Lanky Bob - The Life, Times and Contemporaries of Bob Fitzsimmons - Softcover

Robinson, K. R.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1425158471 ISBN 13: 9781425158477

Publisher: Trafford Publishing, 2008

Synopsis

The most comprehensive biography ever of one of the world's greatest boxing champions. His extraordinary story, from teenage bareknuckler to triple world's champion, written from contemporary sources from three continents.

About this title

About the Author:

I was born at Strood, part of the Medway Towns in south-east England, at the end of the Second World War. My earliest memories of boxing came from my father who idolized Gene Tunney, Len Harvey and Joe Louis. He and his brothers sparred at a local professional gym with such as Jack Vinal - a local middleweight hotshot. My own experience with gloves was a front-room encounter with neighbour Keith Perkins, which resulted in a monumentally swollen eye - but he was older and bigger! There were then only eight weight divisions and our champions - Henry Cooper, Chic Calderwood, Terry Downes, Brian Curvis, Dave Charnley, Howard Winstone, Freddie Gilroy, Johnny Caldwell and Walter McGowan - were all world-rated. Howard Winstone was my idol who, along with Walter McGowan and Ken Buchanan, upheld the true traditions of the Noble Art of Self-defence. In those early days I witnessed Cooper's legendary battles with Cassius Clay and Muhammad Ali, Downes against Sugar Ray Robinson, Winstone beating Mitsunori Seki and Maurice Cullen with Carlos Ortiz. My lifelong interest in history set me on the track of the fistic greats- Jim Driscoll, Jimmy Wilde and Ted 'Kid' Lewis. My interest in the lesser known and often forgotten fighters of the past such as Young Ahearn, Curley Watson and Harry Mansfield was encouraged by an early meeting with Harold Alderman, one of boxing's leading researchers and historians. Boxing epitomises man's struggle to survive and his nobility in adversity however debased his social surroundings.

About this edition

• Publisher: Trafford Publishing
• Publication date: 2008
• ISBN 10: 1425158471
• ISBN 13: 9781425158477
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 512