Ray Arcel

Ray Arcel PDF

Author: Donald Dewey

Publisher: McFarland

Published: 2014-01-10

Total Pages: 221

ISBN-13: 078649087X

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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 Through a wealth of information from Arcel's unpublished memoir, this work offers an extraordinary portrait of one of boxing's most influential and enigmatic figures.

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

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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.

Straight Writes and Jabs

Straight Writes and Jabs PDF

Author: Thomas Hauser

Publisher: University of Arkansas Press

Published: 2013-09-01

Total Pages: 231

ISBN-13: 1557286442

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Another in Hauser's annual collections of articles on boxing, bringing readers into the dressing room with elite champions in the moments before some of 2012's biggest fights, exploring the use of performance-enhancing drugs, and looking back in time at the incomparable Archie Moore.

Bummy Davis vs. Murder, Inc.

Bummy Davis vs. Murder, Inc. PDF

Author: Ron Ross

Publisher: Macmillan

Published: 2007-04-01

Total Pages: 436

ISBN-13: 1429979992

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A tough kid with a heart of gold, Al "Bummy" Davis grew up in the streets of Brownsville, New York on the fringes of the Jewish mob during the 20's and 30's-thanks to his older brother, a feared racketeer. But as much as he resisted the underworld of Murder, Inc. by becoming a championship fighter and a Brownsville hero, he never did escape the Jewish Mob's shadow. Though he repeatedly stood up to mob kingpins, Bummy suffered a spectacular fall from grace as a result of a smear campaign by the press. Ron Ross' Bummy Davis vs. Murder, Inc. is not just about one Jewish boxer, his meteoric rise to fame, and victimization by the press. Bummy's life was intertwined with the Great Depression, the survival of the Brooklyn Jewish immigrant population during Prohibition, and the inevitable offshoot of Prohibition-Murder Inc., one of American history's most notorious band of killers. Ron Ross portrays an important historical time period, an enigmatic Jewish subculture, and the surprising juxtaposition of a generation of Jews and their talent for boxing. Bummy Davis vs. Murder, Inc. features a cast of colorful villains whom you'll love to hate, a boxing legend who was the unwitting pawn of fate, and the human drama of the boxing world. With his vivid, street-smart Damon Runyonesque writing style, Ron Ross redeems a tragic hero who fought the pull of one of the most brutal groups of killers to grace the twentieth century.

Combat Sports

Combat Sports PDF

Author: David L. Hudson Jr.

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA

Published: 2009-05-13

Total Pages: 408

ISBN-13: 0313343845

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Fistic combat represents the greatest human drama in all of sport. Roman gladiators thrilled citizens and emperors alike when they entered the octagon to face an intense, life-threatening experience. Boxing, the sport of kings, also has its roots in the ancient civilizations of Greece and Rome. Banned in 500 A.D. by the Emperor Theodoric, it resurfaced twelve centuries later in England. John Milton praised it as a noble art for building character in young men, and sports writer A.J. Leibling dubbed it the Sweet Science. Many of its major protagonists - men such as Joe Louis, Rocky Marciano and Muhammad Ali - have become transcendent, near-mythic heroes. But boxing is not the only combat sport, and mixed martial arts, in all their ferocious beauty, represent the fastest growing sports genre in the world. Ultimate Fighting Championships (UFC) has joined boxing in paying seven figures to some of its champions, and draws millions in its pay-per-view events. This book details leading figures in boxing, sumo wrestling, kickboxing, Greco-Roman wrestling, and mixed martial arts (including organizations such as Ultimate Fighting, PRIDE, K-1, Total Combat, and SportFighting). Over 150 entries cover champions, contenders, and other famous combatants from all over the world, as well as legendary promoters, managers, trainers, and events. Also included in this encyclopedia are sidebars on controversies, highlights, brief bios, and other noteworthy events, along with a general timeline. .

The Night the Referee Hit Back

The Night the Referee Hit Back PDF

Author: Mike Silver

Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield

Published: 2020-06-10

Total Pages: 273

ISBN-13: 1538136910

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This collection of award-winning boxing journalist Mike Silver’s best articles from the past 40 years features a colorful mix of hard-hitting exposes and light-hearted stories that include legendary boxers such as Sugar Ray Robinson, Rocky Marciano, Muhammad Ali, Oscar De La Hoya, and more. The boxing world has witnessed some spectacular and iconic moments, from the “Thrilla in Manila” to the last encounter between Sugar Ray Robinson and Jake LaMotta. In The Night the Referee Hit Back: Memorable Moments from the World of Boxing, award-winning boxing journalist Mike Silver looks back at some of boxing’s most legendary fights, talks with Hall of Famers Archie Moore, Carlos Ortiz, Emile Griffith and Curtis Cokes, and analyzes the changes that have taken place in boxing since the Golden Age. This collection, drawn from the author’s best articles from the past 40 years, are a colorful mix of hard-hitting exposes, interviews, and light-hearted stories featuring boxers such as Floyd Mayweather Jr., Joe Frazier, Oscar De La Hoya, and Muhammad Ali. Mike Silver captures the essence, charisma, tragedy, and romance of boxing like no one else. Featuring numerous historical and iconic photographs, The Night the Referee Hit Back is a fascinating and valuable collection for boxing fans and sports historians alike.

