I Fight for a Living

"Compelling and well researched, Louis Moore's I Fight For a Living traces the pugilistic exploits of nineteenth century black boxers inside the ring and, equally important, their effort to navigate the local manifestations of the global color line. Moore underscores their strategic deployment of middle-class demeanor, respectability, and a version of manhood to insist on greater economic opportunity, fairer treatment, and a better life. Given its sophisticated analysis of their travels, travails, and triumphs of black boxers, I Fight For a Living is a welcomed addition to bookshelves alongside Elliott Gorn's The Manly Art, Randy Roberts's Papa Jack, and Theresa Runstedtler's Jack Johnson, Rebel Sojourner."--Adrian Burgos Jr., author of Cuban Star: How One Negro League Owner Changed the Face of Baseball  "Moore moves the reader beyond Jack Johnson by telling the stories of a generation of African Americans who labored with their fists at the beginning of the twentieth century. He weaves a narrative of migratory labor, racism, masculinity, and consumption that shaped the lives of working fighters. Although these pugilistic laborers could reach the height of fame and fortune, racism limited opportunities and financial mismanagement led to economic ruin. Moore describes how boxers such as Joe Gans tried to secure their manhood and livelihood through the ring. I Fight for a Living reminds the reader that sports and labor need to be analyzed together."--Derrick E. White, coeditor of Winning While Losing: Civil Rights, the Conservative Movement, and the Presidency from Nixon to Obama  "I Fight for a Living is an enjoyable read which makes the convincing argument that African American prizefighters posed a unique set of challenges to Jim Crow white supremacy in the years preceding World War I."--Michael Ezra, author of Muhammad Ali: The Making of an Icon