Corri, Eugene – Fifty Years In The Ring

Description

Corri, Eugene ‘Fifty Years in the Ring’ 1933 1st ed. 256 pages. Interesting read from this long-time leading English referee. He officiated a number of bouts between great fighters of his era. The hardcover book is in good plus condition with a well-worn but very scarce un-price clipped mylar protected jacket with some minor chipping to the head and foot of the spine. Hartley’s Boxing Bibliography: “Contains the author’s reminiscences as a boxing referee and devotee of the sport, covering the period from the meeting of Slavin and Jackson to the days of Dempsey and Tunney.”

The 1933 first edition hardcover of Fifty Years in the Ring by Eugene Corri is a 256-page volume of ring memoirs published in London by Hutchinson & Co. (Publishers) Ltd.. Released just months before his death, it serves as the final, definitive autobiography of the man widely celebrated as the “King of Boxing Referees”.

Book Details:
• Author: Eugene “Gene” Alfred Corri (one of modern boxing’s most respected early 20th-century referees)
• Publisher: Hutchinson & Co. (Publishers) Ltd., London
• Publication Year: 1933 (First Edition)
• Format: Hardcover octavo (8vo), originally issued with cloth boards and a pictorial dust jacket
• Length: 256 pages

Content & Overview:
• A Half-Century of Pugilism: The text delivers Corri’s firsthand recollections as an elite referee and a passionate devotee of the sport. It spans a vital evolutionary timeline for boxing, charting fifty years of ring history from the late 19th-century bare-knuckle crossovers up to the massive stadium events of the 1920s.
• The Golden Eras Covered: Corri guides the reader through an incredible roster of boxing eras. His reminiscences map a path starting from the legendary 1892 clash between Frank Slavin and Peter Jackson at the National Sporting Club (of which Corri was a founding member), all the way through to the high-profile heavyweight championship reigns of Jack Dempsey and Gene Tunney.
• The Referee’s Perspective: Having personally officiated more than 2,000 fights, Corri provides rare, inside-the-ropes commentary on the psychological traits, fouls, and split-second physical exchanges of great fighters like Mickey Walker and Tommy Milligan.
• A Poignant Final Work: Written during a period of declining health and financial hardship for Corri, the text reflects his characteristic stoicism, charm, and unyielding love for boxing. It remains highly prized by sports historians as a primary source document on the golden age of British and international prize fighting.
• Illustrations: The book is complete with historical black-and-white photographic plates depicting iconic combatants, classic boxing venues, and the author himself.