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The Fearless Harry Greb
Biography of a Tragic Hero of Boxing
by Bill Paxton
Book Description
The legendary Harry Greb stepped into the ring over 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 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 over 120 rare photographs, as well as a complete fight
record and round-by-round descriptions of his most famous
fights.
About the Author
Bill Paxton
is a toy and game inventor in Chicago. He operates the Harry
Greb Web site at
www.harrygreb.com.
Purchase Price: $39.95
softcover (7 x 10) 2008
Ca.
125 photos, notes, bibliography, index; ISBN
978-0-7864-4016-0
The book is available at McFarland Publishing, Box 611,
Jefferson, NC 28640-0611. Tel: (800) 253-2187. Email:
info@mcfarlandpub.com *
www.mcfarlandpub.com
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The Arc of Boxing:
The Rise and Decline of the
Sweet Science
by Mike Silver
Book Description:
Are contemporary superstars such as Roy Jones, Jr., Bernard
Hopkins, Oscar De La Hoya, Floyd Mayweather, Jr., Manny
Pacquiao, Mike Tyson, and Lennox Lewis better, or worse, than
their counterparts of decades past? What environmental
circumstances have affected the training, experience, boxing
techniques and behavior of professional fighters over the
past 100 years? Why have some eras produced a cornucopia of
boxing talent, while others have not? This enlightening and
authoritative book was written to answer these questions. It
is chock full of new information and wise insights as regards
the classic “old school” vs. “new school” boxing debate. Mike
Silver offers compelling evidence of the deterioration of
boxers’ skills and ring generalship over the past 30 years.
He explains how and why today’s world champions and
contenders are not on the same level as those who came of age
during the sport’s Golden Era of talent and activity—which he
defines as the 1920’s to the 1950’s. To bolster his thesis he
enlists the expertise of a stellar collection of boxing
cognoscenti, including three of the world’s top trainers:
Teddy Atlas, Freddie Roach and Emanuel Steward. Over a dozen
other experts (some of whom have personally witnessed the
greatest fighters of the past 70 years) offer their sage
observations. Among the topics covered are lost techniques
and strategies, comparison and analysis of the strengths and
weaknesses of top fighters from different decades, new vs.
old training methods, steroid use, weight lifting, and the
psychology of the modern day prizefighter. Whether you agree
or disagree with the author’s conclusions, he is certain that
after reading this book you will never look at another boxing
match in the same way again.
About the author:
Mike Silver has spent the past
40 years interviewing boxing people, gathering information,
and gaining insights into this seemingly simple but in
reality very complex sport. His many articles on boxing have
appeared in The New York Times, The Ring Magazine, Boxing
Monthly and various boxing web sites. He is a former promoter
and Inspector with the New York State Athletic Commission,
and has served as historical consultant and commentator for
18 documentaries on boxing produced by PBS, HBO, ESPN, A & E,
MSG and the History Channel. In 2004-2005 he curated the
critically acclaimed exhibit “Sting Like A Maccabee: The
Golden Age of the American Jewish Boxer” at the National
Museum of American Jewish History (A Smithsonian affiliate).
Mike also served as Historian for the New York Veteran
Boxers’ Asociation (Ring # 8), and is a long standing member
of the International Boxing Research Organization (IBRO).
Purchase Price: $55.00 hardcover (7 x 10)
ISBN 978-0-7864-3849-5 Ca. 50 photos, notes, index 2008
The book is available at McFarland Publishing, Box 611,
Jefferson, NC 28640-0611. Tel: (800) 253-2187. Email:
info@mcfarlandpub.com *
www.mcfarlandpub.com
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