This collection of award-winning boxing journalist Mike Silver’s best articles from the past 40 years features a colorful mix of hard-hitting exposes and light-hearted stories that include legendary boxers such as Sugar Ray Robinson, Rocky Marciano, Muhammad Ali, Oscar De La Hoya, and more. The boxing world has witnessed some spectacular and iconic moments, from the “Thrilla in Manila” to the last encounter between Sugar Ray Robinson and Jake LaMotta. In The Night the Referee Hit Back: Memorable Moments from the World of Boxing, award-winning boxing journalist Mike Silver looks back at some of boxing’s most legendary fights, talks with Hall of Famers Archie Moore, Carlos Ortiz, Emile Griffith and Curtis Cokes, and analyzes the changes that have taken place in boxing since the Golden Age. This collection, drawn from the author’s best articles from the past 40 years, are a colorful mix of hard-hitting exposes, interviews, and light-hearted stories featuring boxers such as Floyd Mayweather Jr., Joe Frazier, Oscar De La Hoya, and Muhammad Ali. Mike Silver captures the essence, charisma, tragedy, and romance of boxing like no one else. Featuring numerous historical and iconic photographs, The Night the Referee Hit Back is a fascinating and valuable collection for boxing fans and sports historians alike. “The Night the Referee Hit Back is a must read for boxing fans, particularly those interested in Jewish boxing history.” ― The Jewish Boxing Blog “In this fast-paced, enjoyable collection of essays, boxing historian Silver (The Art of Boxing) gathers the best of his articles covering four decades of professional boxing . . . Along the way, Silver covers President Teddy Roosevelt’s early boxing days, as well as the championship bouts of Floyd Mayweather, and includes interviews with such greats as Archie Moore, Emile Griffith, and Carlos Ortiz. Loaded with information and anecdotes, this will be a welcome addition to the libraries of boxing fans and sports pundits.” ― Publishers Weekly “A knockout . . . When you read these interviews it is more than just words on a page, you feel you are sitting in on the conversations as the voices come to life. Mike [Silver]’s knowledge and insight is unparalleled. He brings you back to the days of great writers such as Bob Edgren and Jimmy Cannon . . . If you want an education in the Art of Boxing, Mike Silver is the man to read.” ― Boxing Over Broadway “Silver is a reliable historian and an ardent spokesperson for boxing’s past. He looks back fondly on the time when the sweet science was ‘a relevant part of the social fabric’ of America and had ‘the capacity to address issues involving history, ideology, violence, politics, gender, and race.’” ― The Ring “There was a time boxing was the biggest sport in this country, bigger than baseball. The great historian Mike Silver reminds us why in his latest book, The Night the Referee Hit Back. His collection of stories punch, bob, weave and bang the body―but this time in a way that can touch your heart, without cracking a rib.” ―Teddy Atlas, Hall of Fame trainer and ESPN boxing analyst “Mike Silver’s knowledge of boxing history is unparalleled, but what makes him so valuable to read is the insight he brings to the subject―whether he’s demythologizing the Thrilla in Manila, putting Floyd Mayweather’s achievements into critical perspective, or chronicling boxing’s bygone golden age. Collecting some of his finest work over the years, The Night the Referee Hit Back is a Silver primer for the uninitiated and a treasure trove for the connoisseur. Opinionated but fair, unsentimental but compassionate, and restless in its desire to improve understanding of a misunderstood sport, Silver’s work is essential for serious students of the fight game.” ―Paul Beston, author of The Boxing Kings: When American Heavyweights Ruled The Ring “Mike Silver, perhaps boxing’s most revered historian, carries cotton swabs and smelling salts. The Night the Referee Hit Back, a survey of his best writing, is a head-clearing reminder that boxing wasn’t always such a mess; that it has the capability to be more than it is, that it should aspire to be more like it was. In this era of franchise champions and fading skill-sets, Silver is here to stop the bleeding.” ―Springs Toledo, author and essayist “Mike Silver is the Sugar Ray Robinson of boxing writers―smooth, smart, powerful, and tough to beat. The good news is that you can step in the ring with him and not get hurt. Read this book. It’s a gem.” ―Jonathan Eig, Ali: A Life “Mike Silver is among the most knowledgeable boxing historians in the world. His interviews and observations in The Night the Referee Hit Back are both compelling and stimulating. Boxing has always given us plenty to write about, and Silver is right on it.” ―Steve Farhood, Showtime boxing analyst and former editor of The Ring magazine and 2017 Inductee, International Boxing Hall of Fame “Brilliant! Mike Silver’s collection of essay