3 Boxing Books to Add to Your Holiday Reading List

Reading books about boxing is an important (and entertaining!) component of developing a well-rounded boxing IQ. And while there’s no better way to learn how to box like a champ than regular practice on the heavy bag or in the ring, reading boxing training books can supplement your bag time. Think of boxing reading as a way to access more coaches, more training tips and philosophies, and more athletes to look up to. 

We recently pooled our FightCamp Trainers to curate this list of best books on boxing! The following books do a phenomenal job of exciting, motivating, and inspiring you both inside and outside of the gym. If you’re a boxer—recreationally, professionally, or simply just love the sport, then these books need to be on your reading list. Plus, they make excellent last-minute holiday presents for the boxer in your life. 

Best Books About Boxing

Greatest Ever Boxing Workouts - Including Mike Tyson, Manny Pacquiao, Floyd Mayweather, Roberto Duran by Gary Toddy

Flo Master’s book choice features some of the greatest boxing legends of all time. This book is multiple boxing stories in one and goes beyond fighter biographies to share the specific fitness and training regimes of top-tier athletes. Dive into a “day in the life” of former champions like Floyd Mayweather, Jr, Mike Tyson, and Roberto Duran. Side-by-side with winning boxing workout and training ideas and beautifully rendered photos and illustrations of the boxing legends in action. Compiled as an anthology, this book is perfect for reading cover-to-cover or in snippets! Plus, the cover is one heck of a conversation starter. 

A Fighter's Heart: One Man's Journey Through the World of Fighting by Sam Sheridan

Shanie Smash’s pick is part memoir, part sports writing, and part journalism. This gripping book dives into the electrifying experiences of one man’s immersive journey into Thai kickboxing. Follow Sam Sheridan as he spends a year in Bangkok training and subsequently enters the professional ring himself, facing Olympic boxers, Brazilian jiu-jitsu stars, and UFC champions. This behind-the-scenes, insider look at the world of boxing training and fighting at the ultimate level is a must for anyone who has ever dreamed of fighting or just loves chasing the boxer’s high. 

Championship Fighting: Explosive Punching and Aggressive Defense by Jack Dempsey

Coach PJ’s favorite boxing book is for the boxer that is hungry to improve their boxing technique! Of all the boxing training books out there, Championship Fighting is one of the most straightforward and detailed. From theory and training to proper footwork and defense techniques, this is a canonical text in the genre of boxing books. Plus, it’s written by the all-time great boxer, Jack Dempsey, a professional boxer who reigned as the World Heavyweight Champion from 1919 to 1926. At just 208 pages, this is a small but mighty read that will help boxers at any level improve their boxing technique and fight IQ. 

All three of these books are available in print and ebook, so they’re perfect to read on those cold winter days with a warm cup of your favorite drink or to give as gifts.

Train Like a Fighter

Take your workouts to the next level and train like a fighter with the at-home connected fitness solution used by world champion boxers Mike Tyson and Floyd Mayweather. FightCamp has everything you need to work out on your schedule, with premium boxing equipment and hundreds of on-demand strength, conditioning, kickboxing, boxing, core, and recovery classes led by real fighters. 

As Mike Tyson said - “FightCamp is the next level of training!”