He is the genius behind the genius. Enzo never fought in the ring, but he still turned his son Joe into one of the top ten boxers on the planet - a World Champion with a record of 46 unbeaten fights. Now Enzo tells the extraordinary behind-the-scenes story of his flamboyant career and the making of a fighting legend. It is much more than a round-by-round tale of ropes and gloves, and grit and glory. For the first time, Enzo opens the family album and discloses intimate details of his bruising upbringing in Sardinia, where the Mafia lurked on every corner and his father practiced 'tough love'. He talks of fleeing Italy to hitch-hike and busk his way around Europe. He charts his improbable rise from slaving as a waiter cum-cook in a seaside restaurant to support many big name chart stars such as Shirely Bassey. Not only does it provide a unique insight into the father and son relationship that conquered boxing, but also shows how the heart and determination of one self-made man serves as an example for anyone who craves success and is prepared to overcome near-impossible odds to achieve it. 'I'm a life fighter,' he says. This book proves it.

Collects articles published in Secondsout.com and espn.com from the author that details the inner workings of HBO sports, historical figures, and the biggest fights.

IT WAS past three o'clock in the morning when Joe Calzaghe experienced the sweetest validation of his professional life. Victory over Jeff Lacy, a 28-year-old American compared to a young Mike Tyson because of his power and "take-no-prisoners attitude", left no one in doubt about the world super middleweight champion's talent. For years, Calzaghe's virtuosity remained a legend of the Welsh valleys. His defeat in 1997 of Chris Eubank brought him to prominence, winning for him the World Boxing Organisation (WBO) super middleweight title. But despite a record number of defences of the belt, his career lacked a defining contest. A long line of challengers and ex-titleholders were disposed of but the biggest names in American boxing avoided the ultimate showdown he craved. Hand injuries further obscured the true level of his aptitude for an art he began to learn from his father, Enzo, at the age of eight when - inspired by Sugar Ray Leonard - a rolled-up carpet in the family home in Newbridge became a makeshift heavy bag. This is the story of Calzaghe's extraordinary life, from his humble beginnings in his hometown of Newbridge, to his ascent to personal greatness, becoming the first super middleweight boxer to win the prized belt awarded by The Ring, the bible of boxing, in the division's near 20-year history. One of Britain's foremost sporting champions, a warrior and working-class hero, this is the story of the triumphs and trials that made Calzaghe a legend.

Chris Corcoran opens his mind to share every thought he's ever had, in his own random order. There are insights into his life as he takes readers back to his Eighties school disco days to reveal how the greatest moment of his teenage years was ruined by Queen's Radio Ga-Ga. He also shares the wisdom of his life experience from his time on CBeebies' Doodle Do with a lesson on the dangers of toilet roll. And he answers many of life's great questions...Why isn't optimism enough to complete a marathon? Why does food taste better in a field? And, more importantly, what is the point of Petit Filous? These thoughts and more are all here, delivered in his unique affectionate and charming way. "Quick Reads" are exciting, short, fast-paced books by leading, bestselling authors, specifically written for emergent readers and adult learners.

In his 15-year career as one of the most popular figures in Welsh rugby, Martyn Williams has played against some of the giants of the sport. Known as ‘Nugget’ to the fans, Martyn has captained his country on many occasions and was a key player in two Welsh Grand Slam-winning campaigns. In Rugby Rivals he picks his personal top ten players from all the world rugby stars he’s ever played against. From Martin Johnson and Shane Williams to Jonah Lomu and Richie McCaw he gives an insight into what makes them tick and reveals what they are really like off the pitch. Rugby Rivals is a compelling read that will provoke debate among rugby fans and provide a great starting point to anyone interested in the game. Author Information Known as “Nugget”, Martyn Williams is one of the most popular figures in the rugby world. He first made his name as a young flanker for his home-town club Pontypridd in the mid-1990s.For the past 15 years has been a major player in the Welsh squad. He has featured in two Grand Slam-winning campaigns and was named Player of the Six Nations in 2005. He has captained his country on many occasions and has been on three British Lions tours, to Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. After leaving Pontypridd in 1999, he joined Cardiff Blues and has been with the club ever since. In 2010 he was granted a testimonial.

Maximize the development of your athletes and team throughout the year, and just maybe win a postseason title in the process. Coaching Better Every Season: A Year-Round Process for Athlete Development and Program Success presents a blueprint for such success, detailing proven coaching methods and practices in preseason, in-season, postseason, and off-season. The Coach Doc, Dr. Wade Gilbert, shares his research-supported doses of advice that have helped coaches around the globe troubleshoot their ailing programs into title contenders. His field-tested yet innovative prescriptions and protocols for a more professional approach to coaching are sure to produce positive results both in competitive outcomes and in the enjoyment of the experience for athletes and coaches. Coaching Better Every Season applies to all sports and guides coaches through the critical components of continual improvement while progressing from one season to the next in the annual coaching cycle. It also presents many practical exercises and evaluation tools that coaches can apply to athletes and teams at all levels of competition. This text is sure to make every year of coaching a more rewarding, if not a trophy-winning, experience.

Boxing. The Sport of Kings. And for every king, there are kingmakers and princes, determined heirs and ruthless pretenders to the throne. Boxers may enter the ring alone, but behind them are their families, many of whom have spent a career in the fight game themselves. And all are caught up in this most beautiful but brutal of sports. Beautiful Brutality is the first book to examine the world of boxing from the perspective of family. With unprecedented access to the likes of the Calzaghes, Mayweathers, Hattons and Khans, Sky Sports boxing expert Adam Smith lays bare the raw emotion at the heart of the sport. How does it feel when your son is taking a pummelling? Can a father make rational judgements from the corner of the ring, in the frenzied atmosphere of a fight? And how much strength does a boxer take from his family, or the family figures that so many trainers and promoters become? Passionate, hard-hitting and with astonishing revelations about the world of boxing, Beautiful Brutality is written from the heart, by an author with a unique knowledge and experience of the fight game.

Bob Humphrys is one of the most famous names in sports journalism. As sports correspondent of BBC Wales's flagship news programme Wales Today, he was at the centre of every major story of the past twenty turbulent years. He was there right at the heart of Ruddockgate, there on the players' balcony when Glamorgan celebrated winning a county championship, there in the Mondeo driving Joe Calzaghe to his first world title fight. In short, he was where every sports fan would love to be - as close to the action as you can get without scoring a try, taking a corner or hitting a four. Despite a life-long love affair with sport, Bob wasn't always a sports journalist. Early in his career, his brother John - the Rottweiler of Radio 4's Today programme - took him aside and told him, 'The one thing you want to avoid is covering sport - that is not proper journalism.' But the man who always read his newspaper from back to front found it hard to resist sport's magnetic pull. After his successful stints as a feature writer and current affairs reporter - encountering everyone from Argentinian presidents to Danish drug dealers and Sir Anthony Hopkins - the BBC's Wales Today came calling, and Bob quickly discovered the politics in current affairs paled into insignificance compared to the politics in sport. In Bob's first week in the job, Welsh rugby imploded with a rebel tour to South Africa - and for the next twenty years Welsh sport would lurch from triumph to disaster and back again, with Bob right there in the middle, loving every moment. Tragically, Bob Humphrys died in August 2008. But he left a magnificent epitaph: this book. In Not a Proper Journalist, the former face of Welsh sport reveals for the first time the story behind the stories. The friendships, the feuds, the glory and the heartbreak, straight from the horse's mouth. It's revealing, exhilarating, provocative and very funny - and if that's not proper journalism, brother John can eat his hat...