What did you know about the sport of boxing before reading the book? Are you a fan of the sport?

What did you know about the sport of boxing before reading the book? Have you ever seen a match? Are you a fan of the sport, and why or why not?

I knew nothing about the sport of boxing before reading the book and wouldn't have thought a book that involved boxing, especially women boxing would interest me. I was delightfully surprised by all the new perspectives I was exposed to as I read this book and in particular, seeing into the mind of a female character as to what they would enjoy in the sport. From Charlotte's first exposure to boxing (seeing Ruth box at a fair) to her growing fascination and desire to actually try it and the friendship that develops between her and Ruth, the plot unravelled with unfamiliar speech, words and a time in history not well known to me, grabbed my attention into making this a real page turner to read while the housework was left to the wayside and the beautiful spring days calling me outside were ignored so I could spend more time with the characters in this book!

Actually I do not like boxing and have only seen matches on TV at the Olympics. Watched them because the rules are fair and the matches stopped before things got too bloody. Did not think I would like this book because of the boxing, but was engrossed by the story and history of the sport, especially the women's role. I must say I skipped the violent descriptions of the Bristol fight and the losing of the eye, but caught the jist of the matches and the aftermath.

My knowledge of boxing was/is very rudimentary. In addition to knowing very little about the sport or the history of it, I have always been a little repelled by it. Regardless of this, I very much enjoyed reading the book and learning about the Georgian woman who fought barefisted (and bare chested!) to entertain men.

I did not know much about boxing other than knowing that some of the big fights that take place in big American cities sometimes draw rowdy crowds and Cassius Clay became Mohammad Ali. I would not consider myself a fan of the sport at all - and I am quite athletic.

The sport of boxing knowledge to me, is when I would see boxing matches on the TV. I am not a fan of boxing. I think it is very inhuman to watch two men hit each other until one passes out. I do not know why people would like to get hit all the time. I love non contact sports, though.

I had read the Great White Hope years ago and seen Raging Bull so I was aware of the darker side of boxing. Then Mike Tyson bit off the ear of one of his opponents, which cemented my lack of respect for boxers with the exception of Muhammed Ali, the person. Perhaps it is the rawness of the sport.
I never pay per view any boxing matches on cable nor would I pay thousands of dollars to pay for a ringside seat with the chance that one of the boxers might be knocked out in the first round; so I guess I am not a fan of boxing.
The Fair Fight shows the dark side of the sport, but the female characters are so well developed. The ring is a brutal place to make a living but the characters are more important than the setting which connects them.

I knew very little about boxing. I had no interest in watching two men beat each other else up. I remember the days when Ali was so popular, but never watched one of his matches. Until his daughter started boxing I did not know women boxed. I did, however, find this book very interesting and I had to look up the history of women boxing. I was happy to see some images of women boxers it gave me a better idea what it looked like.

I have been a boxing fan for a long time - follow the fights & in fact when women started boxing I had an amazing appreciation for their determination to really box-from the heart as opposed to the men's boxing which is often a lot of moving around & waiting to land the 1 big punch.
I know not every one enjoys watching a boxing match, and fewer people were able to stomach woman boxing.
I happen to be not one of them, it is the only sport I do watch.

I have not been interested in boxing because I am not interested in (what I perceive) as two people actively going out to injure each other. I can appreciate the skill involved (particularly after reading The Fair Fight) but it just doesn't appeal.

But Judy's post got me thinking - is boxing inherently more dangerous than, say, football? Which led me to a 2011 article in which a former NFL player now a boxer argues that boxing is safer than football.
http://sports.yahoo.com/news/nfl--former-nfl-player-ray-edwards--boxing-is-safer-than-football-152349231.html

I suppose there is an argument that boxers are actively going out to damage each other where in football it's just a side-effect of the game, but given the high rate of injuries in football, particularly brain injuries, I wonder if that argument holds water. (I should say I'm not a fan of football either).

So many sports involve significant risk of injury. Where is the line is between watching a sport purely to appreciate the skill of the competitors and watching because of the excitement that there is a risk that something bad might happen? At the one end of the scale would be watching purely cerebral activities such as chess and at the other end would be sports like boxing, race car driving and downhill skiing.

I always regarded the sport of professional boxing as a way for people that don't have a lot of other resources to make some money (a lot sometimes). This novel certainly upheld my thoughts. Of course the boxers must have talent and they must practice to perfect their sport in order to be successful. But I also see boxing as a way that sports promotors make huge amounts of money. Gambling and professional boxing is closely tied nowadays, just as it is in this novel. For this reason, I don't hold professional boxing in very high regard and I often wonder if some fights are "fixed" as was Ruth's fight.
Naturally collegiate and non-professional boxing is in a different category from professional boxing. Some men (and women) just like the challenge of physically beating an opponent. I'm not really a fan, but if the rules of the game are followed, I don't object to the sport.

I always regarded the sport of professional boxing as a way for people that don't have a lot of other resources to make some money (a lot sometimes). This novel certainly upheld my thoughts. Of course the boxers must have talent and they must practice to perfect their sport in order to be successful. But I also see boxing as a way that sports promotors make huge amounts of money. Gambling and professional boxing is closely tied nowadays, just as it is in this novel. For this reason, I don't hold professional boxing in very high regard and I often wonder if some fights are "fixed" as was Ruth's fight.
Naturally collegiate and non-professional boxing is in a different category from professional boxing. Some men (and women) just like the challenge of physically beating an opponent. I'm not really a fan, but if the rules of the game are followed, I don't object to the sport.

The only thing I knew about the sport was that I didn't like it. I still don't like it from the spectator point-of-view but I have a new respect for the intricacies as described by the author. The history of women boxers was new to me, especially that they fought men. Ruth's attention to technique as a boxer and a teacher was really interesting, and I'm sure was necessary for the real fighters. The women had to have been outsized and overpowered most of the time so they had to rely on technique to survive.

I don't know much about boxing, much less boxing during this time period. I really don't care to watch it as it's never been something I've been interested in. Although this is how I feel, I really did enjoy this book and have a newfound respect for boxers and their "science".

Like many of the others I am not a fan, and the passages about the fighting, not to mention those about the child prostitution, made it very hard for me to keep reading the book. I am glad I persevered. I am not sure how I felt about women boxing/fighting as I find it both nasty and empowering, I have very mixed feelings!

I live in Louisville, KY Muhammad Ali's hometown so his story is well known to me and through that, the elements of boxing.

I know little about the sport and its history. However, I really enjoyed reading this book and learning the social history of the setting. I found it interesting and enlightening. I would not have selected this book on my own. Thank you for making it available!

The only boxing I have ever watched was on the Olympics and I am not a fan. I just don't care for brutal sports.

I was familiar with the sport but would not necessarily call myself a fan. I have never paid to see a fight but have watched them on tv. I can see the draw that they have for some people but just like with Ruth's fight I can see how they are often fixed. I haven't ever watched a female fight so this was new for me. I had no idea that the sport was that old and especially for women.

I am not much interested in boxing but I really enjoyed reading the book one because it has strong women characters and two it has history.

I didn't know much about the sport before reading the book. I thought that it was more brute force than sport. The book did not change my mind, but did give me a different way of looking at it, and I was glad for that.