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A no-holds-barred collection of Australian boxing yarns by one of Australia's bestselling storytellers and boxing aficionado, Grantlee Kieza Boxing has given Australian sport some of our most inspiring champions and captivating tales. Stories of underdogs overcoming heartbreaks and hurdles, of endless courage and dedication, triumph and tragedy, of bitter feuds and fatal showdowns, and of tough Australian battlers who became giants in the ring.
Some of our most celebrated sporting legends have been fighters - from the heroes Les Darcy and Dave Sands, to the iconic Lionel Rose and Johnny Famechon, to the huge modern drawcards such as Jeff Fenech, George Kambosos, Kostya and Tim Tszyu, and the flamboyant female stars Sharon Anyos and Ebanie Bridges.
For many, tenacity and sheer grit ran like molten steel in their veins - Lionel Rose rising from poverty in the bush to being mobbed by a quarter of a million people after his 1968 world title win. Jai Opetaia ignoring agony to win a world title with a broken jaw in 2022. Jeff Horn, a bullied schoolboy, out-toughing Filipino Manny Pacquiao, one of the most ferocious sluggers of all time.
From the first brawls in old Sydney Town, the travelling boxing tents across the country and the first black world heavyweight champion to today's most celebrated fighters, Australia's pre-eminent boxing journalist and former assistant trainer to some of the ring's most talented champions presents our nation's greatest boxing stories.
About the author
Grantlee Kieza OAM is an award-winning journalist and the highly acclaimed, bestselling author of more than twenty biographies. Kieza held senior editorial positions at
The Daily Telegraph,
The Sunday Telegraph and
The Courier-Mail for many years and was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia for his writing. He is a Walkley Award finalist, a 2025 ABIA shortlisted author for Biography of the Year, a 2025 Indie Award shortlisted author for Non-fiction, the No. 1 history author in Australia in 2024, and the author of national bestsellers
Mr and Mrs Gould,
Sister Viv,
Flinders,
The Remarkable Mrs Reibey,
Hudson Fysh,
Lawson,
Banks,
Macquarie,
Banjo,
Mrs Kelly,
Monash and
Bert Hinkler.
