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The Sweet Science, by A.J. Liebling
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I’ve often heard of A.J. Liebling being refereed to as one of, if not the greatest boxing writer of modern times, equitable to say, the Sugar Ray Robinson of pugilistic prose. However, being a child of today’s ‘show me, in order to convince me’ world, I had my share of doubts. Frankly, because I find that many of today’s contemporary writers have similar and consequently indiscernible styles, it’s difficult to be truly distinctive and audacious in this arena. So, when I had a chance to pickup Liebling’s, The Sweet Science, I felt not only intrigued, but also compelled.
The book is a compilation of some of Leibling’s best works during the decade of the 1950’s. During that time he covered boxing greats Rocky Marciano, Sandy Saddler, Ezzard Charles, Archie Moore, Joey Maxim, Joe Louis and a host of others.
One of the most obvious and discernible traits that Liebling displayed was his ability to re-create the current times and atmosphere he was writing about. He not only paints accurate fistic portraits, but also cultural and sociological ones. During one instance he talks about the day Sugar Ray Robinson challenged Joey Maxim for the Heavyweight crown in Yankee Stadium, where he not only provides candid moments on the fight itself, but also salient features on the venue, its atmosphere and the people that populated it.
As well, you’ll quickly notice that Liebling was a very erudite man. Many, many times he’ll amaze you by providing terms that are unequivocal in their defining purpose, and only with the assistance of Merriam–Webster will you be able to fully appreciate them. I found myself thumbing through my own copy on numerous occasions, all the while though, realizing the rewards that Liebling’s caveats provided.
Liebling also had an uncanny knack of providing, and invoking humor and humanity in the characters he was covering. I never found his satire to be malicious, as he attacked everyone from fans, to fighters, to foes, but rather comical as no one was able to escape his sardonic wit. I found his portrayal of the verbal and linguistic skills of the patrons that attended fights quite enjoyable.
On the flipside, the human side of his writing was extremely touching. He paints an enduring picture of the great ‘Brown Bomber’ through his visible and inevitable decline. As well, he covers some not so famous fighters and shares their stories with touches of intimate candor.
Truth be told, I could probably continue to wax poetic on the many gifts that Liebling had as a writer, because I doubt that I could pay the man enough tribute for the wonderful works that he left behind. All that I can say is that I’ve now been converted. Consider me officially “Lieblingized”, and I must say that his claim to the throne of boxing writers is well deserved and without reproach.
It’s often said that great fighters come around every generation. Well, the same can be said for other professions and as such, for boxing fans, there is no read quite like, The Sweet Science by A.J. Liebling. |
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© Copyright / All Rights reserved: Doghouse Boxing 1998-2005
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Reviewed by Peter Chhim (January 8, 2005) 
