Life in the Ring
Lessons and Inspiration from the Sport of Boxing
Oden, John E.
Sugar, Bert Randolph (FRW)
Adams, Brooke L. (ILT)
Paperback
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BOOK SYNOPSIS
There is no sport more unforgiving than boxing. Boxing represents the best of who we are as individuals. Those who have participated in the sport, at any level, can use the lessons they have learned in all aspects of their lives, including business and politics, as there are many parallels to life and boxing. People observing the sport can draw on the lessons that it teaches in all phases of their lives.
Life in the Ring gathers the wisdom and lore of the "sweet science" of boxing and organizes them into a single volume that is historical, literary and inspirational. From the anecdotal (Did heavyweight champion Robert Fitzsimmons really quip, "The bigger they are, the harder they fall?") to the well-documented (many heavyweight champions wrote or ghosted books on boxing training and technique), Life in the Ring culls from the long and fabled literature of pugilism--Jack Dempsey on perseverance, John L. Sullivan on sizing up your opponent, Joe Louis on handling others' expectations: Life in the Ring is an invaluable compendium of the life lessons offered by this most exacting of sports.
BOOK EXCERPTS
From the Introduction...
I have always believed that boxing is a metaphor for life.
In this book you will discover the stories of 15 extraordinary men from all walks of life, from different times and different backgrounds. These men chose boxing as their vocation. Each one brought his own unique contribution to the sport. Their stories are profound and no two are alike.
You will read of their hardship, struggle, defeat, comeback, and victory. They capture the very essence of the human experience. When a truly competitive boxing match is performed by skilled fighters, there is also a beauty, grace, and athletic excellence which cannot be duplicated in any other sport. And it is that combination of elements which grabs the imagination.
In boxing there are no words, only actions. And behind the action in a boxing ring are many of the human emotions and complications that one might encounter in lifepreparation, concentration, purposefulness, goal setting, challenges, pain, perseverance, and a host of anxieties and fears.
There is an aloneness to boxing that is unique in sports. Indeed, when facing an opponent one-on-one, there is only you . . . and him. All the training, all the experience, all the emotions, come with you out of the corner. But there is no team, no ball, no bat, no racquet, no protective shoulder pads for someone to hide behind. And like a gladiatorial contest, it is done until one of the participants or the other cannot go on, either by knockout or stoppage, or when the winner or loser is declared by the judges at the end of the fight.
At its core, boxing is a sport of self-actualization, a means to discover truths about oneself which could not be learned in any other place quite so effectively. In boxing, mental agility and toughness are as equally important as physical strength and ability. Bruce Silverglade, owner of the famous Gleasons Gym in New York City and the godfather of white collar boxing maintains that the only person who can make a champ is the person himself . . . not the trainer, the manager, or anyone else. Boxing is 50 percent mental, 40 percent conditioning, and 10 percent ability. The keys to the sport are commitment and focus. And these come with pain, long hours of preparation, and continued sacrifice. And then comes the day of judgment, the moment of trutheither a boxer wins or loses when he or she climbs between the ropes.
Boxing is ingrained in our culture, and evidence to this effect is everywhere: references to boxing constantly pop up in the lives we lead, and people make analogies to boxing without even realizing it. Nomenclature like knockout punch, came out swinging, took some hard shots, down for the count, and main event, are all references to elements of boxing in the society in which we live that make the parallels between life and boxing clear.
In the words of Joyce Carol Oates, Life is real and painful, and steeped in ambiguity: in the boxing ring there is either/or. Either you win or you lose. Boxings dark fascination is as much with failure, and the courage to forbear failure, as it is with triumph. Two men climb into a ring from which, in symbolic terms, only one climbs out. Indeed, how we handle losing, or winning, can define us in life.
And the last words of caution spoken by the referee to the boxers before the fight begins protect yourself at all times, is a symbolic caution of what must be done to survive not only in the ring, but in life on a daily basis. From the working world to our own personal lives, one thing is certain: there will come a time when we will have to enter the ring, alone, and face our moment. We can choose to bring heart, character and determination. We can decide to accept that the only result will be victory. And we can triumph.
The poem by Paul Simon, The Boxer, contains these lines:
In the clearing stands a boxer
And a fighter by his trade
And he carries the reminders
Of evry glove that laid him down
Or cut him til he cried out
In his anger and his shame
I am leaving, I am leaving
But the fighter still remains
Such is life in the ring.
John E. Oden, New York City, 2009
AUTHOR BIO
John Oden has competed in over 20 bouts in the 13 years he has been boxing. A principal in money management sales at Bernstein Investment Research & Management in New York, he works with the legendary trainer Emanuel Steward and spars with the former heavyweight contender, Gerry Cooney. Born in Pecos, Texas, he now lives in New York City.
BOOK REVIEWS
"Oden captures the essence of the fight . . . in the ring and in the real world. An excellent read."
--Donald J. Trump
"Oden has crafted a masterful collection of inspirational stories that any reader, including a mediocre boxer at the U.S. Naval Academy, can take to heart."
--John S. McCain, United States Senator
"The best book I have ever read which connects boxing to life, and the parallels between them."
--Emanuel Steward, famed boxing commentator and world-class trainer to 39 world champions, including Wladimir Klitschko, Lennox Lewis, Evander Holyfield, Thomas Hearns, Oscar De La Hoya, and Julio Caesar Chavez
FOR RELATED BOOKS
Sports & Recreation Books :: Boxing Books
MORE BOOK INFO
ISBN: 1578263115
ISBN(13-digit): 9781578263110
Dewey Decimal: 796.83
Library of Congress: 2009029720
Book Publisher: Random House Inc
Language: ENG
No. of Pages: 210
Paper Weight (lb): 1.25 lb
