Buttercups and Strong Boys

One of the best books ever written on boxing, specifically amature boxing. The author definately got into the fighter's interior as to why they do what they do. Describes details about the complex relationship between trainer and boxer. William Plummer tries himself a go at the ring by sparring with the best fighter in the gym only to find out that a key ingredient needed to fight is the animal instinct of defeating your opponent and inflicting pain (something he found he did not have, which is something that cannot be said about writing since this man can definately write!). If you want to find out about the inner workings of young men raised in urban areas with little escape from their surroundins except by jail, death or by entering the ring, this book will provide that and much more! Also recomended on boxing are "The Sweet Science" by A.J. Liebling, "On Boxing" by Joyce Carol Oates, "To Swallow a Toad" by Robert Preston Wood.