Combat Sports: An Encyclopedia of Wrestling, Fighting, and Mixed Martial Arts

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Greenwood Press

Annotation: An encyclopedic reference provides illustrated accounts of all of the most famous combatants, promoters, managers, trainers, moves, and events from the world of combat sports.

Genre: [Sports and games] [Reference]

Reviews: 3

Catalog Number: #5469708

Format: Publisher's Hardcover

Publisher: Greenwood Press

Edition Date: 2009 Release Date: 05/13/09

Pages: xxvi, 379 pages

ISBN: 0-313-34383-7

ISBN 13: 978-0-313-34383-4

Dewey: 796.8

LCCN: 2008052479

Dimensions: 26 cm.

Subject Heading:
Hand-to-hand fighting. Juvenile literature.
Mixed martial arts. Juvenile literature.
Hand-to-hand fighting.
Mixed martial arts.

Language: English

Reviews:

ALA Booklist (Thu Oct 01 00:00:00 CDT 2009)

The explosion of television coverage over the last few decades has made combat sports some of the fastest-growing, most popular sports worldwide. Although there are many excellent works on boxing and wrestling, as well as some on the history and techniques of fighting and mixed martial arts, Combat Sports is the first and only mainstream reference work to encompass all of these sports. It includes more than 500 entries on the men, women, organizations, and other entities from the worlds of professional boxing, fighting, and mixed martial arts as well as Olympic boxing and, to a lesser extent, Greco-Roman and sumo wrestling. Each concise entry includes an overview of the topic and recommendations for further reading as well as professional records and championships, where relevant. Extras include a "Guide to Related Topics," a time line, a bibliography, an index, and black-and-white photographs. The author brings considerable knowledge to this project, having served as a licensed boxing judge, a contributing writer at Fightnews.com, and the author and coauthor of 20 books on legal and sports-related topics, including boxing. Considering the level of interest in these sports and the lack of professional reference material available at this time, Combat Sports would make a good addition to any reference collection serving the public or young adults. Also available as an e-book.

Reviewing Agencies: - Find Other Reviewed Titles
ALA Booklist (Thu Oct 01 00:00:00 CDT 2009)
Library Journal
Voice of Youth Advocates

Bibliography Index/Note: Includes bibliographical references (pages [355]-361) and index.

Reading Level: 7.0

Interest Level: 7-12

Fistic combat represents the greatest human drama in all of sport. Roman gladiators thrilled citizens and emperors alike when they entered the octagon to face an intense, life-threatening experience. Boxing, the sport of kings, also has its roots in the ancient civilizations of Greece and Rome. Banned in 500 A.D. by the Emperor Theodoric, it resurfaced twelve centuries later in England. John Milton praised it as a noble art for building character in young men, and sports writer A.J. Leibling dubbed it the Sweet Science. Many of its major protagonists - men such as Joe Louis, Rocky Marciano and Muhammad Ali - have become transcendent, near-mythic heroes. But boxing is not the only combat sport, and mixed martial arts, in all their ferocious beauty, represent the fastest growing sports genre in the world. Ultimate Fighting Championships (UFC) has joined boxing in paying seven figures to some of its champions, and draws millions in its pay-per-view events. This book details leading figures in boxing, sumo wrestling, kickboxing, Greco-Roman wrestling, and mixed martial arts (including organizations such as Ultimate Fighting, PRIDE, K-1, Total Combat, and SportFighting). Over 150 entries cover champions, contenders, and other famous combatants from all over the world, as well as legendary promoters, managers, trainers, and events. Also included in this encyclopedia are sidebars on controversies, highlights, brief bios, and other noteworthy events, along with a general timeline. .

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