Knockout: Great Australian Boxing Stories

by Grantlee Kieza

A no-holds-barred collection of Australian boxing yarns by one of Australia's bestselling storytellers and boxing aficionado, Grantlee Kieza


Boxing has given Australian sport some of our most inspiring champions and captivating tales. Stories of underdogs overcoming heartbreaks and hurdles, of endless courage and dedication, triumph and tragedy, of bitter feuds and fatal showdowns, and of tough Australian battlers who became giants in the ring.

Some of our most celebrated sporting legends have been fighters - from the heroes Les Darcy and Dave Sands, to the iconic Lionel Rose and Johnny Famechon, to the huge modern drawcards such as Jeff Fenech, George Kambosos, Kostya and Tim Tszyu, and the flamboyant female stars Sharon Anyos and Ebanie Bridges.

For many, tenacity and sheer grit ran like molten steel in their veins - Lionel Rose rising from poverty in the bush to being mobbed by a quarter of a million people after his 1968 world title win. Jai Opetaia ignoring agony to win a world title with a broken jaw in 2022. Jeff Horn, a bullied schoolboy, out-toughing Filipino Manny Pacquiao, one of the most ferocious sluggers of all time.

From the first brawls in old Sydney Town, the travelling boxing tents across the country and the first black world heavyweight champion to today's most celebrated fighters, Australia's pre-eminent boxing journalist and former assistant trainer to some of the ring's most talented champions presents our nation's greatest boxing stories.

336 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 5, 2023

Reviews

[Dave · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ten out of 10 - a real hit - great stories about an incredible sport

[Jeff · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely brilliant - wonderful stories of Australia's great boxing past from someone who has seen more than most. Loved the stories of the 40s and 50s especially - I grew up listening to my dad talking about the Stadium Days of Patrick, Burns and Barnes. Sensational. Also loved the tales of Fenech, Harding and Bugner - Kieza was in the corner for all of them,

[SJ Rusty · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent read with plenty of short, snappy stories detailing the history of Aussie boxing from its inception to the present day. Kind of like a Down Under version of Steve Bunce's 'Big Fat Short History of British Boxing'.

[Genevieve · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enthralling, riveting and never plodding, Grantlee Kieza’s “Knockout” is exactly that, a knockout. I was so impressed by the author’s exhaustive research and fair treatment of the many, many colourful faces that are a rich part of Australia’s exciting boxing history. To me, this fine anthology of boxing stories would appeal to the both the very casual fan all the way up to the dedicated aficionado. This is one of the best books I have read in the past few years on any subject and was a real surprise package. I cannot give it enough praise….(standing and applauding for a job well done)