This celebration of the 100 years and 30 heavyweight champions that have established boxing as a major international sport examines the lives of some of the greatest sporting names of the century, such as Jack Johnson, Jack Dempsey, Gene Tunney, Joe Louis, Rocky Marciano and Muhammad Ali. The book combines a social history of boxing and its heroes with the personal stories of each champion. The authors have drawn on archives across the world for previously unpublished photographs, and conducted interviews with champions and their families, friends and colleagues, to show how the crown of world champion, while often a stepping-stone to life's riches, can also be a crown of thorns.