When In Doubt, Stop the Bout
A Revolutionary Approach to Boxing Safety and Reform
Published on 28. August 2025
Book
Paperback/Softback
224 pages
978-1-949590-78-4 (ISBN)
Description
"Since the inception of the Marquess of Queensberry rules boxing has understood the need to be safer. While there have been some rule changes through the years, many have been like applying an 'enswell' to reduce swelling. In his latest book, When in Doubt Stop the Bout, Mike Silver asks the hard questions and offers serious and innovative solutions that will make the sport safer without diluting its primal appeal. Anyone who cares about boxing and the fighters who put themselves at risk should read this book."-Teddy Atlas, Hall of Fame trainer and boxing analyst
In When in Doubt, Stop the Bout, renowned boxing historian Mike Silver presents a shocking expose of the sordid underbelly of professional boxing, and uncovers the sport's criminally flawed infrastructure and those responsible for it.
From compromised referees to poorly trained ringside physicians to an insidious cartel of "sanctioning organizations" approving dangerous mismatches, Silver lays bare the corruption, the negligence, and the incompetence that has made a dangerous sport even more dangerous.
But aside from unmasking the chaotic mess that afflicts boxing, this book for the first time proposes groundbreaking practical solutions that will mitigate the danger and save lives. Penetrating and persuasive, When in Doubt, Stop the Bout will change forever how you see the sport of boxing.
In When in Doubt, Stop the Bout, renowned boxing historian Mike Silver presents a shocking expose of the sordid underbelly of professional boxing, and uncovers the sport's criminally flawed infrastructure and those responsible for it.
From compromised referees to poorly trained ringside physicians to an insidious cartel of "sanctioning organizations" approving dangerous mismatches, Silver lays bare the corruption, the negligence, and the incompetence that has made a dangerous sport even more dangerous.
But aside from unmasking the chaotic mess that afflicts boxing, this book for the first time proposes groundbreaking practical solutions that will mitigate the danger and save lives. Penetrating and persuasive, When in Doubt, Stop the Bout will change forever how you see the sport of boxing.
Reviews / Votes
"A compelling case for reforms to prevent future boxing tragedies."-Kirkus Reviews"Anyone interested in the pursuit of best practices and health-supporting sports decisions will find When In Doubt, Stop the Bout key to not just understanding the boxing world's history and how it is conducted today, but revised possibilities for a better sport in the future, all delivered in easily-understood discussions that any reader can readily absorb."-Midwest Book Review
"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."-Jonathan Eig, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Ali: A Life and King: A Life
"Lots of people know boxing, but not many understand it: Its spirit, its significance, its storied past and probable future. Mike Silver is one of the few. Anything he writes is essential reading for the true fan."-David Margolick, contributing editor at Vanity Fair and author of Beyond Glory: Joe Louis vs. Max Schmeling, and a World on the Brink
Praise for The Arc of Boxing
"Lively . . . Silver explored the magic, studied the history."-Philadelphia Daily News
"If you care about boxing . . . its future, its past, or both . . . then you have to read this book . . . thoroughly researched . . . articulately argued."-Newsday
"True aficionados, whether they ultimately agree with Silver or not, are sure to enjoy his book for its unmistakable knowledge and passion."-The Ring
More details
Edition
New edition
Language
English
Place of publication
United States
Edition type
New edition
Illustrations
Illustrations
Dimensions
Height: 229 mm
Width: 152 mm
Thickness: 13 mm
Weight
365 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-949590-78-4 (9781949590784)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
Mike Silver is the author
of three books. The Arc of Boxing: The
Rise and Decline of the Sweet Science (McFarland, 2008) is
considered a classic and was recently listed as McFarland's # 1 best-seller for
June 2023. His second book, Stars in the Ring: Jewish Champions in the
Golden Age of Boxing (Lyons Press, 2016),
was called by Publisher's Weekly "An achievement unlikely to be equaled." The Night the Referee Hit Back: Memorable
Moments from the World of Boxing (Rowman & Littlefield, 2020) was
described as "A welcome addition
to the libraries of boxing fans and sports pundits" by Publisher's Weekly.
