Looking for a Fight

Book excerpt: When David Matthews began to research the strange underworld of boxing, he found that many were reluctant to talk to a writer looking for colour pieces without really understanding the sport. So he decided take them on at their own game and began a two-year training programme so he could have one professional fight. LOOKING FOR A FIGHT is Matthews' story of his own battle for fitness, the difficulty of learning how to punch properly and how to take a punch. Above all, he reveals what really motivates the characters that he worked and trained with. What makes someone risk their life for a purse of a few hundred pounds? Why do so many boxers believe that God is on their side? Is boxing a force for good in our society? This is a remarkable account of boxing from within and without.