A. J. Liebling's classic New Yorker pieces on the "sweet science of bruising" bring vividly to life the boxing world as it once was. It depicts the great events of boxing's American heyday: Sugar Ray Robinson's dramatic comeback, Rocky Marciano's rise to prominence, Joe Louis's unfortunate decline. Liebling never fails to find the human story behind the fight, and he evokes the atmosphere in the arena as distinctly as he does the goings-on in the ring, a combination that prompted Sports Illustrated to name The Sweet Science the best American sports book of all time.

A. J. Liebling joined the staff of the New Yorker in 1935 and wrote for the magazine until his death in 1963.