Historical Dictionary of Boxing by John Grasso

Historical Dictionary of Boxing by John Grasso

Boxing is one of the oldest sports in the world, reaching back to the Ancient Greeks, although it has become popular only in the past century or so. But, in some ways, it is a rather complicated sport since – to avoid unnecessary harm – it has been endowed with rules to keep it clean, referees to see the rules are obeyed, and organizations to regulate the sport. Boxing was once largely amateur, although the professional bouts attracted the most attention, but now it is also an Olympic sport. And, over the years, there has been one champion after another who symbolized what boxing was all about, such Joe Louis, Mohammad Ali and Cassius Clay. Naturally, these champions are the focus of the Historical Dictionary of Boxing as well, and they have the biggest entries in the dictionary section, but they had to fight against someone and there are dozens and dozens of other boxers with smaller entries. More of these boxers come from the United States than elsewhere, but there are others from Europe, Asia and Latin America, and there are also entries on the major boxing countries as well. Plus entries on the rules, on the organizations, and on the technical terminology and jargon you have to know just to follow the bouts. The introduction provides a broad view of boxing’s history while the chronology traces events from 688 B.C. to 2012 A.D. Not all that much has been written on boxing that is not ephemeral, but much of that literature can be found in the bibliography. This book is an excellent access point for students, researchers, and anyone wanting to know more about the sport of boxing.

The main dictionary portion of this book covers famous matches, countries, organizations, venues, weight classes, terminology, and other assorted topics related to boxingBiographical entries, however, represent the largest category. Of necessity, sportswriter Grasso was highly selective as to whom he included; however, most of the notable figures in boxing's colorful history will be found here, including trainers and promoters. In keeping with the publisher's 'Historical Dictionary' series format, a chronology, introductory overview, and bibliography are included. Thirteen appendixes supply additional information, including 'Nicknames and Ring Names,' 'Revised London Prize Ring Rules,' and 'Boxing Movies.'. . . .Grasso's handy print volume is valuable for its excellent overview. It should join the most current edition of The Boxing Register by James Roberts and Alexander Skutt, and Boxing: A Worldwide Record of Bouts and Boxers, by Herbert Goldman on the shelves of libraries with history of boxing collections. Summing Up: Recommended. Lower-division undergraduates and above; general readers. * CHOICE *
Boxing is one of the world’s oldest sports, dating back at least as far the ancient Greeks. Although its popularity has ebbed in recent years, its long history provides fertile ground for a reference source such as this one. Similar to other works in the Historical Dictionary series, this one-volume source provides brief entries on topics throughout the history of the sport. More than half of the entries are for people primarily boxers but also promoters, trainers, and media personnel. Other entries cover boxing terminology, descriptions of weight classes, and details of notable matches. The time period covered by the book ranges primarily from the late nineteenth century through 2012. The lengthy introduction provides a strong overview of the sport, and a chronology highlights key events from throughout its history. Appendixes cover topics such as the various rules of the sport, lists of Olympic and heavyweight champions, and International Boxing Hall of Fame members. The volume contains a substantial bibliography of books on the sport as well as a list of boxing films. This work will provide a good introduction to boxing and serve as a source for biographical information on lesser-known fighters. In addition, the bibliography will lead interested readers to the best writing on the sport. * Booklist *
Although many of the basic facts regarding the game of tennis, such as who won major matches, are accessible online, the boxing enthusiast will enjoy simply sitting down and thumbing through pages that reflect a love for the sport. The bulk of the dictionary is the hundreds of cross-referenced, A-Z entries on important boxers, rules, organizations, and technical terminology. John Grasso, a historian of the Olympics and author of the Historical Dictionary of Basketball (see ARBA 2012, entry 798) as well as other titles in this series, writes these in an accessible, conversational style. The entries are accompanied by a historical overview of boxing from its origins in Ancient Greece, a list of acronyms used throughout, a chronology, appendixes (winners/champions of the major events), and a bibliography subdivided by topic. . . .[P]ublic librarians and boxing historians will want to add the Historical Dictionary of Boxing to their collections. * American Reference Books Annual *

John Grasso is a leading sports writer, who has written on other sports than boxing, although he got started there. He is the co-author of The 100 Greatest Boxers of All Time and 505 Boxing Questions Your Friends Can’t Answer and also wrote columns for Ring magazine and Boxing Illustrated. In addition, he has authored three other books in the Scarecrow Press sports series: Historical Dictionary of Tennis, Historical Dictionary of Basketball and Historical Dictionary of Football.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9780810868007
ISBN 10	0810868008
Title	Historical Dictionary of Boxing
Author	John Grasso
Series	Historical Dictionaries Of Sports
Condition	Unavailable
Publisher	Scarecrow Press
Year published	2013-11-14
Number of pages	588
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.