The Urban Geography of Boxing: Race, Class, and Gender in the Ring

THE URBAN GEOGRAPHY OF BOXING: Race, Class, and Gender in the Ring. By Benita Heiskanen. xvii and 192 pp.; bibliog., index. New York: Routledge, 2012. $93.36 (cloth), ISBN 9780415502269. One of the few memories from my childhood that still persists today is rushing to get my father's newspaper off the front porch of our northern New Jersey home the morning of March 9, 1971. "The Fight of the Century," Joe Frazier against Mohammed Ali in Madison Square Garden, had taken place the night before. Since that was a school night, I wasn't able to stay up and listen to the radio broadcast. I was a fan of Ali, and hoped to see a headline proclaiming him as the undisputed world champion. But that was not to be the case. I unfolded the paper, and saw a large color photo of Ali, butt on the canvas, looking up at Frazier. Although my interest in boxing has waned over the past forty years, Benita Heiskanen's The Urban Geography of Boxing reminded me of the excitement the sport generates and its significant role in American popular culture. It is also an informative and enjoyable read. Most important, the book is a welcome addition to the sparse state of existing literature on the geography of sport in the United States. Heiskanen's research began when she was in the Ph.D. program in American Studies at the University of Texas. It includes participant observation as well as in-depth interviews with boxers, boxing insiders, and boxing observers conducted in Austin and San Antonio from 2000-2004. Heiskanen takes great care to remind the reader on several occasions of the organization of the book and the focus of each chapter. This is quite useful because there appears to be no apparent rationale for the flow of the material and discussion, neither chronological, spatial, nor organized around key individuals. There are no maps or photos; though not necessary, they would have added another dimension to the text. Direct quotes from the interviews with the boxers and others are liberally sprinkled throughout the book. These quotes are appropriately placed and enrich the relationships that develop between the reader and the subjects. The book has two emphases. The first is the boxers and their love of the sport, their commitment to boxing, their bodies, their identities, and their interactions with the other players in the boxing industry. Here Heiskanen reminds us of just how many players there are: trainers, handlers, matchmakers, promoters, athletic commissions, sanctioning bodies, sponsors, advertisers, and the media. There is a heavy emphasis on the Fatino culture in boxing--not unexpected from research conducted in central Texas--and the unique perspectives of and challenges faced by female boxers. The second emphasis is on boxing within the detailed context of space, as so much of boxing is spatially organized: the ring, the corner, the dressing room, the gym, ringside, and the arena. There is also a brief discussion of the importance of place, mainly focusing on the barrios of East Austin and boxing's role in the Texas sports scene. Two chapters stand out as particularly fresh and informative. Chapter 1, "On the Barrio's Ropes," addresses the importance of boxing to the boxers and social order of the barrios of East Austin. The chapter goes beyond the traditional view of boxing as a ticket up and out of the ghetto. For the boxers, the sport helps to teach basic life skills and brings discipline to one's life, even if the boxer's did not aspire to become professional. Boxing promotes physical fitness, self-esteem, good sportsmanship, healthy eating and sleeping habits, and a host of other traits beneficial to leading a happy, normal life. It also emboldens an individual with a feeling of control over their life. This feeling is highly valued by the boxers, their families, and community leaders. And the gym provides a safe place from the outside realities of growing up in East Austin. Heiskanen quotes local resident Joel Elizondo saying, "in the gym, we all got along, working out, sparring, and everybody helping each other out" (p. …