"The fight game in the raw great contests and some really hard men. What a life!" Roy ShawPrize-fighting was one of the greatest sporting attractions in the 18th and 19th centuries. Prize-fights attracted thousands of spectators from all walks of life and, nothwithstanding its illegality, was patronised by royalty and the aristocracy. The area outside London around Barnet, Whetstone, Finchley and up into Hertfordshire was one on the most popular for staging fights. Featured in ...

This book explores tools and techniques for creating the arts with groups. It provides insights into why workshops are such an effective and relevant form of creative practice. Throughout, two experienced practitioners share successful principles and qualities. They also include examples of workshops that explore ways of facilitating creative exploration.The authors believe that underpinning any good workshop practice is an understanding of what constitutes a workshop. This is a pr...

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is a guide to the most effective and devastating techniques in popular martial arts by World Champion and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu legend Alexandre Paiva.The book contains over 1,000 full-color photographs demonstrating the moves that made the author the most feared competitor in BJJ circles and now one of the most sought-after instructors. Jiu-Jitsu or Jujutsu came into prominence in the early 90's when jiu-jitsu expert Royce Gracie won the...

"A dazzling portrait. . . . Written with energy, daring, and artful intelligence." --San Francisco Chronicle

In 2015, FIFA-the multibillion dollar governing body of the world's most-loved sport-was brought down by allegations of industrial-scale bribes, kickbacks, money laundering, racketeering and tax evasion. Beginning with early morning raids in Zurich and the indictment of twenty-seven executives by the US Department of Justice, the rottenness at the core of FIFA seemed to extend throughout all of soccer, from the decision to send the 2018 and 2022 World Cups to Russia and Qatar to lesser kno...

"Al Bernstein has seen cable television sports grow up. In 30 Years/30 Undeniable Truths he looks at his time in the industry through a prism that is unique to him. This book gives the reader an insight into the sometimes absurd world of television sports. There is a 31st undeniable truth: Al Bernstein is a truly funny man.--Barry Tompkins, Sportscaster for HBO, ESPN, FOX and SHOWTIMEAl Bernstein came into boxing during one of its greatest erasthe 1980s. Boxing was like a f...

Among the legendary athletes of the 1920s, the unquestioned halcyon days of sports, stands Gene Tunney, the boxer who upset Jack Dempsey in spectacular fashion, notched a 77—1 record as a prizefighter, and later avenged his sole setback (to a fearless and highly unorthodox fighter named Harry Greb). Yet within a few years of retiring from the ring, Tunney willingly receded into the background, renouncing the image of jock celebrity that became the stock in trade of so many of his contempor...

"It didn't occur to me until fairly late in the work that I was writing a book about the beginnings of a national celebrity culture. By 1860, a few boxers had become heroes to working-class men, and big fights drew considerable newspaper coverage, most of it quite negative since the whole enterprise was illegal. But a generation later, toward the end of the century, the great John L. Sullivan of Boston had become the nation's first true sports celebrity, an American icon. The likes of poet...

Bouts of Mania describes the glorious era when Muhammad Ali, Joe Frazier, and George Foreman fought each other in every possible combination, on nearly every possible continent. In their most memorable bouts from 1971 to 1975, the three men created athletic set pieces that continue to resonate: the Fight of the Century, Down Goes Frazier!, the Rumble in the Jungle, and the Thrilla in Manila. Their fights for the heavyweight belt (when that title still meant something) made for a r...

A luminous account of the most compelling and climactic phase of boxing's long history.For three decades at the end of the twentieth century – throughout boxing's most engrossing era – James Lawton was ringside, covering every significant bout, spending time with the likes of Muhammad Ali, Sugar Ray Leonard, Marvelous Marvin Hagler, Tommy Hitman Hearns, Roberto Duran, Mike Tyson, Lennox Lewis, Evander Holyfield and many other great fighters.Lawton found him...

In Sydney, Australia, in 1908 the talented black fighter Jack Johnson won the heavyweight championship of the world from the Canadian Tommy Burns. There was an immediate storm of protest. It was predicted that his reign would lead to civic unrest and race riots. This is the story of sport, racism, corruption and larger-than-life characters.

Ireland's amateur boxing story is one of blood, sweat and tears – and not just in the ring.Ireland is one of the world's leading nations in the sport. This is the inside story of a great tradition – a story of physical prowess, gritty determination, devastating defeats, sheer bad luck, infamous 'he was robbed' judging decisions, and the ultimate goal of Olympic glory.The boxers' lives play out against a backdrop of the economic woes of the 1950s, the Northe...