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The book's highlights lie in the nuanced insights gleaned from conversations with key figures in the fighters' lives. For instance, Kimball shares fascinating details about Hagler's rise to prominence through his interactions with trainers Goody and Pat Petronelli, shedding light on the motivations and bonds that drove Hagler throughout his career. Kimball's portrayal of Hagler's frustration and the subsequent controversial decision in his fight against Leonard underscores the fighter's unwavering commitment and business acumen, solidifying his status as a legend in boxing. Four Kings: Leonard, Hearns, Hagler, Duran, and the Last Great Era of Boxing" by George Kimball takes readers on a captivating journey through the careers of four iconic boxers of the '70s and '80s. Ray Leonard, Marvin Hagler, Thomas Hearns, and Roberto Duran are regarded as pillars of that era, and Kimball delves into their lives and the intertwined nature of their fights.
In a way it is a neat thing that this book was written now. I read it close to my computer and watched some of the fights again on Youtube. British director Mat Whitecross was commissioned by American network Showtime to make a documentary of those epics. It is worth noting the pair who scored 8 were so defensively sound that it was a rarity they were caught flush with a shot thus had their chin tested. Duran’s chin does not get downgraded with his KO loss to Hearns as that was the hardest right hand which would even threaten the consciousness of the most durable of pugilists.Great insight on each of these 9 super fights. Stories from each of the fighters, trainers and promoters from the 70s and 80s.
Leaving the points tally for each boxer here would still be a poor reflection into the illustrious career each of them had, therefore we have added further decisive factors that warrant extra points. The author did a tremendous job of painting each of the four boxers as unique stars in their own right, but it seemed that the moments they shared with each other in the ring made them even greater. Most observers predicted a war when these two violence artists met in 1983. What followed was a tactical battle, showing that these two were skilled technicians as well as being brutal warriors. Duran abandoned his usual come-forward aggression to box on the outside. On reflection it might have been ill-advised, but he ran Hagler close with this bold strategy. The book can be difficult to read at points, as Kimball tries to shoehorn in loads of information that doesn't always seem particularly relevant. He regularly has sentences that span five or six lines and have more commas than vowels. Also, he builds suspense in some chapters by not telling you who's won the fight until you've read a blow-by-blow account. But in other chapters you'll learn the outcome of the fight in the first couple of lines, which is a bit bizarre. They were all special fighters and athletes. They had distinct personalities, and they were real personalities. And most striking compared to the modern boxing world, these guys all fought each other.The other element I was impressed with was the detail and the stories told around each fight. It really gives an insight as to what it was like for each of the mega fights, but without overloading you with needless information.
Everything was set up for “Four Kings” to be one of the truly great boxing books. It tells the story of the middleweight boxing division during the 1980s – widely recognised as the last glory era for the sport – where the four titans of Duran, Hagler, Leonard and Hearns fought out nine epic battles against each other over the course of the decade. The late George Kimball was one of the most gifted and lauded boxing writers of his generation, possessed of a Runyonesque turn of phrase and a legendary disdain for authority and flim-flam. So it is puzzling that “Four Kings” is not quite the classic that it ought to be.Although this may look unfair to Hearns, he scores an 8 due to losing his biggest fights and having the least signature wins out of the group. In addition, all but one of his five losses come by way of KO/TKO. In his defence, his win against Virgil Hill should be more rejoiced than it is when reviewing the ‘Hitman’s’ career. world titles among them in about 4 to 5 different weight classes. These rivals fought each other 9 times. These four men defined an era in boxing,” said Stephen Espinoza, President, Showtime Sports, in a statement. “Their individual stories, forever linked by the spectacular battles they waged, reflect a tumultuous period in American culture and history. THE KINGS takes the viewer beyond the glorious action of some of history’s most memorable prizefights to illuminate each man’s dramatic journey and the societal context that made them stars of sports and popular culture.” A four-part series featuring four champions who ushered in a boxing renaissance. The series showcases the dominance of Roberto Duran, Marvelous Marvin Hagler, Thomas Hearns and Sugar Ray Leonard and their battles in and out of the ring. Season 1 Pete Hamill, American journalist and novelist, writes in his Foreword to George Kimball's book "This book is about the last Golden Age of boxing. That is, it is about a time when the matches themselves transcended the squalor of the business side of the sport, and focused only on the men who fought."
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