Boxing is a sport, but the heavyweight title is also an institution. As former Black Panther leader Eldridge Cleaver once wrote, “The boxing ring is the ultimate focus of masculinity in America, the two-fisted testing ground of manhood, and the heavyweight champion, as a symbol, is the real Mr. America.” He is the man who, as John L. Sullivan boasted, could walk into any saloon anywhere and announce, “I can lick any son-of-a-bitch in the world.” As an institution—as the "real Mr. America"—the heavyweight champion is loaded heavy with cultural baggage. For more than a century, he spoke eloquently, if sometimes silently, about the changing nature of masculinity, race, and even international politics in America and the world. Beston, a journalist, explores the century of American heavyweight dominance—from its rise in the era of John L. Sullivan and Jack Johnson, to its height in the period of Jack Dempsey and Joe Louis, to the slow decline during the years of Rocky Marciano, Muhammad Ali, and Mike Tyson. His analysis lends insight not just into reigns of the champions, but what they meant to the larger social canvas of their times. A compelling study. Recommended. All readers.

Choice Reviews

Boxing is a sport, but the heavyweight title is also an institution. As former Black Panther leader Eldridge Cleaver once wrote, “The boxing ring is the ultimate focus of masculinity in America, the two-fisted testing ground of manhood, and the heavyweight champion, as a symbol, is the real Mr. America.” He is the man who, as John L. Sullivan boasted, could walk into any saloon anywhere and announce, “I can lick any son-of-a-bitch in the world.” As an institution—as the "real Mr. America"—the heavyweight champion is loaded heavy with cultural baggage. For more than a century, he spoke eloquently, if sometimes silently, about the changing nature of masculinity, race, and even international politics in America and the world. Beston, a journalist, explores the century of American heavyweight dominance—from its rise in the era of John L. Sullivan and Jack Johnson, to its height in the period of Jack Dempsey and Joe Louis, to the slow decline during the years of Rocky Marciano, Muhammad Ali, and Mike Tyson. His analysis lends insight not just into reins of the champions, but what they meant to the larger social canvas of their times. A compelling study. Summing Up: Recommended. All readers.

Choice Reviews

Attempting to condense more than a century of heavyweight boxing champions into a single and cohesive narrative is a daunting task. But that’s exactly what The Boxing Kings: When American Heavyweights Ruled the Ring sets out to do. And it succeeds admirably…. The level of detail is impressive, indicative of meticulous research.... Simply put, The Boxing Kings is a delight - a comprehensive history that segues smoothly through the years and one which should appeal to both hardcore fight fans and those with little previous knowledge of the heavyweight division’s storied past. An outstanding book. Thoroughly recommended.

Boxing Monthly

The most feared man on the planet used to be The Boxing Heavyweight Champion of the World. Sadly, those days are long gone. However, with great books like The Boxing Kings: When American Heavyweights Ruled the Ring by Paul Beston set to come out soon, the interest in boxing will only increase. Beston harkens back to some of the greatest, if not all of the greatest days of the American Heavyweight in this thrilling book. It is a can’t miss and I would highly suggest ordering your copy today!

Neo Sport Insiders

It's not a bad time, then, for a review of the subject. Paul Beston jumps all in with his fine book, The Boxing Kings…. The major stars receive much of the coverage here, and deservedly so. Still, all of the heavyweight champions receive a mention here, including those who seemed to have the title for about an hour. And almost every bout is mentioned. The classic fights - Ali-Frazier, Tunney-Dempsey, Louis-Schmeling, etc. - are covered in much more detail, and Beston comes up with some new material that will surprise even some veteran fans. Beston is the managing editor of City Journal, and has written for several newspapers, magazines and websites. He obviously knows his stuff, and that shows up on every page here. The Boxing Kings, then, takes us back to a time when boxing mattered…. [T]hose looking for information on the subject will find this an excellent source of material. Four stars.

Sports Book Review Center

In The Boxing Kings, Paul Beston, managing editor of City Journal, gives a thorough and readable tour d’horizon of the heavyweight championship from John L. Sullivan in the late 19th century, when spectator sports were first capturing the attention of Americans, though the sad end of Iron Mike Tyson’s bizarre career, which featured a meteoric rise followed by near free-fall…. Boxing is clearly a lifetime love of Beston’s. But in Kings he doesn’t attempt to hide the dark underside of the sport, which includes mob influence, thrown fights for the benefit of gamblers, larcenous promoters and managers who cheated fighters of what they earned in the ring, ravenous television executives who enabled the proliferation of sanctioning agencies and new weight divisions that produce bogus champions by the dozens. But for all the brutality and corruption of boxing, Beston is able to see and share with readers the thrills and beauty of the sweet science. Boxing fans, and those who know and/or love boxing fans, should get this fine book. Or at least tell Santa about it.

The American Spectator