Books by Mark Allen Baker

A biography of Oscar Battling Matthew Nelson, without question the toughest and most durable professional boxer ever to enter a ring. In the years since his death in 1954, there has been little disagreement over the significance of his life: a bona fide ring champion, whose endurance was second to none, and whose trilogy with Joe Gans was one of the greatest in sports history.

Taking to the ring as a ""bootleg"" boxer to support his family, Lou Ambers, 'The Herkimer Hurricane' soon became an undefeated contender, losing only one of more than fifty fights in his first three years as a professional. This book chronicles the life of one of the great 20th century lightweights, who retired with a record of 109-89 with 29 KOs.

For six decades the World Colored Heavyweight Championship was a useful tool of racial oppression - the existence of the title more important to the white public than its champions. This book traces the history of the Championship, the stories of the 28 athletes who won it, and the demarcation of the colour line both in and out of the ring.

Inside Madison Square Garden, the City Ring was the altar of pugilism from 1925 until 2007. Hosting championship fights, historic main events and memorable undercards, it was centre stage of boxing history. While many books have been written about great fistic contests that took place at the Garden, this is the first to focus on its Holy Grail.