Not the Greatest
The Sweet Science is generally touted as not only the greatest boxing book, but the greatest sports book of all time. This seems a gross exaggeration. In terms of boxing literature, it lacks the depth of Floyd Patterson's Victory Over Myself or Sugar Ray Robinson's autobiography. In terms of historical value it lacks the scope of Peter Heller's "In This Corner..."
The Sweet Science is definitely a good book for fans of boxing, but its status as the Greatest Ever seems too highly influenced by the smart-alecky-clever style that dominates sports coverage since the advent of ESPN. I recommend the other volumes first.
