Knockout: The Art of Boxing

In an introduction, Liam Neeson surmises that sports photographer Regan was ""the only photographer who anticipated what would happen"" in the famous Zaire match between Muhammad Ali and the ""unstoppable"" George Foreman; the proof's in his iconic photo of Ali coming off the ropes to surprise everyone, just one example of Regan getting the shot that nobody else does. This stunning coffee table book chronicles Regan's 40-plus year career, from his early days following fighters like Floyd Patterson and Sonny Liston up to the present day. There wasn't a big fight that Regan didn't cover, from the first Clay vs. Liston fight to the infamous Tyson vs. Holyfield II, in which Tyson bit off a piece of Holyfield's ear. Each chapter focuses on a different fighter, with a short essay to abut Regan's dramatic full-bleed photos and plates. The most compelling material covers Regan's more personal relationships, foremost among them his friendship with Mike Tyson; the controversial heavyweight comes across less as a pugilist mad dog than a perpetual adolescent. Exquisitely reproduced in both glossy and matte format, Regan's photos don't shy away from the violence of the sport, but neither do they shirk its beauty, grace, humor and camaraderie.