Melissa Compton.
Ralph Oates recently published book: a round of boxing is a beautifully put together timeline of key events in the sport of boxing from 1891- 2017. The book which is conveniently split into 10 chapters or rounds as they are called each covering a specific time frame. A lot of the information in the first few is essential reading and a base point for the rest of the book with the Forward written by Gary ‘Dynamite’ De ’Roux, which is highly conversational and full of praise. The two indexes of weight divisions and world boxing organisations are useful.
The style of the writing by Ralph Oates in the introduction has a great conversational flow and structure, and it’s a stark contrast to the rest of the book which is densely packed full of facts sandwiched with sentences that bind the events together as Ralph takes our hand and gently guides us through time in the world of boxing. The photographs are of superb quality and nicely support and break up the text of the page, enhancing our reading pleasure.
Ralph’s knowledge and experience are clear as he writes with authority on the subject, in a clear straight-forward way that anyone can understand. While he’s careful attention to acknowledge both his own boxing skills and everybody who contributed towards the making of this book consistently throughout the book demonstrates his lovable personality.
This book is a great resource for anyone who wants to learn about the world of boxing, and what events led to the sport becoming what it is today. You don’t need a lot of boxing knowledge either, the book clearly explains the sport in a relaxed and easy to understand manner.
