{"product_id":"the-boxing-kings-when-american-heavyweights-ruled-the-ring","title":"The Boxing Kings: When American Heavyweights Ruled the Ring","description":"\u003cp\u003eFor much of the twentieth century  boxing was one of Americas most popular sports  and the heavyweight champions were figures known to all. Their exploits were reported regularly in the newspapersoften outside the sports pagesand their fame and wealth dwarfed those of other athletes. Long after their heyday  these icons continue to be synonymous with the sweet science.  In The Boxing Kings: When American Heavyweights Ruled the Ring  Paul Beston profiles these larger-than-life men who held a central place in American culture. Among the figures covered are John L. Sullivan  who made the heavyweight championship a commercial property; Jack Johnson  who became the first black man to claim the title; Jack Dempsey  a sporting symbol of the Roaring Twenties; Joe Louis  whose contributions to racial tolerance and social progress transcended even his greatness in the ring; Rocky Marciano  who became an embodiment of the American Dream; Muhammad Ali  who took on the U.S. government and revolutionized professional sports with his showmanship; and Mike Tyson  a hard-punching dynamo who typified the modern celebrity.  This gallery of flawed but sympathetic men also includes comics  dandies  bookworms  divas  ex-cons  workingmen  and even a tough-guy-turned-preacher. As the heavyweight title passed from one claimant to another  their stories opened a window into the larger history of the United States. Boxing fans  sports historians  and those interested in U.S. race relations as it intersects with sports will find this book a fascinating exploration into how engrained boxing once was in Americas social and cultural fabric.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"My Store","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44986847952949,"sku":"ByrdShop_1442272899","price":62.23,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0627\/8139\/0901\/files\/9781442272897.jpg?v=1770919113","url":"https:\/\/atxbooks.com\/products\/the-boxing-kings-when-american-heavyweights-ruled-the-ring","provider":"ATX Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}