Spanning the period between 1967 and 2005, this compilation includes 84 of Pulitzer Prize–winning author Ira Berkow’s columns on boxing. Readers will meet some of the greatest names in the sport’s history in the pages of this book, including Muhammad Ali, Joe Frazier, Joe Louis, and Mike Tyson. Among the unforgettable stories gathered in this collection are the heated rivalry between Ali and “Smokin’ Joe” Frazier, Tyson’s infamous “Bite Fight” in 1997, and the will-he-or-won’t-he retirement saga of Sugar Ray Leonard. Written in Berkow’s gripping prose, the columns included in Counterpunch chronicle the most important moments in boxing over the last four decades.

Ira Berkow is a former sports columnist and feature writer for the New York Times, where he worked for more than 25 years. He shared the Pulitzer Prize for national reporting in 2001 and was a finalist for the Pulitzer for commentary in 1988. He is the author of more than 20 books, including Rockin’ Steady: A Guide to Basketball and Cool, and the bestsellers Maxwell Street: Survival in a Bazaar and Red: A Biography of Red Smith. He is the coauthor and editor of Hank Greenberg: The Story of My Life, which was a primary source for the award-winning documentary The Life and Times of Hank Greenberg. He lives in New York City.