Book Review: 'Ringside' by Budd Schulberg by Mel Dixon Jun 21st 2008

Budd Schulberg is a 94-year-old American boxing scribe who has penned his views on the fight game for most of those years. His passionate regard for the sport, and the close relationship he has held with those inside the sport, over such a long period, gives him a unique standing among the boxing writers clique. These factors, along with his esteemed literary talents (he wrote 'On the Waterfront'), led him to become the only non-boxer to receive the Living Legend of Boxing Award from the World Boxing Association. In the foreword to a newly released collection of his works [Ringside - A Treasury of Boxing Reportage], Hugh McIlvanney describes him as 'a living archive of the fight business.' In reading this collection, however, it becomes apparent that most of this 'archival' knowledge and understanding centres around good ole' U.S. of A. It certainly doesn't stretch to these shores… Most of the writings naturally focus on American fighters, of whom he does make very sharp and accurate observations. But when he shifts the focus to British boxers, there is a sure change in his tone. Among those discussed are: Frank Bruno, Prince Naseem Hamed (yes him again!), Lennox Lewis, and Ricky Hatton. What follows is a patronising of British patriotism, the stereotyping of British fans, and a general ignorance and suspicion of any talent that is not American. Characterisations of Britain commence in Schulberg's opening piece. It is an account of the first international bout for the heavyweight championship of the world, taking place at the beginning of the nineteenth century, between England's Tom Cribb, and the black American ex-slave Tom Molineaux. The accounts of English patriotism set the tone for Schulberg's writings on latter day British boxing. Molineaux is described as shaking 'the complacency of a British sporting scene patriotically confident that its fighting men, like its fighting ships, were masters of the world.' This summation is difficult to argue with, but Schulberg seems to let the spirit of these times colour his views on the British boxing fraternity in the modern day. For him, the patriotic fervour created by British global dominion in the nineteenth century is almost as prevalent now, as it was then. And that this strand of nationalistic pride is a very British peculiarity. Fast forward almost 200 years and Frank Bruno is preparing for his execution at the explosive hands of Mike Tyson, in the second of their encounters. And supporting Bruno are '6,000 Brits, overdosing on love of country, queen and beer…' Apparently none of them are boxing enthusiasts or loyal Bruno fans - they are simply tub-thumping, union jacked-up numbskulls. Though he then, quite rightly, describes the dire lack of British heavyweight talent since the days of Bob Fitzimmons. It is a reminder of just how lucky we have been to witness the rise and dominance of a certain Mr Lennox Lewis. Although Mr Schulberg takes some convincing… He begins with coverage of Lewis' first round knockout of Andrew Golota. The main point of interest being the psychological frailties of the 'Foul Pole' rather than the performance of the champ himself. Nonetheless, there are some interesting revelations here, and I must admit to being unaware of Golota's heart stopping after the fight. When Schulberg moves on to Lewis' defence against Shannon Briggs (a fifth-round stoppage victory) he takes - or rather, creates - the opportunity to criticise the Brit. He refers to how Lewis was in 'serious trouble' and 'panicked' during the first round, and how even at the end of the bout, was troubled every time Briggs took a desperate swing at him. Having consequently reviewed this fight, it is difficult to agree with any of Schulberg's exaggerated descriptions. At the end of the first round a 'panicked' Lewis smiles and pats his opponent on the back, and in response to Briggs wild punches at the end of the fight, Lewis actually drops his hands and grins at his soon-to-be-conquered foe. Moving on to Lewis-Holyfield II, and he doubles up his anti-British nuances with the use of rose-tinted spectacles. His method of comparing Lewis derisively to those great champions of the past (who just so happen to be American) is his way of undermining the British world champion and his achievements - even going so far as to agree with the sentimental favourite, 'they don't have great fights anymore.' When he begs for the return of a heavyweight champion with mystique; I think we can all hazard a guess at what he's really asking for. It takes Lewis' victory over Tyson to finally convince Schulberg of his standing in the sport. But once again, in all of these pieces, the British fight fans are referred to in the most condescending of terms. One man who couldn't win over the doyen of American fight-writers, is Prince Naseem Hamed. It is quite understandable for Schulberg to take a disliking to the 'Sheffield Showman' - I know I did - but unfortunately, he allows this dislike to cloud his judgement on Hamed the fighter. Referring to his punching power as merely 'good' doesn't really do justice to a fighter with such electrifying power. Perhaps we could attribute this to our American friend only seeing him in action when he was arguably past his best. The final British fighter to grace the book is Ricky Hatton. He describes Hatton's win over Kostya Tszyu, as the biggest British boxing victory since Randolph Turpin beat Sugar Ray Robinson some 54 years earlier. He then punctuates a shower of praise with a drop of the most corrosive acid, by adding, 'at last England has a fighter with no quit in him.' For me this collection of works reveals the insular mindset of certain American writers, and shows that even the greatest of boxing commentators can be found guilty of lacking real knowledge and judgement of fighters who are not fellow countrymen. I would even go so far as to suggest that this is a particularly American trait. Because America is the capital of the boxing world, there is a greater tendency towards ignorance of the outside world scene. Conversely, British writers are fully aware that to be knowledgeable about boxing requires a real understanding of the American boxing scene. There is no doubting that Schulberg is a remarkable writer, and this collection is full of evidence to that fact. But unfortunately, the Great British Isles represent a blind spot for the great man's intellect and wisdom - a place where he finds himself sleepwalking into a minefield of cliches and stereotypes. [Budd Schulberg, Ringside - A Treasury of Boxing Reportage. Mainstream Publishing. 2008]

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