Jewish Sports Legends

Jewish Sports Legends PDF

Author: Joseph Siegman

Publisher: University of Nebraska Press

Published: 2020-08-01

Total Pages: 353

ISBN-13: 1496222121

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Following the 1972 Olympics one sportswriter referred to Mark Spitz, winner of seven gold medals, as “the first great Jewish athlete.” He couldn’t have been more wrong. As Jewish Sports Legends shows, Jews have excelled at athletics for centuries. This engaging volume illuminates the lives and unforgettable accomplishments of Jews in virtually every major sport played worldwide. Baseball stars Sandy Koufax and Hank Greenberg, basketball’s Red Auerbach and Dolph Schayes, and football’s Sid Luckman and Marv Levy are only a few notable examples. With photographs accompanying almost every sports personality, this fifth edition introduces some famous and some not-so-famous Jewish sports greats throughout history. More than eighty new entries have been added to the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame since 2005, among them Lyle Alzado, Max Baer, Ira Berkow, Kenny Bernstein, Sasha Cohen, Shawn Green, Donna Geils Orender, Aly Raisman, and Bud Selig. While most of those profiled are professional sport champions and Olympic gold medalists, the book also features great coaches, officials, journalists, and other significant contributors in every major sport.

Hands of Stone

Hands of Stone PDF

Author: Christian Giudice

Publisher: Milo Books Ltd

Published: 2016-04-06

Total Pages: 280

ISBN-13:

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ROBERTO DURAN is a sporting legend. Often called the greatest boxer of all time, he held world titles at four different weights and is the only professional in history to have fought in five different decades. His bouts with fellow greats like Sugar Ray Leonard, Thomas Hearns and Marvin Hagler have gone down in fistic folklore and his pro record of 104 wins, 69 by KO, in 120 fights puts him in an elite group of fighters. They called him Manos de Piedra: “Hands of Stone”. American journalist Christian Guidice has written the first – and definitive – story of Duran’s extraordinary life both in and out of the ring. He has interviewed the fighter himself, his family and closest friends and scores of his opponents to separate truth from myth and get to the heart of one of the most intriguing sports stars of modern times. Duran was born in utter poverty in the Panama Canal Zone, the illegitimate son of a serving US soldier and a local girl. He grew up in the streets, fighting to survive. His talent with his fists was soon apparent, and on one fabled occasion he even knocked down a horse with a single punch for a bet. He grew into a fighter’s fighter, and his willingness to take on anyone, anywhere, anytime and never take a step back made him a huge favorite. From his wild early bouts to his stunning boxing debut in New York, Giudice traces the blazing trail of his career: the controversial title win over Scot Ken Buchanan; his unification of the lightweight crown against great rival Esteban DeJesus; his glorious defeat of Ray Leonard and the subsequent debacle of the No Más encounter; his ferocious comeback and redemption, and the long, eventful twilight of his matchless career. Here also are both the public and private sides of Duran: his volatility, his kindness and reckless generosity, his partying, his links with the notorious regime of General Noriega, and above all his chilling love of battle.

At the Fights: American Writers on Boxing

At the Fights: American Writers on Boxing PDF

Author: Various

Publisher: Library of America

Published: 2012-08-30

Total Pages: 756

ISBN-13: 1598532022

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A collection of essays by James Baldwin, Norman Mailer, and other beloved American writers on the primal contest in the boxing ring—and the crazy carnival world outside it From neighborhood gyms and smoke-filled arenas to star-studded casinos and exotic locales, American writers have chronicled unforgettable stories about determination and dissipation, about great champions and punch-drunk has-beens, about colorful entourages and outrageous promoters, and, inevitably along the way, about race, class, and violence in America. Like baseball, boxing has a vivid culture and language all its own, one that has proven irresistible to career journalists and literary writers alike. The Library of America presents a gritty and glittering anthology of a century of the very best writing and reportage about the fights. Here is Jack London on the immortal Jack Johnson; H. L. Mencken and Irvin S. Cobb on Jack Dempsey vs. Georges Carpentier, dubbed “The Fight of the Century”; Richard Wright on Joe Louis’s historic victory over Max Schmeling; A. J. Liebling’s brilliantly comic portrait of a manager who really identifies with his fighter; Jimmy Cannon on the inimitable Archie Moore; James Baldwin and Gay Talese on the haunted Floyd Patterson; George Plimpton on Muhammad Ali and Malcolm X; Norman Mailer on the “Rumble in the Jungle”; Mark Kram on the “Thrilla in Manila”; Pete Hamill on legendary trainer and manager Cus D’Amato; Mark Kriegel on Oscar de la Hoya; and David Remnick and Joyce Carol Oates on Mike Tyson. National Book Award-winning novelist Colum McCann (Let the Great World Spin) weighs in with a foreword.