When In Doubt, Stop the Bout - A Revolutionary Approach to Boxing Safety and Reform

“Since
the inception of the Marquess of Queensberry rules boxing has understood the
need to be safer. While there have been some rule changes through the years,
many have been like applying an ‘enswell’ to reduce swelling. In his latest
book, When in Doubt Stop the Bout, Mike Silver asks the hard questions
and offers serious and innovative solutions that will make the sport safer
without diluting its primal appeal. Anyone who cares about boxing and the
fighters who put themselves at risk should read this book.”—Teddy Atlas,
Hall of Fame trainer and boxing analyst
In When
in Doubt, Stop the Bout, renowned boxing historian Mike Silver presents a
shocking exposé of the sordid underbelly of professional boxing, and uncovers
the sport’s criminally flawed infrastructure and those responsible for
it.

From
compromised referees to poorly trained ringside physicians to an insidious
cartel of “sanctioning organizations” approving dangerous mismatches, Silver
lays bare the corruption, the negligence, and the incompetence that has made a
dangerous sport even more dangerous.

But aside
from unmasking the chaotic mess that afflicts boxing, this book for the first
time proposes groundbreaking practical solutions that will mitigate the danger
and save lives. Penetrating and persuasive, When in Doubt, Stop the Bout
will change forever how you see the sport of boxing.

List of contents

Chapter 1: A Brief History

Chapter 2: The Case for Shorter Fights: Part 1

Chapter 3: The Case for Shorter Fights Part II:
Learning From the Past

Chapter 4: The Referee’s Dilemma  

Chapter 5: Educating the Referee

Chapter 6: Modifying the Rules

Chapter 7– A Referee Speaks Out –Anonymously

Chapter 8: Hands Up, Chin Down: Reviving a Lost Art

Chapter 9: Paging the Ringside Physician: Where are
you?

Chapter 10: A New Scoring Protocol

Chapter 11: Amateur Boxing vs. Professional Boxing and
the Headguard Debate  

Chapter 12: The Boxing Brain vs. The Football Brain:
Name Your Poison

Chapter 13: Boxing vs. Mixed Martial Arts: Which Sport
is More Dangerous?

Chapter 14: To Glove or Not to Glove?—That is the
Question

Chapter 15: Boxing’s Parasites: How the WBC, WBA, IBF
and WBO Continue to Undermine Boxing Safety

Chapter 16: For
Whom the Bell Tolls: Analyses of 14 Boxing Related Fatalities 1990-2022

Chapter 17: The Future of
Professional Boxing

Chapter 18: Summary of
Recommended Laws and Regulations  

About the author

Mike Silver is the author
of three books. The Arc of Boxing: The
Rise and Decline of the Sweet Science (McFarland, 2008) is
considered a classic and was recently listed as McFarland’s # 1 best-seller for
June 2023. His second book, Stars in the Ring: Jewish Champions in the
Golden Age of Boxing (Lyons Press, 2016),
was called by Publisher’s Weekly “An achievement unlikely to be equaled.” The Night the Referee Hit Back: Memorable
Moments from the World of Boxing (Rowman & Littlefield, 2020) was
described as “A welcome addition
to the libraries of boxing fans and sports pundits” by Publisher’s Weekly. 
Silver’s work has appeared in the New York Times, The Ring
magazine, Boxing Monthly, The International
Boxing Research Journal, and
various boxing web sites. He is a former inspector with the New York State
Athletic Commission and a consultant and on-air commentator for nineteen boxing
documentaries produced by PBS, HBO, ESPN, the History Channel and Madison Square
Garden Network. He was the curator of the “Sting Like a Maccabee: The Golden
Age of the American Jewish Boxer” exhibit at the National Museum of American
Jewish History in Philadelphia (2004-05), and a co-curator of the San Francisco
Jewish Film Festival’s centerpiece program, “Jews, Boxing, and Hollywood”
(2007). He is a member of the New York State Boxing Hall of Fame. 

Summary

In When in Doubt,
Stop the Bout, renowned boxing historian Mike Silver presents a
shocking exposé of the sordid underbelly of professional boxing, and uncovers the
sport’s criminally flawed infrastructure and those responsible for it.

From compromised
referees to poorly trained ringside physicians to an insidious cartel of
“sanctioning organizations” approving dangerous mismatches, Silver lays bare the
corruption, the negligence, and the incompetence that has made a dangerous
sport even more dangerous.

But aside from unmasking
the chaotic mess that afflicts boxing, this book for the first time proposes groundbreaking
practical solutions that will mitigate the danger and save lives. Penetrating
and persuasive, When in Doubt, Stop the Bout will change forever how you
see the sport of boxing.

Product details

• Authors: Silver Mike
• Publisher: Ingram Publishers Services
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Release: 29.10.2024, delayed
• EAN: 9781949590777
• ISBN: 978-1-949590-77-7
• No. of pages: 224
• Subjects: Guides > Sport > Martial arts, self-defence; BIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY / Sports, SOCIAL SCIENCE / Criminology, POLITICAL SCIENCE / Corruption & Misconduct