Bert Sugar on Boxing

Known as the "guru" of boxing, Bert Randolph Sugar is one of the most charismatic writers ever to capture the drama of the fight on paper. With a passion for the sport that is rivaled only by his talent for writing about it, Bert Sugar is also regarded as the "unofficial historian" of boxing. With his trademark fedora and always-handy cigar, Sugar is a guaranteed ringside presence. His colorful personality and flamboyant mannerisms are unforgettable whether you are meeting him in person or through his writing. Bert Sugar on Boxing brings out his best. Here's but a small sampling of what awaits readers: Many a troubled and troublesome youngster has embraced "The Sweet Science" as a way out, a social staircase out of the mean streets that formed his limited world, fighting his way, bloody hand over bloody hand, up the ladder of acceptance the only way he knows: with his fists. I will not be dissuaded from attacking those with souls like the undersides of flat rocks any more than ice can be welded or iron melted. There is no shaking-knee factor here. Despite a body that made him look like the man in the olive factory assigned to pulling the pimientos through, Bob Foster could generate a left hook from hell from that skinny torso, one which ended with the sound of an explosion that fells six or seven bystanders. Belief is a funny word. It's made up of one part hope, one part perception, and one part realization-with a sprig or two of bias thrown in for good measure. And boxing has more than its share of beliefs-cum-biases, especially where good matches such as the Pryor-Arguello match are concerned. Bert Randolph Sugar, one of the most recognizable and colorful personalities in boxing, is also regarded as one of the sport's most outstanding writers and historians. He has served as the editor of The Ring, Boxing Illustrated, and Fight Game magazines, and he is the author of over fifty books.