After the Count

by Stephanie Convery

When Sydney boxer Davey Browne died in 2015 after being knocked out in the final round of a title fight that he was about to win, boxing once again came under intense public scrutiny. For journalist Stephanie Convery, the story of that fatal fight raised questions she became determined to who should be held accountable when someone dies in the ring? Did the actions of the referee, the ringside doctor, the combat sports inspectors, and the trainer affect what happened that night? Is death inevitable in a sport in which the only sure way to win is to knock your opponent out? And why aren't boxers, professional and amateur, told more about the dangers of concussion and head trauma?These questions were especially compelling for one at the time of Davey’s death, Stephanie had been training to fight in a boxing match of her own.After the Count not only investigates the fight and the aftermath of David Browne Jr’s death, but it also interrogates the culture and history of boxing, its gender dynamics, the visceral appeal of the ring and the inherent contradictions of a violent sport that refuses to face up to the consequences of that violence. It is a book that explores the grit and euphoria of combat sport as it digs deep into our collective relationship with physical power, masculinity and violence.

Genres: Nonfiction

Paperback

Published March 3, 2020

About the author

Stephanie Convery is the deputy culture editor of Guardian Australia. She was formerly deputy editor at Overland magazine and a freelance writer and arts worker in Melbourne. Her first book, Who Killed Davey Browne?, will be published in 2020.

Reviews

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finished: 08.12.2020
Genre: non-ficton
Rating: A+++++++++++
#AusReadingMonth2020
Conclusion:

Shortlisted for Walkley Award 2020
Shortlisted for NIB Award 2020
This is the reason you should always read shortlisted books
...the the real winner is often....on the shortlist!!
Every year we ask ourselves...what to buy grandpa,
dad, husband, brother, brother-in-law, uncle, son, son-in-law...for Christmas?
Now this is a cracker of a nonfiction book that will keep
the guys glued in their reading chairs....so YOU can binge watch
The Crown on Netflix during the holidays! "After the Count" by Stephanie Convery
Amazing #Nonfiction

My Thoughts

[Michael Livingston · Rating 4 out of 5]

A smart and incisive book about boxing, a topic I thought I had no interest in until this book
proved me wrong. It digs into gender, class and violence all while telling the tragic story of a young boxer killed in the ring.

[Alex McClintock · Rating 5 out of 5]

Whatever side of the fence you sit on when it comes to boxing, when you finish reading this book, you'll have had you assumptions about violence, risk, class and gender challenged. Convery is a cliche-buster and a clear thinker, even if you don't agree that combat sports can be improved. An instant classic of Aussie sports writing.

[Lily Grace · Rating 3 out of 5]

Convery does great job at highlighting the oversights, attitude, and shortcomings of the boxing community through Browne's inquest and encourages meaningful changes to the sport BUT she significantly misrepresents herself as a boxer after a couple of years across multiple boxing gyms with patch attendance. Her research changes her mindset in a way that prevents her from participating in boxing in good faith and I particularly disliked reading about her brief spars and fights. Why do Australian journalists feel the need to insert themselves into their stories like this? I suspect the book will be well received by those outside of boxing but due to her unnecessary personal insertion and lack of boxing knowledge (yes, I know it sounds silly to say seeing as she's written a book on it) that she won't gt through to the community this book will be most useful for. Writer's ego aside, this is a good book.

[James Cairns · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a Muay Thai fighter having recently entered the ring for the first time, this book was an important read. I think Stephanie does a good job of outling the situation surrounding the death of the Davey Browne. Personally, I find her comparisons to her own boxing journey a little contrived, having not truly risked her brain in a fight where the opponent's intentions were knock out - her point of view is not that insightful for me.

She writes well, and puts the death in a good societal context around concussion and violence. Would read.

[Ann Koenig · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book about the death of Davey Browne, a boxer, interesting, and made more so by Steph’s personal journey. But I do wonder why anyone would box as a sport.

[Justin · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars

[Brit · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s a good book. I just wasn’t interested in the subject matter and read so much journalism and legal decisions that I found it a bit like work.

[Lily Mae Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a riveting read. I found the blend of different points of views and events really worked well to flesh out this event, and the contaxt in which it occured. I really appriciate the amount of work that would have gone into creating this book. Very respectul to those hurting and the one lost.
What an incredicle book, I am really blown away.
'Bro science' is my new favourite saying.