Straight Writes and Jabs

Book excerpt: Commenting on Thomas Hauser's annual collections of articles on boxing, Ring Magazine declared, "What makes Hauser's stories so extraordinary is that the man many consider 'The Dean of Boxing Writers' refuses to allow his admiration for the sport to blind him to its dark side. His annual volumes on boxing have become required reading for hardcore and casual fans alike." Straight Writes and Jabs is the latest in the popular series. It brings readers into the dressing room with elite champions in the moments before some of 2012's biggest fights. Hauser's award-winning investigative journalism is on display in a groundbreaking exposé of the use of performance-enhancing drugs. There's a look back in time at the incomparable Archie Moore and much more. Thomas Hauser is the author of forty-five books. His first work, Missing, was made into an Academy Award–winning film. He later authored Muhammad Ali: His Life and Times, the definitive biography of the most famous fighter ever. In 2004, the Boxing Writers Association of America honored Hauser with the Nat Fleischer Award for Career Excellence in Boxing Journalism.