The Fights

Introduced by Pulitzer prize-winning novelist and former Golden Gloves boxer Richard Ford, The Fights is as rich in beauty as it is provocative in subject--a meditation on the soul of the boxer, and on the body as an instrument of violence and an inspiration for art. 50 photos.

It's no wonder that photographer Howard Schatz, trained as an ophthalmologist, has an unwavering eye for the human form. Well known for his series of improvisional portraits of actors for Vanity Fair, the acclaimed photographer now takes on the ultimate theatre of sport and physique in At the Fights. Over the last six years Schatz has entrenched himself in the world of boxing, photographing and interviewing the game's biggest stars and newest players as well as managers, trainers, promoters, club fighters and many others. In 256 oversized pages, Schatz's remarkably powerful images are paired with insightful commentary to provide a truly unique look into the sport. As promoter Lou DiBella tells Schatz, "Boxing is a sport in its purest, most basic form. No sport is more theatrical, dramatic or real." At the Fights beautifully captures all of those aspects in a striking, deluxe package that includes introductory comments by HBO commentator Jim Lampley. Howard Schatz's award-winning photography has been featured in Sports Illustrated, ESPN Magazine, The Ring magazine, The New York Times Magazine and Vanity Fair. He is a well-known and regular ringside presence. At the Fights will be his 19th book.

In 1974 in Kinshasa, Zaïre, two African American boxers were paid five million dollars apiece to fight each other. One was Muhammad Ali, the aging but irrepressible “professor of boxing.” The other was George Foreman, who was as taciturn as Ali was voluble. Observing them was Norman Mailer, a commentator of unparalleled energy, acumen, and audacity. Whether he is analyzing the fighters’ moves, interpreting their characters, or weighing their competing claims on the African and American souls, Mailer’s grasp of the titanic battle’s feints and stratagems—and his sensitivity to their deeper symbolism—makes this book a masterpiece of the literature of sport. Praise for The Fight “Exquisitely refined and attenuated . . . [a] sensitive portrait of an extraordinary athlete and man, and a pugilistic drama fully as exciting as the reality on which it is based.”—The New York Times “One of the defining texts of sports journalism. Not only does Mailer recall the violent combat with a scholar’s eye . . . he also makes the whole act of reporting seem as exciting as what’s occurring in the ring.”—GQ “Stylistically, Mailer was the greatest boxing writer of all time.”—Chuck Klosterman, Esquire “One of Mailer’s finest books.”—Louis Menand, The New Yorker Praise for Norman Mailer “[Norman Mailer] loomed over American letters longer and larger than any other writer of his generation.”—The New York Times “A writer of the greatest and most reckless talent.”—The New Yorker “Mailer is indispensable, an American treasure.”—The Washington Post “A devastatingly alive and original creative mind.”—Life “Mailer is fierce, courageous, and reckless and nearly everything he writes has sections of headlong brilliance.”—The New York Review of Books “The largest mind and imagination [in modern] American literature . . . Unlike just about every American writer since Henry James, Mailer has managed to grow and become richer in wisdom with each new book.”—Chicago Tribune “Mailer is a master of his craft. His language carries you through the story like a leaf on a stream.”—The Cincinnati Post

Fans of tough, hard-hitting prose and tough, hard-hitting men will find plenty to cheer about as the power and the passion, the poetry and the pain of big-time boxing explode on the page. The book is championship material!

Paul Harris is a spoiled rich kid who has never had to work for anything. Rob Tully is a born fighter who trains daily with his father and Uncle Tommy, believing that his gift can change all their lives for the better. When two men step into the ring of an underground fight club, only one will walk out. Set in the world of illegal bare-knuckle boxing, The Fighter pulls no punches in its depiction of lives lived in desperation. Written with the power and originality of his debut, Rust and Bone, The Fighter secures Davidson’s reputation as a talent to watch.

An intimate, human and philosophical look at the life of the UFC world champion—his journey from years of bullying to the very top of the world of mixed martial arts As the world’s most popular UFC fighter, Georges “Rush” St-Pierre seems almost impossibly tough and dominant. But long before he was “GSP,” as his millions of fans know him, he was just a kid harassed by bullies. But he was also a kid who, thanks to years of practicing martial arts, invented his own way of life. He became a black belt in karate at the age of 12. In his later teens, working as a garbage collector to finance his unique and innovative training methods, GSP learned from repeated losses and ultimately found a way to triumph in a highly competitive field. Along the way, he discovered a simple truth: never stop reaching for your goal. With startling honesty, GSP relates the true story of growing up in the martial arts and discovering that his passion for learning and constant improvement makes him happy. By way of fighting, he’s discovered how to succeed; by way of injury, how to maintain perspective on that success. This book highlights the lessons that brought him there, the unique system he invented to combine various forms of fighting arts, and the key people who helped make him world champion.

Two decades of neoliberalism have destroyed a structured, pan-regional feminist movement in Canada. As a result, new generations of feminists have come to age without ever seeing the force that an organized social movement can have in democratic society. They have never benefited from the knowledge, the debates, the actions, the mass mobilizations or the leadership that all accompany a social movement and instead organize in decentralized silos. As a result, government and corporate leaders have co-opted feminism to turn it into something that can be bought, sold, or used to attract voters. Campaigns like #BeenRapedNeverReported, #MeToo, the SlutWalks and the Canadian Women’s marches, while important, don’t yet have the organized power to bring the changes that activists seek to make in society. In Take Back The Fight, Nora Loreto examines the state of modern feminism in Canada and argues that feminists must organize to take back feminism from politicians, business leaders and journalists who distort and obscure its power. Furthermore, Loreto urges today’s activists to overcome the challenges that sank the movement decades ago, to stop centering whiteness as the quintessential woman’s experience, and to find ways to rebuild the communities that have been obliterated by neoliberal economic policies.

Late Medieval and Early Modern Fight Books offers insights into the cultural and historical transmission and practices of martial arts, based on interdisciplinary research on the corpus of the Fight Books (Fechtbücher) in 14th- to 17th-century Europe.