Books for the Fight Fan in Your Life

On August 29, 1885, Cincinnati was the scene for the first modern heavyweight championship boxing match using gloves. The Boston Strong Boy, John L. Sullivan, met Dominick McCaffrey at the city's Chester Park that day and came away with the referee's decision. By this time, Cincinnati had been a noted boxing site since the Civil War years, and over the next several decades, it developed a remarkable number of fine boxers in both the professional and amateur ranks. Out of the many gymnasiums in Over-the-Rhine and the West End came world champions such as Freddie Miller, Ezzard Charles, Bud Smith, and Aaron Pryor. This book is the story of a fascinating aspect of Cincinnati's great sports heritage--the boxing game--with all its leather-punching drama. From the frontierlike matches of the 19th-century river town to the urban ethnic and social influences of the 20th and 21st centuries, Cincinnati Boxing brings a rich part of local history to life.

Boxing began in Cleveland in the 1880s. As pugilism was an illegal activity, brawling workers from the iron ore docks surreptitiously met on "Whiskey Island" to settle disputes. They would be followed by crowds of spectators who cheered them on and often ended up fleeing from the sheriff. Boxing grew in popularity and soon became a legitimate sport that brought packed houses to such local venues as Cleveland Municipal Stadium, the Cleveland Arena, and the Public Auditorium. Thousands of fans from across the country would come to Cleveland to attend the marquee bouts of many of the city and the nation's most celebrated fighters.

Cleveland's Greatest Fighters of All Time follows the amazing careers of the city's most popular and successful boxers, highlighted by more than 100 rarely-seen images. From the speedy and resilient Johnny Kilbane, Cleveland's first great champion, to the heroic Jimmy Bivins, a true champion in and out of the ring, these stories of triumph and heartbreak are to be enjoyed by boxing fans of all eras. Much of the action inside is described in such a way as to bring the reader ringside.