Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A magnificent journey into the dark heart of pro boxing, 11 Aug 2000
By A Customer
This is a truly stunning book. As a fan of quality sports writing my attention was drawn to Dark Trade when it collected the'William Hill Sports book of the year' in 1996. I was rewarded with one the finest reads of my life. McRae takes us upon a fantastic journey with a multitude of famous characters whom we are familiar with from T.V. and the media, but unlike these other mediums he takes us far, far deeper into the very psyche of these brave warriors. Dark Trade truly conveys the fear and glory and seedy nature of professional boxing. For the die hard boxing fan or anyone with a modicum of interest this truly is in my opinion a MUST read book.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
a valuable insight into the world of boxing, 7 Oct 1999
By A Customer
The closest i've ever been to a boxing match was in the play ground, and so McRae's account of being a boxing journalist makes good reading for fight novices. He cuts through the posturing, posing and polemic of boxing promotion, giving the reader an insight to the boxers, their families, trainers and managers. The sanitised vision of boxing is undone by descriptions of it's exploitative and gruesome nature, but the honor and dignity of the boxers always shines through. The mental strength of the boxers, is nicely offset my the author's fears and doubts. The account of waiting with a fighter in the last few moments before he enters the ring are lucid, compelling and shot through with fear. Dark Trade is an unashamedly personal book, it diaries McRae's relationship with several boxers, his sympathies and preferences for one fighter over another, are made clear. This candidness enhances our faith in McRae. He is simply a fan who struggles to reconcile his liberal and principled humanity with boxing's excessive and ugly brutality. Dark Trade is a valuable insight into the difficult relationship between boxers and their trade. A wonderful book that will change the way you watch your next boxing match.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Cannot recommend it more, 17 Feb 2003
This is a superb book. Through brief glimpses into the worlds of various top boxers you can create a picture of the modern condition of professional boxing. It is written like a memoir, a journal or a diary, following the author from his first meeting with Mike Tyson, traveling to various places around the world, interviewing the likes of Roy Jones, Oscar de la Hoya, Chris Eubank to name a few, and then coming full circle to meet Mike Tyson again before he fought Evander Holyfield. It gives insight into the psychology of a fighter, and the politics of all those controlling him, and even glimpses of the personal lives, introducing wives, girlfriends, children. Any fan of boxing would find this book a pleasure to read, I have loaned my copy to six people, all of whom enjoyed it, and surprisingly not all were boxing fans. It is written by a fan for a fan, and the author treats each of the legends with the same respect, awe and compassion that they all deserve. I simply cannot recommend this book any more than to say it is a must read for anyone. This is a total all-rounder. **********, ten out of ten.
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