Boxing and the Mob

The Notorious History of the Sweet Science

By: Jeffrey Sussman

Narrated by: David Marantz

More than any other sport, boxing has a history of being easy to rig. There are only two athletes and one or both may be induced to accept a bribe; if not the fighters, then the judges or referee might be swayed. In such inviting circumstances, the mob moved into boxing in the 1930s and profited by corrupting a sport ripe for exploitation.

In Boxing and the Mob: The Notorious History of the Sweet Science, Jeffrey Sussman tells the story of the coercive and criminal underside of boxing, covering nearly the entire 20th century. He profiles some of its most infamous characters, such as Owney Madden, Frankie Carbo, and Frank Palermo, and details many of the fixed matches in boxing's storied history. In addition, Sussman examines the influence of the mob on legendary boxers-including Primo Carnera, Sugar Ray Robinson, Max Baer, Carmen Basilio, Sonny Liston, and Jake LaMotta-and whether they caved to the mobsters' threats or refused to throw their fights.

Boxing and the Mob is the first book to cover a century of fixed fights, paid-off referees, greedy managers, misused boxers, and the mobsters who controlled it all. True crime and the world of boxing are intertwined with absorbing detail in this notorious piece of American history.

©2019 Jeffrey Sussman (P)2019 Tantor

Brilliant

I loved this book. It presents an objective and historically encompassing view of a fascinating, semi-hidden force, pulling the strings behind curtains that we all suspect know are there but cannot articulate clearly. The author is not pretentious or presumptive and clearly states when he doesn’t know something. I truly appreciate this account of the last century of a sport that continually influences our culture.

A very interesting look at the sweet science of boxing an organized crime

This was a particularly interesting book. When I was younger, I was a huge boxing fan. My step grandfather used to tell me stories about gangsters like Lucky Luciano, and boxers like Jake, LaMotta and Carmen Basilio.. I think anybody with an interest in boxing, for the history of organized crime in this country would find this book as interesting as I did

Very good

this book did not disappoint in any way. Very revealing . the chronology was clear and relevant to the book. the narration was spot on. Not once did the narrator annoy me or become a distraction. 5 stars from me in all categories.

The Fix is In

This is an amazing book that sheds a spotlight on some of the most fascinating stories from the darkest corners of the history of the sweet science. Any boxing or mob history aficionado will love it.

Too Deep Into Mobsters background

was pretty cool book, the first hour and half or so was background syories on diferent mob guys. which is ok i guess but i wanted more boxing talk.

Very good for the real Boxing Fan

Excellent story-telling, tho the narration was a bit stilted at times. Learned things I NEVER KNEW about folks I thought were stand-up guys. The treatment of the subject is limited by its VAST scope, but the biggest influences are dealt with well and thoroughly. For the die hard boxing fan and historian this is required reading. Now I know how and why Sonny Liston REALLY died, and the ugly truth about the Raging Bull and not-so-prime Primo. Treat yourself, it’s worth it!

Great Book

Extremely well researched entertaining history of Mafia involvement in the sport of boxing, the corruption, payoffs, and of course whackings, all the usual suspects are here, Frankie Carbo, Owney Madden, and more.

Very listenable. If you like the topic, go for it!

As one might expect, at every turn there are colorful characters and tragic stories. All the familiar names are here, and well fleshed-out. You would feel you knew Arnold Rothstein, Jake LaMotta, "Mr,. Grey," and the rest, and had rubbed shoulders with them in their times and places.

fascinating

This book appealed to me in particular because I have a personal fascination with both boxing and the mob up until sometime in the 80s. After that, much like the world in general, I feel that both of those spheres of operation lost a lot of their grit and flavor, along with a sort of perverse romance that was attached to them.

But the stories like Jake LaMotta reluctantly taking a dive and making it obvious he was doing so so that no one would think he had actually been beaten, just to preserve his pride at losing to a lesser boxer, or poor Primo Carvera being given the championship in a series of fixed bouts because it suited his mob handlers' narrative to present him as the insurmountable giant, only to be taken down by Max Baer whose own personal pride dictated that he should not listen to the mob offers to throw the fight, are real life drama and human interest. Poor Carnera really thought he was a great fighter, watching his opponents drop like flies, until he actually faced a fighter who was there to win. It was doubly unfortunate for Primo that Baer happened to be the possessor of one of the hardest right hands in boxing history. And then of course, you get into the story of Cinderella Man Jim Braddock, who came off the bread lines and a broken-handed wreck of a career, to rise within a year to seizing the championship of the world.

Anyway, I could veer off sideways into my own personal fascination with the fight game of that era, but the point is that this book presents the story in a way which is accessible to those who come to it with no previous knowledge of the subject matter, but also digs deep enough to give people who have read and researched a bit new nuggets of knowledge to discover.

The writing is suitably bombastic when it needs to be, humorous when that serves the story, and occasionally tragic when that is the tale to be told. The narration is superb, enhancing the story without ever making itself the center of attention, and overall I give this a 5 out of 5 across the board.

okay book

the book is okay. nothing is in depth, and it is fairly scattered throughout the decades