13. A STORY OF INTRIGUE 99 14. DESTINY’S PARTNERSHIP 108 15. A SCOUT FOR TEX RICKARD 125 16. UNCLE MIKE JACOBS 138 BOOK FOUR 17. DONNYBROOKS 163 18. FIGHTING COURAGE 171 19. RINGSIDE THRILLS 176 20. LAUGHS AND ODDITIES 188 21. CHAMPS AND CHUMPS 199 BOOK FIVE 22. ADVENTURES ABROAD 211 23. A DREAM COMES TRUE 225 24. THE FITZSIMMONS CLAN 235 BOOK SIX 25. BIRTH OF _THE RING_ 245 26. MEET THE PRESS 252 27. A SUMMING UP 273 BOOK ONE [Illustration] [Illustration: 1] THE DRAMA OF SPORT I am a sports romanticist. For me, the annals of the ring are unparalleled in their appeal. The saga of what has been called the “Sour Science” achieves peaks of interest and excitement that are found in no other recreation or entertainment. That boxing has this unmatched position is not to be wondered at. A contact sport in its simplest form, it is an individual battle which tests the courage, skill and stamina of two men. Each era has its own heroes. Boxing styles keep changing. The demands of the public change as the years roll along. New faces gain popular acclaim and heighten popular controversy, and the interest in the sport gains new momentum as these colorful characters make the headlines. Since controversy is the life blood of the sport, it is easy to see why stories about boxing and the non-combatants closely associated with its promotion, management, matchmaking, and supervision, offer a special appeal to the reader. There is romance in boxing. There is a spectacular glamor to the fight parade as it rolls along through the years: the explosive violence that was Jack Dempsey winning the heavyweight championship by a knockout over the behemoth, Jess Willard; Dempsey punched out of the ring and coming back to stop Luis Firpo in the wildest four minutes ever seen in boxing’s violent history; Joe Louis getting his quick, lethal revenge on Max Schmeling; Ezzard Charles achieving a once-in-a-lifetime peak to go fifteen close rounds with slugging Rocky Marciano—these moments brighten the pages of boxing history. Not all the thrills are to be found in the padded ring. The side show often furnishes the laughs, pathos, color, and the drama that make boxing what it is; but the anecdotes that have the greatest appeal are those of the champions. The intimate side of the ring’s title holders, the behind the scenes tales of the wizards of the roped square, the hair-raising experiences, both in and out of the ring—these are the human interest stories that make boxing a world sport.