Type of bind: Hardcover
Dewey Decimal Number: 796.83092
EAN num: 9780312187361
ISBN number: 031218736X
Label: St. Martin's Press
Manufacturer: St. Martin's Press
Quantity: 1
Page Count: 304
Printing Date: October 15, 1998
Publishing house: St. Martin's Press
Sale Popularity Level: 1035882
Studio: St. Martin's Press
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Editor's Notes and Comments:
Amazon.com Review:
An odd twist of publishing fate once again has former heavyweight champion Larry Holmes locked with and overshadowed by the presence of Muhammad Ali; David Remnick's superb biography of the Greatest, King of the World, was published at the same time. The image of his former sparring partner--the beloved, quick, and graceful Ali--haunted Holmes throughout his career, which is too bad, because Holmes was a terrifically skilled fighter who could both box and hit. Like so many boxing stories, Holmes's begins on the wrong side of the tracks; he fights himself out and up from there. Straight-ahead, hard-working, cautious at times, and free of attending glitz, Against All Odds mirrors Holmes's style in the ring and out of it. Its strength is its candor. Holmes never could hide his emotions--or his petulance. His autobiography makes clear his respect for Ali, his hatred of Don King, and the angers that raged around his fight with Gerry Cooney. Indeed, rage is a character in itself. 'It was the part of me that always scared me a little because I never completely accepted the fact that I had it in me,' Holmes writes. Accept it or not, he rode it to the title, and, no small feat, held that title for seven years. --Jeff Silverman
User popularity level:
Rated by buyers 
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It's a great book. I've met and spent some time with Larry in our hometown of Easton, PA and he really's done great things for the city, though he does gloss over one issue he had when he wanted them to rezone a parcel so he could create a business. He doesn't say that it was going to be a fast-food fried chicken restaurant and that city leaders thought the valuable land could be put to better use than that. Instead, he wonders if it was racial. Other than that, an excellent portrait of the difficulty in rising to the top of the boxing world. It's a real Horatio Alger type story. Phil Berger does a great job ghostwriting it for Larry.
Rated by buyers 
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This was a good read about an important fighter, the man who very nearly became the heavyweight champion with the best winning record.
Larry's story is interesting and while there may have been a touch of self-aggrandishment throughout, he did not overdo it. I think that he could have gone into more detail about certain fights eg vs Tyson, and he could have discussed the life of a champion outside of the ring more than he did, but these are minor quibbles while looking at the book overall.
A good read.
Rated by buyers -
This book is definitely an entertaining and easy read. Holmes recounts his rise and reign as heavyweight champion of the world. He shares the brutal realities of professional boxing with great humor. The stories he tells about Don King's greed and audacity are hilarious and worth the price of the book alone. However, I question how honest Holmes is about himself. He portrays himself as a good, decent man in the rough and dishonest world of professional boxing. I think this is how Holmes wants to see himself. But some of his stories are clearly false. For instance, Holmes claims that Norton tried to intimidate him before the fight by staring him down. But in the tape of the fight, it is Holmes, not Norton, who is doing the staring down. I think the book reveals that Holmes didn't want to acknowledge his own anger. Instead, Holmes wants you to believe he is the constant victim.
Rated by buyers -
This book is definitely an entertaining and easy read. Holmes recounts his rise and reign as heavyweight champion of the world. He shares the brutal realities of professional boxing with great humor. The stories he tells about Don King's greed and audacity are hilarious and worth the price of the book alone. However, I question how honest Holmes is about himself. He portrays himself as a good, decent man in the rough and dishonest world of professional boxing. I think this is how Holmes wants to see himself. But some of his stories are clearly false. For instance, Holmes claims that Norton tried to intimidate him before the fight by staring him down. But in the tape of the fight, it is Holmes, not Norton, who is doing the staring down. I think the book reveals that Holmes didn't want to acknowledge his own anger. Instead, Holmes wants you to believe he is the constant victim.
Rated by buyers -
World Champion Larry Holmes recounts his life inside and outside of the ring in his fascinating autobiography. This book is not some former champion hoping to make his life read like a movie script. It is a down to earth story that many sports fans can relate to. Larry pulls no punches in describing his feelings in his personal life and his professional life. It is a captivating account of this mans life and what it took to not only win the championship, but defend it so successfully. Full of humour and unabashed honesty, one comes away with a newfound respect for Larry and his many accomplishments. A lively and engaging read, "Against the Odds" is the perfect name for the life and career of Larry Holmes.
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