Review: The Fight Game in Black and White: A History of Black Boxing – Ray Scott & Charley Rosen

I received this book for free from in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

An American sports legend offers a sweeping Black history of boxing, celebrating the trailblazing athletes who fought in the ring and against racial injustice.

Features a 16-page photo insert.

Here is Peter Jackson, a free-born Black tradesman and boxer from the island of St. Croix who KO’d the white boxer Tom Leeds in the thirtieth round to win the Australian Heavyweight championship in 1886. Most white fighters refused to get into the ring with Jackson. “Gentleman” Jim Corbett was one of the few who not only fought him, but said of him afterwards that Jackson was the most intelligent fighter he ever faced and could beat any heavyweight that Corbett ever fought or ever saw.

Here too of course are boxing legends Jack Johnson and Joe Louis, but also the dozens of outstanding Black boxers who fought from the late 1800s to the end of the 20th century, overcoming their opponents and facing discrimination in an array of forms, from being disqualified unfairly after winning fights to being mobbed and injured in the ring by white assailants while referees and judges looked on impassively, to having mobster managers who gave them only a minute portion of their winnings.

Here is Joe Gans, the first American-born Black boxer to win a world championship, in 1902, and who dominated the sport throughout the first decade of the 20th century. Here too is Sam Langford, who became heavyweight champ in 1923. But through most of the first half of the twentieth century Black boxers were separated into Black leagues and there were Black champions rather than world champions who were Black. That all began to change in the 1930s with Joe Louis. A new generation of Black boxers would come up after him, standing on Joe Louis’s shoulders, Floyd Patterson, George Foreman, Sonny Liston, Archie Moore, Larry Holmes, Ken Norton, Joe Frazier, and finally the young Cassius Clay, who would rename himself Muhammad Ali and come to dominate the sport for decades, and after him, though not a heavyweight, the great Sugar Ray Leonard.

Scott’s unique perspective brings fresh insight and passion even to well-known stories about the fight game, and every time he adds something new.

The Fight Game in Black and White: A History of Black Boxing takes a close look at boxing by focusing on race, resilience, and opportunity. Starting with the first Black fighters and moving through the times of Jack Johnson, Joe Louis, and Muhammad Ali, the book shows how Black boxers shaped the sport, even as they were often denied the same chances as white fighters.

The book shines a light on pioneers like Peter Jackson, George Dixon, Joe Gans, Joe Walcott, and Sam Langford, fighters who deserve much more recognition in boxing history. Their stories show that talent was not always enough. Champions sometimes refused to fight them, promoters put up obstacles, and their wins were often overshadowed by racism both in and out of the ring.

Scott mixes fight results, history, and personal stories to show how boxing gave Black athletes a rare chance to push against social and racial limits. The book tells the story not just of championship fights, but also of the long fight for respect, visibility, and equality.

In the later chapters, the book looks beyond the fighters to explore important trainers, managers, and the lasting influence of icons like Muhammad Ali, whose impact reached far beyond the sport.

The book’s biggest strength is how much history it covers, but this can sometimes be a drawback. Sometimes, the story feels more like a group of connected biographies than one smooth narrative. The many fighters, records, dates, and fight details might overwhelm readers who want a deeper look at certain eras or a more focused story. The amount of information and the importance of these stories make the book engaging and worth reading.

Full of history and memorable people, The Fight Game in Black and White is both a record of boxing and a story of perseverance against unfair barriers. It reminds us that some of the most important fights in boxing were not for titles, but for the right to compete equally.

Reviewed by: Orsayor

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