Boxing, sometimes called the noble art of self-defence, is the world’s oldest contact sport, and its history has been explored in a multitude of books. In his own attempt, 97 Fights: A History of Modern Boxing (Reaktion Books), John Sutherland chronicles 97 bouts, aiming to capture the essence of boxing and its history. Our reviewer Łukasz Muniowski observes that he does so with a tone of poetry and pathos, with emotion and passion. Muniowsky also detects various editorial, logical and factual errors, some of which he details. Nevertheless, our reviewer considers Sutherland’s book a welcome addition to the literature on boxing.