For Grace-speaker, the best man that ever boxed.
“Strong of hand, with the spirit of a lion and light of foot.”
-Bakhylides, 465 B.C.
Contents
1. The Lion of the Sand
2. Between Heaven and Hell
3. Before the Intercessor
4. By Sacred Fist
5. Manhood and Godhead
6. Warrior Excellence
7. Praised by Poets
8. Scorned by Philosophers
9. Envied by Kings
10. The Boxer Dread
11. Sons of Fury and Might
12. Enemy of The State
Dust Cover
From the dawn of history to the fall of Rome, the stories of over 100 ancient boxers are told from their own unique perspective:
...the first boxer, fighting at the funeral of his brother-in-arms
...a charioteer of Riverland fighting before the living god of his nation
...the boxer-king fighting to the death among the pillars and shadows of the Goddess’ temple
...the young prince who fights a giant king over a tax dispute
...the farm boy trained by his father to compete beside the Olympic altar for the crown of Thunder-chief
...the arrogant boxer who becomes a god, and his noble opponent who wipes out a murderous cult
...the Athenian boxer and MMA champion who fights a duel at World’s End under the eyes of Alexander
...the aging fighter who becomes the envy—and target of—the world’s richest king
...the boy who must fight the boys, youth and men at the Sardis agon
...the boxer who fights besides gladiators and dines besides emperors
...the last boxer, fighting in secret as he is hunted by slayers sent by the Universal Church...
The boxers of the ancient world included slaves and kings, heroes and villains, saints and heretics, and every shade of fighting man between these extremes. They suffered unimaginable agonies in their quest for immortality. This is their story.
Author’s Note
The Outline above was for a projected book on ancient boxing for the general reading public. I now think the sale of such a book so unlikely that I will not be writing it; at least not chapters 2 through 8, which have already been covered comprehensively in The Broken Dance. I do not want the stories of these boxers to die with me when these binders behind me get tossed by the executors of my non-existent will. Chapters 1, 9, 10, 11 & 12 will be serialized chronologically as I write them on this page of the site.
