"Since
the inception of the Marquess of Queensberry rules boxing has understood the
need to be safer. While there have been some rule changes through the years,
many have been like applying an 'enswell' to reduce swelling. In his latest
book, When in Doubt Stop the Bout, Mike Silver asks the hard questions
and offers serious and innovative solutions that will make the sport safer
without diluting its primal appeal. Anyone who cares about boxing and the
fighters who put themselves at risk should read this book."-Teddy Atlas,
Hall of Fame trainer and boxing analystIn
When
in Doubt, Stop the Bout, renowned boxing historian Mike Silver presents a
shocking exposéeacute; of the sordid underbelly of professional boxing, and uncovers
the sport's criminally flawed
infrastructure and those responsible for
it.
From
compromised referees to poorly trained ringside physicians to an insidious
cartel of "sanctioning organizations" approving dangerous mismatches, Silver
lays bare the corruption, the negligence, and the incompetence that has made a
dangerous sport even more dangerous.
But aside
from unmasking the chaotic mess that afflicts boxing, this book for the first
time proposes groundbreaking practical solutions that will mitigate the danger
and save lives. Penetrating and persuasive,
When in Doubt, Stop the Boutwill change forever how you see the sport of boxing.
Mike Silver is the authorof three books. The Arc of Boxing: TheRise and Decline of the Sweet Science (McFarland, 2008) isconsidered a classic and was recently listed as McFarland’s # 1 best-seller forJune 2023. His second book, Stars in the Ring: Jewish Champions in theGolden Age of Boxing (Lyons Press, 2016),was called by Publisher’s Weekly “An achievement unlikely to be equaled.” The Night the Referee Hit Back: MemorableMoments from the World of Boxing (Rowman & Littlefield, 2020) wasdescribed as “A welcome additionto the libraries of boxing fans and sports pundits” by Publisher’s Weekly.
Silver’s work has appeared in the New York Times, The Ringmagazine, Boxing Monthly, The InternationalBoxing Research Journal, andvarious boxing web sites. He is a former inspector with the New York StateAthletic Commission and a consultant and on-air commentator for nineteen boxingdocumentaries produced by PBS, HBO, ESPN, the History Channel and Madison SquareGarden Network. He was the curator of the “Sting Like a Maccabee: The GoldenAge of the American Jewish Boxer” exhibit at the National Museum of AmericanJewish History in Philadelphia (2004-05), and a co-curator of the San FranciscoJewish Film Festival’s centerpiece program, “Jews, Boxing, and Hollywood”(2007). He is a member of the New York State Boxing Hall of Fame.
