What do you think?
Rate this book
Ultimate Book of Boxing Lists. The: 224 by Sugar. Bert ( 2010 ) Paperback
Excellent Book
- GenresSports
Paperback Bunko
First published January 1, 2011
9 people are currently reading
80 people want to read
About the author
Bert Randolph Sugar
78 books7 followersBert Randolph Sugar was a boxing writer and sports historian.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
March 9, 2012
If you watch boxing, you are exposed to a gargantuan array of opinion-based analyses. You have the blow-by-blow commentators narrating what you are to believe is taking place inside the ring, the referee who manipulates the action and scolds when he believes the fighters get out of line, the trainers who try to mend the psyche of their fighters in the corner, the audience who cheer for the local favorite, the fighters who have the unwritten obligation to always believe they are better than the other guy, the judges who decide the fate of the bout, the TV viewers who are often in an alcohol-induced frenzy regardless of their man winning or losing, the journalists who dwell on what they saw and record what they believe--and then you have the historians who take everything into consideration and frame the event in time.
In "The Ultimate Book of Boxing Lists" We are fortunate to have the greatest historian of the sport in Bert Sugar and a revered trainer in Teddy Atlas who has just about as much experience of the ring as anyone you could ask for. So amidst the confusion of opinions coming from all angles, the only thing that can bring clarity is time--and these guys have witnessed lot of matches and have had a lot of time to think about them.
This is quite possibly the most important historical book on the sport of boxing. Teddy Atlas and Bert Sugar not only write lists of who they believe are the best in a specific attribute, but every item on each list has a paragraph giving context to the boxer's position on the list. There are so many lists in this book that it's quite adequate to say we will not need another book like this for fifty years.
Read this thoroughly for a good understanding of the history, or keep it as a reference. If you have a crazy good understanding of the sport already, think of it as a good excuse to argue with the experts. Anybody who wants to be more knowledgeable about boxing should absolutely consider getting this book. It has so much information on so many categories that you won't know what to do with all of it.
This book is so worth it.
In "The Ultimate Book of Boxing Lists" We are fortunate to have the greatest historian of the sport in Bert Sugar and a revered trainer in Teddy Atlas who has just about as much experience of the ring as anyone you could ask for. So amidst the confusion of opinions coming from all angles, the only thing that can bring clarity is time--and these guys have witnessed lot of matches and have had a lot of time to think about them.
This is quite possibly the most important historical book on the sport of boxing. Teddy Atlas and Bert Sugar not only write lists of who they believe are the best in a specific attribute, but every item on each list has a paragraph giving context to the boxer's position on the list. There are so many lists in this book that it's quite adequate to say we will not need another book like this for fifty years.
Read this thoroughly for a good understanding of the history, or keep it as a reference. If you have a crazy good understanding of the sport already, think of it as a good excuse to argue with the experts. Anybody who wants to be more knowledgeable about boxing should absolutely consider getting this book. It has so much information on so many categories that you won't know what to do with all of it.
This book is so worth it.
July 19, 2016
This is a list of lists, primarily by boxing historian Bert Sugar and legendary trainer Teddy Atlas. Each man is a king in his own right, the problem being that their literary styles mix like oil and water.
With respect to the legendary writer Bert Sugar, he repeats too many of his Gene Shalit-esque one-liners from entry to entry (jokes about pimentos and four-way cold tablets are peppered throughout the text) and while some of his Borscht Belt antics are funny, they grow stale when repeated too often. Another problem with Bert Sugar is his interminable "old timer's syndrome," by which I mean he has a tendency to rate Golden Age (and even earlier) fighters far higher than fighters of the present day, not necessarily based on their performance, but based on nostalgia. Some of the fighters he lionizes don't even have extant footage of them boxing available, so I don't see how he can rate them so high. All fight fans tend to romanticize their own era; talk to Ray Mancini and he'll tell you Camacho and Hagler would wipe the floor with Mayweather (which may be true), but you can only get away with these kinds of assertions when there is at least some footage, some evidence. Too often Sugar conflates legend with history.
In addition to the lists by Teddy and Bert, there are also guest entries by assorted fighters and commentors in the game. Like the lists drawn by the two principles, some of these are gold and others are dirt. If this book were a boxing match, I guess I'd have to give it a "draw" or a "no contest." Recommended only for die-hards who need something to argue about (preferably while drunk).
With respect to the legendary writer Bert Sugar, he repeats too many of his Gene Shalit-esque one-liners from entry to entry (jokes about pimentos and four-way cold tablets are peppered throughout the text) and while some of his Borscht Belt antics are funny, they grow stale when repeated too often. Another problem with Bert Sugar is his interminable "old timer's syndrome," by which I mean he has a tendency to rate Golden Age (and even earlier) fighters far higher than fighters of the present day, not necessarily based on their performance, but based on nostalgia. Some of the fighters he lionizes don't even have extant footage of them boxing available, so I don't see how he can rate them so high. All fight fans tend to romanticize their own era; talk to Ray Mancini and he'll tell you Camacho and Hagler would wipe the floor with Mayweather (which may be true), but you can only get away with these kinds of assertions when there is at least some footage, some evidence. Too often Sugar conflates legend with history.
In addition to the lists by Teddy and Bert, there are also guest entries by assorted fighters and commentors in the game. Like the lists drawn by the two principles, some of these are gold and others are dirt. If this book were a boxing match, I guess I'd have to give it a "draw" or a "no contest." Recommended only for die-hards who need something to argue about (preferably while drunk).
August 23, 2020
I could read this over and over.
February 15, 2022
Interesting eye-popping table book with a lot of very interesting short reads even if not particularly insightful for those of us invested in Boxing for more than a few years.
Some articles will feel dated, some will annoy you (I was hoping for a nod to the great Nicolino Noche, to no avail), oft you will find some of them redudant but overall will serve as an interesting perspective from one of Boxings most colorful side characters, Bert Sugar.
Some articles will feel dated, some will annoy you (I was hoping for a nod to the great Nicolino Noche, to no avail), oft you will find some of them redudant but overall will serve as an interesting perspective from one of Boxings most colorful side characters, Bert Sugar.
May 3, 2023
Being a trivia fan and an amateur sport historian, this book had so much interesting information on the 'sweet science'. I enjoyed finding out about some of the more and unusual events in boxing hisotry, such as Jim Flynn repeatedly headbutting Jack Johnson in 1912, the Jack Dempsey-Louis Firpo fight in 1923 having 9 knockdowns in the first round, and Michael Moorer being the only southpaw heavyweight champion. Even if you have only a casual interest in boxing, you will find this book informative, entertaining and educational.
July 26, 2020
Great book to refer to with boxing facts
Read
March 31, 2012Amounts to a capsule history of modern boxing, and gives you a flavor of what people love and deplore about the fight game. Solid two-layer cake by boxing historian Sugar and trainer/commentator Atlas -- who between them have probably played every role in the boxing ecoverse except promoter -- with sweet frosting provided by the likes of Sugar Ray Leonard ("My 10 Toughest Fights") and Angelo Dundee ("Boxing's Best Cornermen/Trainers"). Worth a spot on every fight fan's shelf.
March 10, 2012
If you are a boxing fan and enjoy lists and raucous debate of all things the sweet science, it's definitely worth picking up.
February 20, 2013
Signed by Bert Sugar
July 18, 2014
A great way to read this book is to look up the fighters and fights mentioned in the book on You Tube.
October 19, 2016
It's like a buzzfeed article in bookform.
That's all I can say.
That's all I can say.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews