The Boxing Kings: When American Heavyweights Ruled the Ring

Description

For much of the twentieth century, boxing was once one of The usa’s most well liked sports, and the heavyweight champions were figures known to all. Their exploits were reported continuously in the newspapers—steadily outdoor the sports pages—and their fame and wealth dwarfed those of other athletes. Long after their heyday, these icons continue to be synonymous with the “sweet science.”

In The Boxing Kings: When American Heavyweights Ruled the Ring, Paul Beston profiles these larger-than-life men who held a central place in American culture. A few of the figures covered are John L. Sullivan, who made the heavyweight championship a commercial property; Jack Johnson, who became the first black man to claim the title; Jack Dempsey, a sporting symbol of the Roaring Twenties; Joe Louis, whose contributions to racial tolerance and social progress transcended even his greatness in the ring; Rocky Marciano, who became an embodiment of the American Dream; Muhammad Ali, who took on the U.S. government and revolutionized professional sports with his showmanship; and Mike Tyson, a hard-punching dynamo who typified the modern celebrity.

This gallery of incorrect but sympathetic men also includes comics, dandies, bookworms, divas, ex-cons, workingmen, and even a tough-guy-turned-preacher. As the heavyweight title passed from one claimant to another, their stories opened a window into the larger history of the US. Boxing fans, sports historians, and those interested in U.S. race relations as it intersects with sports will find this book a captivating exploration into how engrained boxing once was once in The usa’s social and cultural fabric.