Publisher's Synopsis
Knuckles and Gloves covers the fascinating era in the history of boxing - the 18th through early 20th centuries. This form of sportive activity started as a practical means of self-defense, and evolved into a form of sportsmanlike warfare. From the early beginnings of prize-fighting, or boxing for money with bare fists, it developed into the sport we nowadays watch, practice and appreciate.
In this book we have Bohun Lynch - an experienced boxer, not afraid to put on the gloves himself - who is a journalist, writing about boxing with the knowledge of an insider. He provides a valuable examination of this period when the sport transitioned from the use of bare fists to gloves, as well as snapshots of the great fighters of the day. Lynch observes, on his praise for knuckle-fights: "Moralists tell us that revenge alway turns to gall and bitterness.... Oh, does it really?The sheer physical delight in thrashing some one I hated, has lived on in sweet retrospect. There was no "hearty handshake" or anything pretty of that sort before the fight. It was simple, downright bashing, and it was delicious. And, not to please the moralist but to record a fact, the air really was cleared. We did shake hands afterwards, and all rancour was gone." Jack Dempsey, Jack Johnson, Robert Fitzsimmons and James Corbett are all familiar names to modern boxing fans, but here you will also read about Frank Slavin, Jem Belcher, Tom Spring, Tom Sayers and other early combatants of the ring. For the uninitiated, this book is guaranteed to alter their views on the King of Sports, and for fans and (amateur)-boxers alike this book will be a delight to read. Notoir Books is a publisher of books on topics of esoteric interests, eccentric memoirs, overlooked history, otherworldly stories and distinctive voices. For more like this, visit notoirbooks.com.
