The Fights Author:Hoff, Ford, Woodward Seething with the raw dynanism of the boxing ring, the stunning, classic black-and-white photographs of Charles Hoff are showcased for the first time in this volume. Among the press sports photographers of the '30s, '40s, and '50s, Hoff was considered far and away the best for his ability to bring out the visual drama of an athletic event. His s... more »triking, visceral images of boxers - Archie Moore, Rocky Marciano, Joe Louis, Sugar Ray Robinson, and Jake LaMotta among them - are notable for their disquieting effect: the rich, sensuous feel of the photographs transcends the brutal violence they depict.
Interwoven with the photographs are remarkable writings on boxing by A. J. Liebling, Jimmy Cannon, William Nack, James Baldwin, and Mark Kram, plus an insightful biographical profile of Hoff by journalist Richard Woodward. With an introduction by Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Richard Ford, who also selected each essay, this volume is rich in beauty and provocative in subject matter. A powerful conjunction of photographs and words, it is a meditation on the soul of the boxer, and on the body as an instrument of violence and an inspiration for art.« less