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Rating: 
Summary: Larry Holmes Bio
Review: Best boxing book I have read. Starts with Holmes early days even before training with Ali. Then goes through each major fight Holmes experienced. Norton, Ali, Cooney, and all 3 Spinks fights. Another book that compares to this one is King of the World, A similiar book written about Cassius Clay.
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Summary: Mr. Holmes tells it like it is.
Review: Heavy-weight champion, Mr. Larry Holmes takes the reader through the battles in the ring and his struggles outside as a human being. An honest man in a dishonest 'sport'. This easy reading, swift moving story of his rise to greatness is inspiring as well as disturbing. Mr.Holmes' inside view of the sweet science paints a picture of a greed filled, violent (outside as well as in the ring)world where money talks, and Don King does the loudest talking! The descriptions of Ali's camp in N.Y., the Norton, Cooney, and Spinks fights (Leon &Mike), bring the reading to the edge of the spit bucket. His story of the boxing establishment and the equally greedy media strips the polished image off the so called 'good guys' of boxing,King, Ali, Cosell, ABCsports. The lesson he teaches is one of perseverance. The chapters that tell of Roy Williams, an extremely talented boxer, whose skills were wasted due to the greed of D. King et.al., is moving and reminds us that our own talents and skills are often fleeting and must be preserved. For those who like boxing, for those who hate it, this book will have you cheering 'the Champ'.
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Summary: An enjoyable read.
Review: I read a review on this book in one of the leading boxing magazines, and basically it got lambasted. I can't understand why. This is quite an enjoyable account of Larrys career and life. So what if he tells it how it is and pulls no punches. Try it, if like me you are an 80's boxing fan, you'll love reliving it through this book.
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Summary: Holmes is still not pulling punches!
Review: Larry Holmes never received the respect he deserved for his accomplishments in the boxing ring, and this book gives the reader a look at the entire path which he took to becoming champion. From fight for $150 purses early in his career, to being robbed out of hundreds of thousands of dollars by Don King, to having a fight against Michael Spinks stolen from him, this book will help the Holmes admirer and detractor better understand how he had to battle to become and stay a champion. The book also gives the reader an insight into the seediness of boxing and the personalities. Very good read for the fight fan.
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Summary: Larry Holmes provides an honest first hand look at the sport
Review: Larry Holmes provides insight into the sport of boxing from the insider's perspective. He is not afraid to tackle its dark side, delving into the nuances of the corruption of the sport in general, and providing first hand examples of how the media, judges, and promoters all play a part in the last bastion of laissez faire capitalism. Holmes tackles subjects such as race, charisma, favoritism with the media, promoters, and managers, and how all of these topics tie into the survival and success of a fighter's career. The bottom line is money, and how much of it a fighter can generate and spread around to everyone in the industry. Holmes effectively ties these topics into his boxing career and demonstrates how the world outside the ring affects what occurs inside the ring. Holmes is an example of a boxer who had most everything going against him, but he played his hand to the best of his ability. Ironically, taking the hard road to the title may have made him a better fighter. You cannot judge Larry Holmes as a person or a fighter until you enter his world. His autobiography effectively opens the door to his world and courageously allows the reader to gain insight into his life and the sport of boxing.
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Summary: Long overdue Bio on ALL-TIME Great, Excellent!
Review: Phil Berger does it again. If you loved his work on Joe Frazier's bio, or his equally brilliant, Punch Lines and Blood Season, than you'll love this classic. Holmes' Long awaited biography got overshadowed by Dave Remick's King of THe World, but it was equally as good. Against All Odds reminds everyone just how great a fighter Holmes was. THe book was honest and insightful and just an overall wonderful read. If you grew up in the Ali era and didn't want to accept the great fighter who followed him or were brought up in the heavily hyped Tyson era, I suggest you pick up this book and find out what you missed. Larry Holmes was one of Top Five greatest Heavyweights of All Time and Phil Berger's book reminds us why he is deserving of such a compliment. My personal top 10: 1- Ali, 2- Holmes, 3-Louis, 4-Liston, 5-Foreman, 6-Frazier, 7-Holyfield, 8-Marciano, 9-Tyson & 10-Johnson (Dempsey & CHarles fall in at 11 & 12). Enjoy.
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Summary: Entertaining Read... but how honest?
Review: This book is definitely an entertaining and easy read. Holmes recounts his rise and reign as heavyweight champion of the world. He shares the brutal realities of professional boxing with great humor. The stories he tells about Don King's greed and audacity are hilarious and worth the price of the book alone. However, I question how honest Holmes is about himself. He portrays himself as a good, decent man in the rough and dishonest world of professional boxing. I think this is how Holmes wants to see himself. But some of his stories are clearly false. For instance, Holmes claims that Norton tried to intimidate him before the fight by staring him down. But in the tape of the fight, it is Holmes, not Norton, who is doing the staring down. I think the book reveals that Holmes didn't want to acknowledge his own anger. Instead, Holmes wants you to believe he is the constant victim.
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Summary: BRUTALLY HONEST AS ALWAYS
Review: this is a must, even if you dont like larry. his stories of his ongoing, at times surreal wars with don king are hilarious and the most compelling parts of the book, and his accounts of his early years and the weird characters that inhabit boxing, like the huge, strange, surly ex-cons Roy "Tiger" Williams and Jeff Merritt are fascinating. His long car journey up to Scranton, alone at night with the deranged Merritt in the passenger seat is bizarre in the extreme! the one problem is occasionally he skims over important world title defences with no more than a one line account of the fight. this is very frustrating. overall though i put this book in the same class as george foremans "by george", joe fraziers "smokin" and quick tillis's "thinkin big"(all highly enjoyable)and is superb. buy it, and enjoy larrys brutal honesty!!(and sense of humour)
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Summary: Entertaining Read... but how honest?
Review: World Champion Larry Holmes recounts his life inside and outside of the ring in his fascinating autobiography. This book is not some former champion hoping to make his life read like a movie script. It is a down to earth story that many sports fans can relate to. Larry pulls no punches in describing his feelings in his personal life and his professional life. It is a captivating account of this mans life and what it took to not only win the championship, but defend it so successfully. Full of humor and unabashed honesty, one comes away with a newfound respect for Larry and his many accomplishments. A lively and engaging read, "Against the Odds" is the perfect name for the life and career of Larry Holmes.
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Summary: Holmes scores knockout!
Review: World Champion Larry Holmes recounts his life inside and outside of the ring in his fascinating autobiography. This book is not some former champion hoping to make his life read like a movie script. It is a down to earth story that many sports fans can relate to. Larry pulls no punches in describing his feelings in his personal life and his professional life. It is a captivating account of this mans life and what it took to not only win the championship, but defend it so successfully. Full of humor and unabashed honesty, one comes away with a newfound respect for Larry and his many accomplishments. A lively and engaging read, "Against the Odds" is the perfect name for the life and career of Larry Holmes.
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