Battling Nelson the Durable Dane

<p> Oscar Battling Nelson (1882-1954) was perhaps the toughest professional boxer ever to enter the ring. Although a Hall of Fame inductee Nelson remains a lesser known great of boxing lore. From the beginning of his career at 14 the Danish immigrant presented himself as a man of integrity who never smoked drank or took a dive.</p><p> In the ring and in public Battling Nelson crafted a Renaissance man image as a lightweight champion reporter entertainer real estate mogul entrepreneur and ladies' man. The first ever champion in his weight class to mount a comeback he strove to break new ground (even if he wasn't always successful).</p><p> This book tells the story of a ring legend whose endurance was second to none and whose trilogy with Joe Gans is one of the great rivalries in sports history.</p>