3 Review(s)

Richard Herring's first book introduces the readers into the wonderfully colourful world of boxing. Herring for perhaps, the first time ever, looks not just at the excitement and brutality that is produced on fight night, but rather, instead, focuses on the events that lead up to the fight. In every World Title fight that there has ever been, both fighters and both fighters teams have taken every opportunity to do everything and anything they can to undermine the fighter and his preparations. When Herring talks about The Dark Arts, he looks at the psychological warfare that each fighter wages on the other and enlightens the reader to the unique mental strength that each man must posses not only to get to the top, but to stay there. The Darks Arts is set just before the fight of the year. The champion Cornelius "Max" Power is boxing's longest reigning and most feared Champion and is famed for coining the phrase for not only his ability to rough fighters up with an assortment of semi legal tactics, but rather for his ability to completely psyche out an opponent before the first bell has even been rung. His opponent "Sugar" Ray Reynolds is not an ordinary fighter, blessed with a huge edge in height and reach, blinding speed and freakish one punch power he is considered by one and all to be the heir apparent. Something must give, will the aging champion have too much for the young contender or will youth be served. It is the immovable object against the irresistible force.