THE PUGILISTIC SPECIALIST

Pitch Publishing is a fantastic imprint.
They do all the great Got, Not Got series
and plenty of other retro sports titles.

James Brown, The Late Tackle, talkSPORT

Pitch Publishing show the way for enterprising
sports book publishers and remains a beacon
of hope for sports authors aspiring or established.

The Sports Bookshelf.com

Pitch Publishing, an outfit whose "pitch perfect"
commissioning of boxing material stands
as a rebuke to more established houses

Boxing Monthly

Pitch capture the real spirit of sport with entertaining
and clever ideas. They work out what the aficionado
would want to read, then deliver it with great verve.

Paul Hayward, The Daily Telegraph

Pitch have enabled me to write in the ways I enjoy most.
Their production support is superb, delivering eye-catching
designs, attentive proof-reading, energetic marketing and helpful advice.

Tim Quelch, Good Old Sussex by the Sea, Orient to the Emirates, Underdog!

Pitch are willing to back out-of-the-blue and innovative
ideas and turn them into viable, entertaining books.
They do so with great presentation and editorial flair.

Justin Parkinson, Then Came Massacre

Pitch saw the potential in my story, used their expertise
to polish it, published it and helped inspire thousands
around the world to get into the sport of triathlon.

Andy Holgate, Can’t Swim, Can’t Ride, Can’t Run & Can't Sleep, Can't Train, Can't Stop

The process of working with Pitch to produce Picking up the Threads
was enjoyable and rewarding, with the final edition surpassing
expectations and becoming a resounding success.

John Chandler, Picking up the Threads

Pitch will take a chance on books that other publishers won't
and realise that interest in football extends beyond the
Premier League and the top 20 countries in the FIFA rankings.

Steve Menary, Outcasts!

Pitch have the vision to look beyond the obvious,
seeking out interesting ideas and subjects and
matching them with the right target audience.

David Tossell, Tony Greig, The Great English Final, Grovel!, Natural

Pitch have been an absolute joy to work with,
contributing their passion, expertise, knowledge
and experience to help produce a brilliant book.

Sam Pilger, Ashes Match of My Life

Pitch took our original concept and further enhanced it,
using their knowledge, experience and expertise, and helped
make Got, Not Got one of the football books of the year for 2011.

Derek Hammond, Got, Not Got series of books

Pitch bought into the concept of development through football,
channeling profits and proceeds from Eleven into helping
some of the most disadvantaged young people in the world.

Steve Fleming, Eleven

In the highly competitive world of sport publishing,
Pitch have consistently demonstrated the happy
knack of spotting, nurturing and promoting winners.

Neil Dunkin, Anfield of Dreams

09 Oct

THE PUGILISTIC SPECIALIST

Skill, power, fitness, determination to succeed. Lennox Lewis had it all as a boxer, and sure enough the great British-born fighter achieved his aim of becoming heavyweight champion of the world – but his journey toward that goal was never straightforward.

Lewis burst on to the scene winning super-heavyweight gold for Canada at the 1988 Seoul Olympic Games. He then opted to turn pro in the country of his birth. ‘The Lion’ struggled to convince the British public he was champion material. But fights with the likes of Oliver McCall, Hasim Rahman, Evander Holyfield, Mike Tyson and Vitali Klitschko changed their minds. Lewis became the first British world heavyweight champion since Bob Fitzsimmons in 1899.

In turn, A Pugilistic History is not a traditional biography. Instead, it offers expert insight into every one of Lewis’s 44 professional contests, as well as events outside the ring in the life of the self-styled ‘Pugilistic Specialist’ – a fighter whose popularity and appreciation has rocketed skywards since his retirement.

Read Lennox Lewis: A Pugilistic History and discover the inside stories behind the great British boxer’s finest fights:

RIDDICK BOWE, 1988: A Britain of Jamaican parentage wins the Olympic gold medal by beating the American favourite to set him on the road to professional glory
JEAN MAURICE CHANET, 1990: Lewis wins his first professional title but also has to contend with shenanigans of a medical kind from his French opponent
RAZOR RUDDOCK, 1992: The dangerous Ruddock actually held an amateur win over the Brit who was determined to put the record straight. And he did!
FRANK BRUNO, 1993: Lewis wins the ‘Battle of Britain’ grudge match to finally convince the British public that he really is their champion
OLIVER McCALL 2, 1997: Lennox regains his titles but the behaviour of his opponent is probably the most bizarre ever seen in a boxing ring
HASIM RAHMAN, 2001: A cameo role in a blockbuster movie has dire consequences for Lennox Lewis
HASIM RAHMAN 2, 2001: Revenge is sweet, but not before the pair go to work early during a pre-fight press conference
MIKE TYSON, 2002: A line of security guards separate the two men in the ring, and that’s before the first bell has even rung...

Click here for more information, or to read a sample from Lennox Lewis.