In the Inner Sanctum: Behind the Scenes at Big Fights

by Thomas Hauser

Overview

When Thomas Hauser was selected for induction into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2019, his relationship with Muhammad Ali was widely cited. But Ali was just one of the many fighters who have shared momentous times with Hauser. For decades, elite fighters like Evander Holyfield, Manny Pacquiao, Roy Jones Jr., Bernard Hopkins, Ricky Hatton, Kelly Pavlik, Sergio Martínez, Jermain Taylor, Miguel Cotto, Gennady Golovkin, and Canelo Álvarez have welcomed him into their dressing rooms to record their journeys on fight night.

Gathering and updating more than thirty essays from Hauser’s critically acclaimed yearly collections, In the Inner Sanctum celebrates these most dramatic hours in boxers’ lives. In each account, Hauser chronicles the very moment when a fighter’s physical well-being and financial future are on the line—when the fighter is most at risk and most alive.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781682262146
Publisher:	University of Arkansas Press
Publication date:	10/19/2022
Pages:	348
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Thomas Hauser is the author of fifty-five books, including Missing, which was made into an Academy Award-winning film, and Muhammad Ali: His Life and Times, the definitive biography of boxing’s most celebrated figure. The Boxing Writers Association of America has honored Hauser with the Nat Fleischer Award for Career Excellence in Boxing Journalism.

Table of Contents

Introduction xi

Shannon Briggs, the Judges, and George Foreman's Last Fight

George Foreman vs. Shannon Briggs-November 22, 1991 3

The Night Lennox Lewis Vanquished the Heir Apparent

Lennox Lewis vs. Michael Grant-April 29, 2000 9

Roy Jones: "Y'all Musta Forgot"

Roy Jones vs. John Ruiz-March 1, 2003 16

The Night You Knew It Was Over for Evander

Evander Holyfield vs. James Toney-October 4, 2003 23

From Invincible to Vulnerable

Roy Jones vs. Antonio Tarver-May 15, 2004 30

The Changing of the Guard

Bernard Hopkins vs. Jermain Taylor-July 16, 2005 38

The Road Back for Wladimir Klitschko

Wladimir Klitschko vs. Samuel Peter-September 24, 2005 45

The Opponent

Anthony Ottah vs. Kevin Burnett-February 16, 2006 51

James Toney and What Almost Was

James Toney vs. Hasim Rahman-March 18, 2006 58

Ricky Hatton Stakes His Claim in America

Ricky Hatton vs. Luis Collazo-May 13, 2006 66

The Night John Duddy was Great

John Duddy vs. Yori Boy Campas-September 29, 2006 74

Nikolai Valuev's Quest for Acceptance

Nikolai Valuev vs. Monte Barrett-October 7, 2006 79

First Bout at 3:05 p.m.

Hector Beltran vs. Ernest Johnson-May 5, 2001 86

The Executioner

Bernard Hopkins vs. Winky Wright-July 21, 2001 93

The Night Kelly Pavlik Became King

Kelly Pavlik vs. Jermain Taylor-September 29, 2007 100

A Look Back at Ground Zero for Mayweather-Hatton

Floyd Mayweather vs. Ricky Hatton-December 8, 2007 108

Boxing Is a Cruel Teacher

Kelly Pavlik vs. Bernard Hopkins-October 18, 2008 115

The Legend Grows Old

Roy Jones vs. Joe Calzaghe-November 8, 2008 125

The End of a Dream

Paulie Malignaggi vs. Ricky Hatton-November 22, 2008 134

Manny Pacquiao at the Summit

Manny Pacquiao vs. Ricky Hatton-May 2, 2009 141

The Appalling End to Foreman-Cotto

Yuri Foreman vs. Miguel Cotto-June 5, 2010 149

John Duddy: A Fighting Heart Isn't Enough

John Duddy vs. Julio César Chávez Jr.-June 26, 2010 161

Manny Pacquiao in Texas

Manny Pacquiao vs. Antonio Margarita-November 13, 2010 170

Chad Dawson's Revenge

Chad Dawson vs. Bernard Hopkins-April 28, 2012 179

High Drama in Las Vegas

Sergio Martínez vs. Julio César Chávez Jr.-September 15, 2012 187

Seanie Monaghan Loved to Fight

Seanie Monaghan vs. Rex Stanley-April 13, 2013 195

Gennady Golovkin's Kingdom

Gennady Golovkin vs. Curtis Stevens-November 2, 2013 202

Behind the Scenes with Tim Bradley

Manny Pacquiao vs. Timothy Bradley-April 12, 2014 209

Two Good Men, One Would Lose

Sergio Martínez vs. Miguel Cotto-June 7, 2014 217

In Celebration of Miguel Cotto

Miguel Cotto vs. Daniel Geale-June 6, 2015 225

Miguel Cotto's Last Fight

Miguel Cotto vs. Sadam Ali-December 2, 2017 231

Katie Taylor Can Fight

Katie Taylor vs. Victoria Noelia Bustos-April 28, 2018 238

The Validation of Canelo Álvarez

Canelo Álvarez vs. Gennady Golovkin-September 15, 2018 245

Sergiy Derevyanchenko and the Harsh Reality of Boxing

Gennady Golovkin vs. Sergiy Derevyanchenko-October 5, 2019 253

History in the Making

Canelo Álvarez vs. Sergey Kovalev-November 2, 2019 261

Epilogue 270

Editorial Reviews

Many journalists have written fine boxing pieces, but none has written as extensively or as memorably as Thomas Hauser.”
—Wes Lukowsky, Booklist

From the Publisher