area, 1880-2005 PDF

Author: Tracy Callis

Publisher: Trafford Publishing

Published: 2009

Total Pages: 170

ISBN-13: 1426916884

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

Los Angeles has been regarded as one of the greatest boxing cities in the world for more than a century. With a large fan base, Los Angeles has also been the home of many of the best and most exciting boxers. In Boxing in the Los Angeles Area, authors Tracy Callis and Chuck Johnston provide an overview of one of the greatest pugilistic hotbeds in the world from 1880 to 2005. This comprehensive history covers the top boxers of the area who became famous both locally and worldwide such as Jim Jeffries, Solomon "Solly" Smith, "Mexican" Joe Rivers, Armando Muniz, Oscar De La Hoya, and "Sugar" Shane Mosley. Boxing in the Los Angeles Area also reviews some of the areas most notable bouts such as Tommy Burns winning the heavyweight title from Marvin Hart in 1906, Shane Mosley winning the welterweight title from Oscar De La Hoya in 2000, and Ad Wolgast retaining the lightweight title in a bout with "Mexican" Joe Rivers in 1912. Written by boxing historians and members of the International Boxing Research Organization, Boxing in the Los Angeles Area includes many photos while providing a thorough history of the boxing world in one of the greatest boxing cities.

Stars in the Ring: Jewish Champions in the Golden Age of Boxing

Stars in the Ring: Jewish Champions in the Golden Age of Boxing PDF

Author: Mike Silver

Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield

Published: 2016-03-04

Total Pages: 383

ISBN-13: 1630761400

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

For more than sixty years—from the 1890s to the 1950s—boxing was an integral part of American popular culture and a major spectator sport rivaling baseball in popularity. More Jewish athletes have competed as boxers than all other professional sports combined; in the period from 1901 to 1939, 29 Jewish boxers were recognized as world champions and more than 160 Jewish boxers ranked among the top contenders in their respective weight divisions. Stars in the Ring,by renowned boxing historian Mike Silver, presents this vibrant social history in the first illustrated encyclopedic compendium of its kind.