Odd, Gilbert – Great Moments in Sport: Heavyweight Boxing

Description

Odd, Gilbert ‘Great Moments in Sport: Heavyweight Boxing’ 1973 1st ed. 223 pages. VG/VG. One of these has the bookplate of English boxing author/collector Peter McInnes on the inside of the front cover. (2) $20 each.

“Great Moments in Sport: Heavyweight Boxing” by Gilbert Odd, published by Pelham Books, London in 1973, is an octavo-sized, 223-page hardcover volume that serves as a focused anthology of the most dramatic turning points in heavyweight history. It was released as a foundational entry in Pelham’s popular Great Moments in Sport series.

Book Description:
Written by the iconic British boxing journalist and historian Gilbert Odd, the book profiles 23 selected legendary heavyweight contests stretching chronologically from the 1892 modern era dawn of Jim Corbett vs. John L. Sullivan to the explosive 1973 “Sunshine Showdown” between Joe Frazier and George Foreman.
Rather than walking readers through long fight-by-fight biographies, Odd shapes each entry with a targeted structural focus:
• The Fatal Flashpoint: The central thesis of the book explores the specific, often split-second tactical errors, psychological shifts, or single devastating punches that fundamentally swung the momentum of a historic championship bout and decided its final outcome.
• Historical Range: Key chapters analyze seismic boxing milestones, such as Jack Johnson’s racially charged victory over Jim Jeffries, Jack Dempsey’s savage dismantling of Jess Willard, and Joe Louis’s historic revenge match against Max Schmeling.
The publication features a robust suite of black-and-white photographic plates depicting the exact moments of impact, knockdowns, and final counts discussed in the text.