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Jacobs Beach
The story of New York in the Fifties—of Rat Pack cool and the fading of the Mob's glamour—brilliantly told through the prism of Madison Square Garden.New York in the Fifties was the most interesting and most vibrant city in the world. New York gave the world a couple of other things one bloody and brutal but the king of sports, the other simply bloody and brutal. The Fifties were boxing’s last real heyday. Never again would the sport be so glamorous or so popular. And that’s where New York’s other gift to the world—the Mob—came in. Gangsters have been around for boxing’s entire history, but this time it was special. Most of the decade’s major fights took place at boxing’s spiritual home, Madison Square Garden, and most of the deals that made or ruined the lives of the era’s many fine fighters were done on a famous strip of pavement across the road from the Jacobs Beach. And the man ruling that strip of pavement was a charming Italian murderer called Frankie Carbo.
297 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 15, 2010
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
October 31, 2019
A very interesting book for a tiny audience. The book is a thorough look at the good and bad of the sweet science starting in the 1930'2 and taking it to the turn of the century. There is a lot of insight into the mob's influence on the boxing game along with the promoters and managers that generally take advantage of the fighters. There are many fixed fights and a few fighters who end their long careers unscathed. Captivating for fight fans.
May 30, 2013
1* may not be fair. I'd probably rated this higher if I had not read a number of other books on the same subject/era which clearly used the same references.
November 7, 2019
I won this book through through Goodreads to read and review.
“ Jacob’s Beach: The Mobs, The Fights and the Fifties” is a mist read for any boxing fans,,especially those who can remember when boxing was on tv every night of week. The Gillette Cavalcade of Sports was on the Air! All those boxers became household, or at least barbershop, names, heroes in black and while.
The book is full of boxing history, beginning with Fighters of the historic past, Jack Johnson, John J. Sullivan, and others, and of the writers, hangers on , trainers, managers, and especially, the mobsters who ran boxing. They owned boxers, owned them contractually an$ controlled them by threats.
“ Jacob’s Beach” is filled with anecdotes and personal remembrances. They are often lurid, occasionally funny and usually interesting. There is much that is repetitive. Often the narrative gets tangled as the author inserts a new interviewee, especially as the writer seldom uses quotation mark or set aside paragraphing. This may be because of the e-book’s formatting, or a British style of reportage.
I think that the book has appeal for fans of boxing, especially those of a certain age , like myself who watched those tiny flickering images of the 17” black and white TVs. For all the meandering and repetition, I enjoyed the book for its exposure of the Mob’s control of the fight game, an$ for its insights, especially the one that stated that “ television ruined boxing” by satirizing the airwaves that required that boxers be used and used up and tossed aside broken men.
If you are a fan or knows one, this book is perfect or a perfect gift.
“ Jacob’s Beach: The Mobs, The Fights and the Fifties” is a mist read for any boxing fans,,especially those who can remember when boxing was on tv every night of week. The Gillette Cavalcade of Sports was on the Air! All those boxers became household, or at least barbershop, names, heroes in black and while.
The book is full of boxing history, beginning with Fighters of the historic past, Jack Johnson, John J. Sullivan, and others, and of the writers, hangers on , trainers, managers, and especially, the mobsters who ran boxing. They owned boxers, owned them contractually an$ controlled them by threats.
“ Jacob’s Beach” is filled with anecdotes and personal remembrances. They are often lurid, occasionally funny and usually interesting. There is much that is repetitive. Often the narrative gets tangled as the author inserts a new interviewee, especially as the writer seldom uses quotation mark or set aside paragraphing. This may be because of the e-book’s formatting, or a British style of reportage.
I think that the book has appeal for fans of boxing, especially those of a certain age , like myself who watched those tiny flickering images of the 17” black and white TVs. For all the meandering and repetition, I enjoyed the book for its exposure of the Mob’s control of the fight game, an$ for its insights, especially the one that stated that “ television ruined boxing” by satirizing the airwaves that required that boxers be used and used up and tossed aside broken men.
If you are a fan or knows one, this book is perfect or a perfect gift.
March 30, 2020
Average. Had good parts but with the material could have been great.
May 14, 2022
A well researched book, stacked with stories of the mob’s influence over boxing throughout the 40’s & 50’s.
September 6, 2014
Such a great topic... 'The Mob, The Fights, The Fifties'... how could it miss? But misfire it does. Despite the interest I have in the subject matter, it is poorly written. Either the author thinks I have much more insight into the stories he reports on, or he hopes I understand what he is describing through osmosis.
The one redeeming portion of the book for me is about Don King and Muhammad Ali. Interesting stuff, and completely new information to me. I also liked the discussion on Sonny Liston. In fact, I wish the book was a biography on Sonny Liston written by a different author.
Very uneven... 3 Stars.
★ = Horrid waste of time
★★ = May be enjoyable to some, but not me
★★★ = I am glad I read it
★★★★ = Very enjoyable and something I'd recommend
★★★★★ = A rare find, simply incredible
The one redeeming portion of the book for me is about Don King and Muhammad Ali. Interesting stuff, and completely new information to me. I also liked the discussion on Sonny Liston. In fact, I wish the book was a biography on Sonny Liston written by a different author.
Very uneven... 3 Stars.
★ = Horrid waste of time
★★ = May be enjoyable to some, but not me
★★★ = I am glad I read it
★★★★ = Very enjoyable and something I'd recommend
★★★★★ = A rare find, simply incredible
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews