1. The Professional by W.C. Heinz - Published in 1958, The Professional is an iconic work of pugilistic fiction. Boxer Eddie Brown is on a quest for the middleweight championship with crusty trainer Doc Carroll by his side. He has a wife and son, but as he pursues the belt his focus is laser sharp, enduring the sleazy characters who fill the fight game, cynical journalists, and other distractions. Heinz was a sportswriter, so this novel has the lean, stripped-down feeling of the journalism of the era. His sentences hit as hard as his hero in this fast-paced classic.
Five books on boxing: A reading rainbow of violence
