Silver, Mike – The Arc of Boxing. The Rise and Decline of the Sweet Science.

Description

Silver, Mike ‘The Arc of Boxing. The Rise and Decline of the Sweet Science.’ 2008 1st ed. McFarland & Company. 229-pages. Vertical crease down middle of front cover but book lays flat. Former owner and South African boxing historian/collector stamp and signature on inside cover and blank page in front. There’s a crease to the covers, else very good internally. INSCRIBED by author: “To Karl de Vries, a fellow IBRO aficionado, I hear South Africa is a beautiful country. One day I hope to visit. Yours in Boxing, Mike Silver. 12/13/08.”

The Arc of Boxing: The Rise and Decline of the Sweet Science by acclaimed boxing historian and former New York State Athletic Commission inspector Mike Silver, published in 2008 by McFarland & Company, is an award-winning, analytical critique of modern boxing.

Book Summary & Key Content:
The book functions as a rigorous, comparative case study contrasting the combat technique, conditioning, and training depth of past boxing eras against those of contemporary fighters.
• The Core Thesis: Silver argues that the overall mastery, tactical defense, and physical skill-baseline of professional boxers have steadily deteriorated over the past century due to systemic socio-economic, media, and structural changes in the sport.
• The Methodology: Rather than relying purely on nostalgia, Silver anchors his perspective in historical data, fight frequencies, and interviews with premier world trainers, sports scholars, and legendary fighters.
• Era Comparison: The book breaks down and contrasts the technical strategies, psychological readiness, and punching mechanics of 20th-century greats—such as Joe Louis, Sugar Ray Robinson, and Jack Dempsey—with those of modern superstars.
• Visuals: The book spans 238 pages and includes 61 black-and-white archival photos, statistical charts, and structural graphs.

J. Karel de Vries (1923–2012) was a highly respected South African boxing historian, prominent military photographer, and dedicated member of the International Boxing Research Organization (IBRO). Books stemming from the personal, stamped libraries of famous sports historians carry automatic prestige in antiquarian sports book circles. Author inscriptions that explicitly connect two experts within a highly niche field—referencing their shared organization (IBRO) and written during the exact launch year of the book (December 2008)—substantially boost value over a generic “Best Wishes” signa