icon caret-left icon caret-right instagram pinterest linkedin facebook twitter goodreads question-circle facebook circle twitter circle linkedin circle instagram circle goodreads circle pinterest circle

Review by Harry Schaffer of "Antiquities of the Prize Ring.com"

This is not merely another book arguing Sugar Ray Robinson was "better" than Roy Jones, Jr., although it does, or that the last "real" heavyweight champion was Rocky Marciano or was it Joe Louis and why wasn't Sonny Liston champion for a generation any way?
Mike Silver has assembled the views of true Men of the Ring and interwoven their vision of the events and event makers of the sport with his own astute observations to produce arguably the most thoughtful, fact based comparative analysis of the state of boxing and boxers ever written.
While Mr. Silver ultimately argues the case of the "Decline of the Sweet Science" he may well have ushered in the resurgerance of the "Shadow Science" that other plane of existence where time has no meaning and Walker Smith a.k.a. Sugar Ray Robinson is forever twenty years old and it is the late winter of 1941 and in back to back acts of retribution Sugar Ray settles the score with Fritzie Zivic, while over in the Bronx it is a warm June night of 1938 with the world at the brink of war Joe Louis destroys Max Schmeling in 2:04 of the first round; where else but Yankee Stadium, or in that timeless land Roy Jones, Jr. drops Virgil Hill with a body shot and Jones is in that instant the bsst in his business and in his prime at 29 years . In this timeless world the battles are fought across the ages ; where Robinson can be forever 20 years old, Jones is 29 and Joe Louis is well Joe Louis and they are all forever young. It is in that world where the "Shadow Science" stops the hands of time and all are the best of their own personal best. Mike Silver takes you for a tour of that world.
Thus as Mike Silver despairs the passage of the Sweet Science he has assured that the epic battles will rage on in the land of the Shadows.
as too the debate rages on...
If you love boxing or boxing history you really must own this book.
-Harry Shaffer. Antiquities of the Prize Ring
*Teddy Atlas, Mike Capriano, Jr.,Rollie Hackmer, Freddie Roach, Emanuel Steward. Erk Arnold,Tony Arnold, Dan Cuoco, Ray J. Elson,Tony Fosco, Bill Goodman, Chuck Hasson, Hank Kaplan,Ted Lidsky, Ph.D., Steve Lott, "Tiger" Ted Lowry, Wilbur "Skeeter"McClure Ph.D, Carlos Ortiz, Sal Rappa, Kevin Smith, Teddy Todd Ph.D.,and Edward Villella.