Boxing

Boxing is one of the few sports that I like enough to watch on TV. I think it's because I grew up without cable. After Saturday morning cartoons were over, the only show left to watch was ABC's Wide World of Sports which featured the great comedy team of Howard Cosell and Muhammad Ali. I liked Muhammad Ali so much that I sent him a birthday card when I was about 9 years old.

Shange, Ntozake, and Edel Rodriguez. Muhammad Ali, the Man Who Could Float Like a Butterfly and Sting Like a Bee. New York: Jump at the Sun/Hyperion Books for Children, 2002

"I just give lip service to being the greatest. He [Joe Louis] was the greatest." -Muhammad Ali

Heavyweight champion Joe Louis was born on this day in 1914. Here are two excellent books about the trailblazer:

Peña, Matt , and Kadir Nelson. A Nation's Hope: The Story of Boxing Legend Joe Louis. New York: Dial Books for young readers, 2011.

Adler, David A, and Terry Widener. Joe Louis: America's Fighter. Orlando: Gulliver Books, 2005.

It's a bit dated, but I remember really liking this novel for teens:

Lipsyte, Robert. The Contender. New York: Harper & Row, 1967.

I like boxing movies, too. So many of them are tearjerkers--The Champ, Million Dollar Baby, etc.