Root and Stokes grind down weary India to stretch lead beyond 100
‘Victory over self’
JOHN WIGHT tells the story of the famed and legendary lightweight world champion Benny Leonard, who grappled with his opponents and rife anti-semitism in Manhattan
Benny Leonard
THAT tough times produce tough people is an urban myth that has long peppered working-class life — as if having to be tough to survive is something to be proud of rather than something to lament.
And what is toughness anyway? Is it a form of courage, a willingness to harness violence in pursuit of self-interest — material and status — or is it the ability to suffer and endure privation without being broken by it?
Those very questions have tantalised and occupied the minds of philosophers stretching all the way back to Aristotle, who once opined: I count him braver who overcomes his desires than him who conquers his enemies; for the hardest victory is over self.”
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Mary Kom’s fists made history in the boxing world. Malak Mesleh’s never got the chance. One story ends in glory, the other in grief — but both highlight the defiance of women who dare to fight, writes JOHN WIGHT
The Khelif gender row shows no sign of being resolved to the satisfaction of anyone involved anytime soon, says boxing writer JOHN WIGHT
When Patterson and Liston met in the ring in 1962, it was more than a title bout — it was a collision of two black archetypes shaped by white America’s fears and fantasies, writes JOHN WIGHT
In the land of white supremacy, colonialism and the foul legacy of the KKK, JOHN WIGHT knows that to resist the fascism unleashed by Trump is to do God’s work
