On Boxing: Critical Interventions in the Bittersweet Science (Routledge Focus on Sport, Culture and Society)

Review

'Why would anyone, especially those born under the bad sign of poverty and exploitation, take up the cruel sport of boxing? A long practicing pugilist himself, Joseph Lewandowski's crisply written On Boxing surpasses all studies in excavating the personal and sociological meaning of the sport. Lewandowski's profound but non-sentimental care for boxing resonates on every page, both in tone and in the creative reforms he proposes.'Gordon Marino, former boxer and boxing coach, Professor Emeritus of Philosophy at St. Olaf College (USA), and author of The Existentialist Survival Guide: How to Live Authentically in an Inauthentic Age (HarperOne, 2018).'On Boxing takes us on a journey through socioeconomic and cultural forces at play in the intersecting, inseparable worlds of boxing and the urban landscape. This is a fascinating study on every front―from the physical to the philosophical―capturing the complex nature of boxing and the absorbing characters who partake in it.'David Albertyn, author of Undercard (Spiderline, 2019).'On Boxing is the perfect introduction to the sport―brief, yet wide-ranging, and personal, but with a sharp scholarly focus. Lewandowski cleverly connects sociological aspects of boxing with ethnography, cultural studies and philosophy to create a critical understanding of the complexities inherent in a sport he knows well.'Kjell E. Eriksson, Professor of Sociology, Malmö University (Sweden) and Editor-in-chief, idrottsforum.org.

Gordon Marino

'Why would anyone, especially those born under the bad sign of poverty and exploitation, take up the cruel sport of boxing? A long practicing pugilist himself, Joseph Lewandowski's crisply written On Boxing surpasses all studies in excavating the personal and sociological meaning of the sport. Lewandowski's profound but non-sentimental care for boxing resonates on every page, both in tone and in the creative reforms he proposes.'