Book description
More than the world heavyweight championship was at stake when Joe
Louis fought Max Schmeling on 22 June 1938. In a world on the brink of
war, the contest was projected as a test of nationalistic, racial and
political ideals. It was black man against white man, a showdown
between democracy and totalitarianism.
No single event in the history of boxing generated as much
excitement or such extremes of emotions. It was the night Louis hit a
peak of fistic perfection, hardly missing a punch as he destroyed the
challenger inside three brutal minutes.
Following the Second World War, the two boxers' lives took
contrasting turns. Louis was hounded over unpaid taxes and drifted
into a hazy world of drugs, paranoia and ill health, eventually dying
in 1981. Schmeling, meanwhile, became a successful businessman and
remained active until his death in 2005.
Ring of Hate is a gripping story of two men drawn together by
their chosen profession and divided by the cruel demands of warring nations.
Patrick Myler is a writer and boxing historian. His articles have
appeared in
The Ring
,
Boxing News
,
Boxing Monthly
and
British Boxing Yearbook
.
