The Best Books to learn Boxing

If you’re looking to improve your boxing skills then these books are a great place to start. Here, we’ve chosen a mixture of books that are suited towards both beginners and veteran boxers. It should be noted that these books are not about boxing history or culture, so you won’t find any biographies here. Instead, they are focused on technique, training, and how to get better. So, if you want to improve your boxing skills as a martial artist, these are some of the best books going.

At the same time, these aren’t just geared towards boxing professionals either. If you want to use boxing workouts to improve your fitness, or to improve your technique as a beginner – there’s something for everyone. These books have been selected based on the following criteria:

• Price (affordability)
• Detail (depth and description)
• Specificity (certain books covering niche areas of boxing)
• Layout (photographs and diagrams)

Box Like the Pros by Joe Frazier

You may think that this book is based solely on technique as it’s written by Joe Frazier, but here he proves that he’s a true boxing nut and also talks about getting started, the amateur circuit, and general boxing culture. Although it does feature techniques such as his iconic left hook with detailed pictured, it’s also great for beginners looking to start out in the sport and possibly even compete.

So, it has stuff like hand wrapping techniques from Frazier’s perspective which is nice, but also comes with a lot of actual boxing and striking techniques for the ring as well. In general, it’s a very well-written, useful book which also gives an insight into the mind of one of boxing’s greats too.

Greatest Ever Boxing Workouts by Gary Todd

Undoubtedly, author Gary Todd has put countless hours of research into this book which really pays off. Here, he closely looks at the workouts used by some of the greatest in the sport – such as Mayweather Jr, Mike Tyson, and several others. Obviously, if you can mimic their workouts and see what makes them tick then it will be great for your own development as a boxer. Even if you’ve been training for years, there’s a good chance you’ll come away with something from reading this book that you can fit into your own regime and become a better boxer as a result.

Championship Fighting by Jack Dempsey

As the sub-title suggests, this book is based on explosive punching and aggressive defense. Obviously, if you can put these aspects into your game then you’re going to succeed. This shows all sorts of technical details such as correct footwork, stance, posture and much more. It’s also written by legendary boxer Jack Dempsey, so you know it’s written by someone who truly knows the art.

Another positive of this book is that Dempsey also talks about self defense quite a lot. Whilst many of his ideas can be used for sports boxing, this book is also very handy for those looking at boxing as a martial art, and wanting to learn how to defend themselves.

Peek-A-Boo Boxing Combinations by Sam Ness

This book is written with a close eye on Cus D’Amato, who pioneered the peek-a-boo boxing style. This was a method used to string combinations together, based on the reaction of the opponent. As a result, if you get good at this style then it can easily lead to knockout blows and victories in the ring. Here, author Sam Ness goes into various peek-a-boo techniques, but also very importantly, he also looks at the training regimes behind these techniques. If you want to learn some fast, fundamental combos then this book is a very good place to start.

The Straight Left by Jim Driscoll

Complete with multiple photographic demonstrations, The Straight Left by Jim Driscoll is exactly what its title suggests. This is a book based on using your left handed jab and making it as good as possible. Whether that’s for offense, defense, or counters, practically everything you ever need to know about the straight left is in this book. Obviously, this book is specialist so don’t expect to learn about right hooks or other techniques, but if you’re looking to improve this specific part of your game then this book is a great place to begin.

Boxing Head Movement by Frank Sasso

This book is short and has a total of 48 pages, so beware – it’s not exactly a library of head movement techniques. However, it is reflected in the price and is a good read for those that want to learn and improve everything about head movement. What’s nice about this book is that it has all sorts of drills on improving your head movement and also quite a few of them are unorthodox and unusual. As said, it may not be the biggest book in the world but if you’re looking for something to enhance your head movement, then this book does the job.

Heavy Bag Combinations by Sammy Franco

Another specific book based on one area of boxing is Heavy Bag Combinations by Sammy Franco. As the title suggests, this book is based on combos on the heavy bag is great if you’re training alone or have a bag present. As you will see, there’s been a lot of time and energy spent into writing and researching this book, so if you’re after something on the heavy bag then it’s well worth an investment.

For instance, there are over 300 photos used to help guide you with visual techniques, as well as various combinations. Another good feature of this book is that it’s written for different practitioners. Whether you’re a hobbyist, pro boxer, or just someone looking to get fit, there are all kinds of workouts that you can jump into.

The Art of the Sweet Science by Shahan Dudayev

This book has been written by someone with over 20 years in the boxing game which means there’s a lot of knowledge at hand. This is an overview of boxing but don’t worry, it’s not too broad and is well written. Perhaps the best aspect of this book is that Dudayev writes from a highly technical standpoint. With this said, the title really is appropriate as it’s almost a scientific look at boxing. This is arguably the best boxing book when it comes to providing a serious look at boxing with an intelligent twist.

Old School Boxing Fitness by Andy Dumas

As the title suggests, this book is all about fitness and cardio workouts from a boxing perspective. The result is that it offers training with punchbags, rope, pads and medicine balls. All of these training methods have been used throughout the ages by professional boxers, so you know they’re effective.

A nice part of this book is that it’s also suited to all. Whether you’re a serious boxer or someone training for fitness, the point is that it can be used to boost your fitness in and out of the ring. It’s also got workouts that you can tailor to your own needs, meaning if you’re unfit then you can go lightly, to begin with. With 200 photos included, there’s been a lot of attention to detail put into this book.

Boxing – From Chump to Champ by Andrew Hudson

A big part of this book is that it allows you to learn boxing from the convenience of your home. Whilst training in a gym is preferred, this book is a great supplement if ever you can’t train for whatever reason. Here, it looks at ways to improve your body by offering tips on diet, combinations, shadow boxing, stance, and much more.

The point is that you may not become a world champion from this book, but if you’re struggling for creativity and want to drill alone, then this is where From Chump to Champ excels.

Speed Boxing Secrets by Sammy Franco

Whilst many books promise improvements, this book puts its own standards to the test by claiming to improve your speed and power in your punches within 21 days. This would be great if you had some kind of speed tracker or even a bag that measures speed lying around to test if the results are actually achievable.

Anyway, to achieve such results you’ll need to follow the guide that is provided. This is done by the various movements provided that will biomechanically improve the speed of your punches.

Making Them Miss by Joseph Brunza Johnson

Although you may think this book is about defensive work, it’s actually a general overview of boxing and how to get better. This book is 82 pages long, so don’t expect a lot of detail, but it would be useful for a beginner or someone that’s interest in boxing and wants to learn more. Overall, it provides information of stances, footwork, punching techniques as well as strategy, drills, and exercises. A short but sweet book, this may not be for everyone but is good for beginners.