Silver's work has appeared in the New York Times, The Ring
magazine, Boxing Monthly, The International
Boxing Research Journal, and
various boxing web sites. He is a former inspector with the New York State
Athletic Commission and a consultant and on-air commentator for nineteen boxing
documentaries produced by PBS, HBO, ESPN, the History Channel and Madison Square
Garden Network. He was the curator of the "Sting Like a Maccabee: The Golden
Age of the American Jewish Boxer" exhibit at the National Museum of American
Jewish History in Philadelphia (2004-05), and a co-curator of the San Francisco
Jewish Film Festival's centerpiece program, "Jews, Boxing, and Hollywood"
(2007). He is a member of the New York State Boxing Hall of Fame.
of three books. The Arc of Boxing: The
Rise and Decline of the Sweet Science (McFarland, 2008) is
considered a classic and was recently listed as McFarland's # 1 best-seller for
June 2023. His second book, Stars in the Ring: Jewish Champions in the
Golden Age of Boxing (Lyons Press, 2016),
was called by Publisher's Weekly "An achievement unlikely to be equaled." The Night the Referee Hit Back: Memorable
Moments from the World of Boxing (Rowman & Littlefield, 2020) was
described as "A welcome addition
to the libraries of boxing fans and sports pundits" by Publisher's Weekly.
Silver's work has appeared in the New York Times, The Ring
magazine, Boxing Monthly, The International
Boxing Research Journal, and
various boxing web sites. He is a former inspector with the New York State
Athletic Commission and a consultant and on-air commentator for nineteen boxing
documentaries produced by PBS, HBO, ESPN, the History Channel and Madison Square
Garden Network. He was the curator of the "Sting Like a Maccabee: The Golden
Age of the American Jewish Boxer" exhibit at the National Museum of American
Jewish History in Philadelphia (2004-05), and a co-curator of the San Francisco
Jewish Film Festival's centerpiece program, "Jews, Boxing, and Hollywood"
(2007). He is a member of the New York State Boxing Hall of Fame.
Content
Chapter 1: A Brief History
Chapter 2: The Case for Shorter Fights: Part 1
Chapter 3: The Case for Shorter Fights Part II:
Learning From the Past
Chapter 4: The Referee's Dilemma
Chapter 5: Educating the Referee
Chapter 6: Modifying the Rules
Chapter 7- A Referee Speaks Out -Anonymously
Chapter 8: Hands Up, Chin Down: Reviving a Lost Art
Chapter 9: Paging the Ringside Physician: Where are
you?
Chapter 10: A New Scoring Protocol
Chapter 11: Amateur Boxing vs. Professional Boxing and
the Headguard Debate
Chapter 12: The Boxing Brain vs. The Football Brain:
Name Your Poison
Chapter 13: Boxing vs. Mixed Martial Arts: Which Sport
is More Dangerous?
Chapter 14: To Glove or Not to Glove?-That is the
Question
Chapter 15: Boxing's Parasites: How the WBC, WBA, IBF
and WBO Continue to Undermine Boxing Safety
Chapter 16: For
Whom the Bell Tolls: Analyses of 14 Boxing Related Fatalities 1990-2022
Chapter 17: The Future of
Professional Boxing
Chapter 18: Summary of
Recommended Laws and Regulations
Chapter 2: The Case for Shorter Fights: Part 1
Chapter 3: The Case for Shorter Fights Part II:
Learning From the Past
Chapter 4: The Referee's Dilemma
Chapter 5: Educating the Referee
Chapter 6: Modifying the Rules
Chapter 7- A Referee Speaks Out -Anonymously
Chapter 8: Hands Up, Chin Down: Reviving a Lost Art
Chapter 9: Paging the Ringside Physician: Where are
you?
Chapter 10: A New Scoring Protocol
Chapter 11: Amateur Boxing vs. Professional Boxing and
the Headguard Debate
Chapter 12: The Boxing Brain vs. The Football Brain:
Name Your Poison
Chapter 13: Boxing vs. Mixed Martial Arts: Which Sport
is More Dangerous?
Chapter 14: To Glove or Not to Glove?-That is the
Question
Chapter 15: Boxing's Parasites: How the WBC, WBA, IBF
and WBO Continue to Undermine Boxing Safety
Chapter 16: For
Whom the Bell Tolls: Analyses of 14 Boxing Related Fatalities 1990-2022
Chapter 17: The Future of
Professional Boxing
Chapter 18: Summary of
Recommended Laws and Regulations