Boxing Stories

September 15, 1978 - Muhammad Ali won the World Heavyweight Boxing Title for the 3rd time.  Here are ten boxing stories.

The Berlin Boxing Club by Rob Sharenow - Karl Stern has never thought of himself as a Jew; after all, he's never even been in a synagogue. But the bullies at his school in Nazi-era Berlin don't care that Karl's family doesn't practice religion. Demoralized by their attacks against a heritage he doesn't accept as his own, Karl longs to prove his worth.
Then Max Schmeling, champion boxer and German hero, makes a deal with Karl's father to give Karl boxing lessons. A skilled cartoonist, Karl has never had an interest in boxing, but now it seems like the perfect chance to reinvent himself.
But when Nazi violence against Jews escalates, Karl must take on a new role: family protector. And as Max's fame forces him to associate with Nazi elites, Karl begins to wonder where his hero's sympathies truly lie. Can Karl balance his boxing dreams with his obligation to keep his family out of harm's way?

Girls Can't Hit by Tom Easton - Fleur Waters never takes anything seriously--until she shows up at her local boxing club one day to prove a point. She's the only girl there, and the warm-up alone is exhausting . . . but the workout gives her an escape from home and school, and when she lands her first uppercut on a punching bag she feels a rare glow of satisfaction.
So she goes back the next week, determined to improve. Fleur's overprotective mom can't abide the idea of her entering a boxing ring (why won't she join her pilates class instead?). Her friends don't get it either and even her boyfriend, 'Prince' George, seems concerned by her growing muscles and appetite--but it's Fleur's body, Fleur's life. So she digs in her heels in hope that she can overcome the obstacles and strike a blow for equality. Book 3 of 3 in the Boys Don't Knit series

Incinerator by Niall Leonard - Following the bloody deaths of his mother and father, Finn Maguire is determined to make a fresh start, running a boxing gym in the bruised and bitter heart of the city. But when loan sharks target his business partner and his lawyer vanishes with all his money, Finn is dragged down into London's underworld once more, with only his fists and his wits to keep him alive.  Book 2 of 3 in the Crusher series

A Kid From Southie by John Shea & Michael Harmon - Desperate to help his unemployed mother, seventeen-year-old Aiden O'Connor reluctantly begins working for the Irish mob in tough South Boston, despite his coach's efforts to convince him he could be a professional boxer.

Knockout by K. A. Holt - Levi just wants to be treated like a typical kid. As a baby, he had a serious disease that caused him respiratory issues. He's fine now, but his mom and overprotective brother still think of him as damaged, and his schoolmates see him as the same class clown he's always been. He feels stuck. So when his dad--divorced from his mom--suggests he take up boxing, he falls in love with the sport. And when he finds out about a school with a killer boxing team and a free-study curriculum, it feels like he's found a ticket to a new Levi. But how can he tell his mom about boxing? And how can he convince his family to set him free?

My Life in Black and White by Natasha Friend - Lexi has always been stunning. Her butter-colored hair and perfect features have helped her attract friends, a boyfriend, and the attention of a modeling scout. But everything changes the night Lexi's face goes through a windshield. Now she's not sure what's worse: the scars she'll have to live with forever, or what she saw going on between her best friend and her boyfriend right before the accident. With the help of her trombone-playing, defiantly uncool older sister and a guy at school recovering from his own recent trauma, Lexi learns she's much more than just a pretty face. And a boy, the kind of boy Lexi never would have considered before the accident, is willing to help her find an outlet for her anger with some boxing gloves.

Phoenix Island by John Dixon - A champion boxer with a sharp hook and a short temper, sixteen-year-old Carl Freeman has been shuffled from foster home to foster home. He can't seem to stay out of trouble--using his fists to defend weaker classmates from bullies. His latest incident sends his opponent to the emergency room, and now the court is sending Carl to the worst place on earth: Phoenix Island.
Classified as a "terminal facility," it's the end of the line for delinquents who have no home, no family, and no future. Located somewhere far off the coast of the United States--and immune to its laws--the island is a grueling Spartan-style boot camp run by sadistic drill sergeants who show no mercy to their young, orphan trainees. Sentenced to stay until his eighteenth birthday, Carl plans to play by the rules, so he makes friends with his wisecracking bunkmate, Ross, and a mysterious gray-eyed girl named Octavia. But he makes enemies, too, and after a few rough scrapes, he earns himself the nickname "Hollywood" as well as a string of punishments, including a brutal night in the "sweatbox." But that's nothing compared to what awaits him in the "Chop Shop"--a secret government lab where Carl is given something he never dreamed of.
A new life...A new body. A new brain. Gifts from the fatherly Old Man, who wants to transform Carl into something he's not sure he wants to become. For this is no ordinary government project. Phoenix Island is ground zero for the future of combat intelligence. Book 1 of 2 in the Phoenix Island series

Straight Punch by Monique Polak - How bad can an alternative school be? Tessa McPhail has landed at New Directions, a last-chance school in Montreal's roughest neighborhood. The kids are tough and the school is far from home, but the very worst thing is the curriculum: 50 percent academics, 50 percent boxing. The other students think boxing is cool. Tessa disagrees. But when a neighbor starts a petition to have New Directions closed down, Tessa discovers something worth fighting for, both in and out of the ring.

Sucker Punch by Ray Banks - In this, the second Cal Innes novel, Cal is looking forward to continuing his job as caretaker at Paulo's gym without the barbed-wire collar of parole. But a prodigal amateur boxer named Liam needs someone to go with him to his first major tournament in Los Angeles, and with rumors of a rigged competition, Cal's babysitting job swiftly turns into something dangerous. As his codeine habit and Liam's temper spin out of control, Cal finds himself in the desert, staring down the barrel of a gun. Suddenly the City of Angels doesn't seem quite so heavenly. Book 2 of 4 in the Cal Innes series 

Unleashed by Sigmund Brouwer - Jace has it all--money, cars and status. What he doesn't have is a happy home life. Forced to protect his brother from an abusive father and a neglectful mother, Jace lives a double life on the wrong side of the tracks, learning to box and trying to survive on his own merits while plotting to expose his father as the monster he is. Working reluctantly with two girls who have their own thoughts of vengeance, Jace finds that he is not as alone as he thought and that there are people he can trust. Part of the Retribution series