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Philadelphia's Boxing Heritage
1876 - 1976
By Tracy Callis, Chuck Hasson and Mike DeLisa.



Philadelphia has long been called the number one fight town in the world. The relentless fighting style of its boxers has thrilled fans over the years. Twenty-seven champions have come from the city over the course of more than a century.

Philadelphia’s Boxing Heritage: 1876-1976 retraces the legacy of determined battlers such as Joe Frazier, Benny Bass, Gil Turner, Bob Montgomery, and Bennie Briscoe. Philadelphia has also produced legions of highly skilled craftsmen such as Tommy Loughran, Jack O’Brien, Midget Wolgast, Harold Johnson, and Joey Giardello. In 1926, the Gene Tunney-Jack Dempsey heavyweight championship bout was witnessed by more than one hundred fans. In 1952, Rocky Marciano brought his guns to town and won the heavyweight title from Jersey Joe Walcott. In 1971, Philadelphia-trained Joe Frazier won the "Fight of the Century" from Muhammad Ali at Madison Square Garden in New York. Philadelphia's Boxing Heritage: 1876-1976 showcases these legends and retraces their championship bouts through more than two hundred dazzling photographs.

Tracy Callis, Chuck Hasson and Mike DeLisa - boxing historians and members of the International Boxing Research Organization - provide boxing information to fans on the Internet at the Cyber Boxing Zone. DeLisa is founder of Web site, and Callis is director of historical research. Hasson is keeper of the Pennsylvania’s boxing history archive. Both Callis and Hasson are electors to the International Boxing Hall of Fame.
Boston's Boxing Heritage
Prizefighting from 1882 - 1955
By Kevin Smith.




Boston's Boxing Heritage: Prizefighting from 1882-1955 chronicles the rich history of prizefighting in Boston and the many characters that made "The Hub City" the home of champions. It is not only a pictorial history of the sport in Boston, but a tale of heroes and villains, of gangsters and mobsters, contenders and bums, trainers and newspapermen, straight-men and cheats. It is a saga of ethnicity and race, of color barriers broken and neighborhood rivalries settled and re-kindled. But at its core this story is truly about a city and its relationship with a sport. The Prizefighters of Boston covers the early bare-knuckle years of boxing through the sport's Post World War II boom.

When Boston's John L. Sullivan won the Heavyweight crown from Paddy Ryan in 1882 he took prizefighting from an illegal, red light district pastime to the country's most popular sport and in essence put "Beantown" on the sporting map. For the next 60 years Boston would remain one of the elite cities in the boxing world spawning ring immortals such as George "Little Chocolate" Dixon, Joe "The Barbados Demon" Wolcott, William "Honey" Mellody, Rocky Marciano, Jack Sharkey "The Boston Gob" and Sam "The Boston Tar Baby" Langford.

Kevin Smith, a boxing historian, editor and researcher for the Cyber Boxing Zone, member of the International Boxing Research Organization and the Founder of the Historical Society for Black Prizefighters brings us the fascinating story of Boston's Boxing Heritage: Prizefighting from 1882-1955 through hundreds of rare photographs and detailed captions. Whether you are a boxing fan or not, you will find the images of these brave gladiators and their stories hard to forget.
Cleveland's Greatest Fighters of All Time
By Jerry Fitch.





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 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.

Author Jerry Fitch has written for Ring, Boxing Illustrated, and Boxing News, among numerous other boxing publications. He has interviewed champions from all over the world, including Jack Dempsey, Joe Louis, Rocky Marciano and Muhammad Ali, as well as many Cleveland greats featured in this book. He brings his passion and expertise for the sport to every page.

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