Contents
Introduction by Hugh McIlvanney
1. Tom Cribb v. Tom Molineaux: The First International Championship Fight
2. Charles Freeman: The Primo Carnera of the Nineteenth Century v. The Tipton Slasher
3. When Boxing Was a Jewish Sport
5. Confessions of an Ex-Fight Manager
6. Joe Louis and Social History
7. Archie Moore: All-Time Senior Citizen Champ
II. THE CHAMPION OF COMMUNICATIONS
9. Arturo Gatti: The Manly Art of No Defence
10. Oscar De La Hoya: The Two-Hundred-Million-Dollar Man
II. THE GUESSING GAME: DE LA HOYA–WHITAKER
III. THE OSCAR EXPRESS ROLLS ON
IV. THE WELTERS ARE COMING! THE WELTERS ARE COMING!
V. DE LA HOYA–TRINIDAD: A TALE OF TWO CHAMPIONS
VI. MOSLEY–DE LA HOYA: MY HOME TOWN
VII. MOSLEY–DE LA HOYA, ACT II
VIII. THE REAL MAIN EVENT: ARUM V. KING
11. Lennox Lewis: The Reluctant Dragon
I. LEWIS–GOLOTA: THE BIGGER THEY ARE . . .
II. THE EMPEROR HAS NO CLOTHES
III. LENNOX LEWIS: A WANT OF PASSION
12.Roy Jones, Jr: The Pensacola Pinwheel
II. JONES V. GRIFFIN: PRETTY BOY LOSES UGLY
IV. A FOR ABILITY, B FOR BORED
V. MOVE OVER, RUBY BOB – HERE COMES ROY JONES!
13.Evander Holyfield: From the Real Deal to the Sad Deal
I. HOLYFIELD–BOWE: ACT III (THE RUBBER MATCH)
II. RE-ENTER EVANDER: A BIG NIGHT FOR HIM AND him
III. EVANDER THE HOLY: THE ONCE AND FUTURE UNDISPUTED KING
IV. EVANDER’S HOMECOMING AND GOING
14. Mike Tyson: From Wonderboy to Has-Been
III. REQUIEM FOR A HEAVYWEIGHT
IV. LEWIS TAKES TYSON TO FINISHING SCHOOL
15. The Little Prince: Good Hit, No Field
16.The Night of the Undisputed
17. The ‘Heavyweight Championship of the World’ – or, Four for the Price of One
18. Ricky Hatton and Kostya Tszyu: The British Are Coming!
19. Requiem for a Middleweight
I. TRINIDAD V. MAYORGA: BRAIN V. BRAWN
II. WINKY WRIGHT V. FELIX TRINIDAD: THE KING IS DEAD! LONG LIVE THE KING!
21. No. 1 Pound-for-Pound: Pretty Boy Floyd Mayweather, Jr
22. Weightgate, and on to World War III: Diego Corrales v. Jose Luis Castillo II