Sugar, Bert – The 100 Greatest Boxers of All Time

Description

Sugar, Bert ‘The 100 Greatest Boxers of All Time’ 1984 1st ed. A Rutledge Book. Bonanza Books, New York. 224-pages. VG with a good minus dust jacket that has some staining on the front and a couple very small internal tape repairs at the head of the inside of the spines jacket.

Edition Analysis:
The pictured copyright page indicates that this copy is a First Edition, First Printing of this specific 1984 publication.
In traditional book publishing, a descending string of letters is used by certain publishers (including Crown Publishers and its imprint Bonanza Books) to indicate the printing number. The letter code on this page reads:
h g f e d c b a
Because the string runs all the way down to “a”, it signifies that this copy is from the very first press run (first printing).

Book Summary & Key Content:
The 100 Greatest Boxers of All Time is an acclaimed, deeply researched evaluation of the sport’s finest prize-fighters by legendary sports historian and Ring Magazine publisher Bert Randolph Sugar. Released as an oversized coffee-table book, it serves both as an entertaining narrative and an argumentative framework for sports debaters.
• The Rankings: Rather than simply listing legends, Sugar risks controversy by strictly ranking the top 100 fighters in definitive order. His list famously crowns Sugar Ray Robinson as number one, followed closely by Henry Armstrong and Harry Greb. Other historic icons are placed precisely throughout, including Muhammad Ali at #10, Willie Pep at #12, and Rocky Marciano at #19.
• Biographical Profiles: Every entry includes a comprehensive analytical breakdown detailing the boxer’s unique style, defining ring massacres, tactical strengths, weaknesses, and historical significance.
• Archival Photographs: The book stands out for its extensive imagery, heavily drawing from the historic archives of Jimmy Jacobs and Murray Goodman. It features dozens of rare, high-contrast black-and-white photos captures, many published here for the first time.
• The Record Baseline: Each fighter profile is anchored by a concise career record sketch compiled by boxing researcher John Grasso.

Book Specifications:
• Author: Bert Randolph Sugar
• Publisher: Bonanza Books, New York (Distributed by Crown Publishers, Inc.)
• Imprint Production: A Rutledge Book
• Designers: Richard Kubicz and Antonio Grippi
• Editors: Hedy Caplan and Jennifer Weiss
• Format: Hardcover with Dust Jacket
• Page Count: 224 pages (sometimes indexed up to 232 pages including end sheets)
• ISBN-10: 0517448262
• ISBN-13: 978-051744826