The Mob, the Garden and the golden age of boxing

THERE’S a moment in Ken Burns’ outstanding documentary series, ‘Baseball’, when Buck O’Neil, an old coach and manager, muses on the impossible glamour that was Manhattan in the 40s and 50s with a faraway look in the eye.

“That was New York City,” says O’Neil, “...when it was New York City.”

Now The Observer’s Kevin Mitchell has immortalised the period in ‘Jacobs Beach: The Mob, The Garden and The Golden Age Of Boxing’, a must-read for any sports fan.