War, Baby: The Glamour Of Violence Book Review
The Story Of One Of The Most Brutal Boxing Bouts In History
Jun 29, 2009
This book is an account of the fight between Gerald McClellan and Nigel Benn on 25th February 1995. This fight had catastrophic results for both fighters as McClellan came out with partial hearing and next to no sight and Nigel Benn was never the same after he inflicted these injuries on his foe.
The book has received much praise, culminating in its nomination to be the William Hill Sports Book of the Year. While it didn't receive the award, it was still one of the finalists which is still a remarkable achievement. Mitchell, the author, now writes for the Guardian newspaper in England and can be seen on their website.
Mitchell explores all possible views of the fight, and interviews many of the people directly involved with both of the fighters to gather their opinions on the fight as well. In addition to this, Mitchell also runs through the careers of Benn and McClellan as to set the scene for the description of the big fight and its consequences.
The Best Things About War, Baby
- Mitchell has a very readable writing style which is informal enough to relate to but contains enough knowledge and precision to be taken seriously. As the Scotsman newspaper pointed out this book is as 'solid, straight-talking and as rock 'n' roll as sports writing gets'.
- This book was obviously very well researched and Mitchell has gone to great lengths to get interviews with everyone he felt was relevant and necessary to the text.
- The fact that the book is only 184 pages long is testament to the fact that there is no filler within it, and all the information is fascinating and relevant.
- Mitchell tries to present every possible point of view in the book. He conveys the guilt of the boxing fan for enjoying a sport as brutal and violent (as evidenced in this fight) as pugilism, while he shows the greediness of the promoters and the inner softness of the fighter equally well.
- The book is as raw as the occasion itself. It is a rough, dirty read, much like the unglamourous fight about which it is written.
The Worst Things About War, Baby
- It is debatable whether 184 pages justifies the £8.99 RRP. Mitchell should have maybe increased the length of the fighter profiles to make the book a bit longer and better value for money.
- Mitchell does sometimes jump to conclusions in the book. For example, at one point, he states like it is almost a brute fact that McClellan would have knocked Nigel Benn out had his hands been wrapped correctly.
- Sometimes, you get the feeling that Mitchell is trying to lay the blame on others for the injuries that befell McClellan, when the reality was that this could have happened in any pugilistic contest. For example, he criticises the referee and McClellan's trainers and here he seems to ever so slightly miss the point.
Is War, Baby Worth My Hard Earned Cash?
It is probably worth watching the fight before reading this book. This gives the reader the best possible background to the book, and shows the brutality that Mitchell is talking about.
For a boxing fan, this is admittedly sometimes hard to read, although the most likely scenario was that was the intention of the author. Mitchell makes the reader writhe in guilt for being a boxing fan at times, but it is useful for the reader to feel these emotions and question why they truly do enjoy the sport.
If you are interested in the fight or either of the characters this is definitely worth a go. However, be prepared as it is written with unshakable honesty, and it it makes the boxing fan think about the cruel, unforgiving nature of pugilism.
Rating: 7.0/10
War, Baby: The Glamour Of Violence by Kevin Mitchell
Publisher: Yellow Jersey Press
ISBN: 978-0-22-406073-8
