Remember a time when boxing ruled the sporting world? When the great and the good of the fight game were the biggest stars of their day, and when a major bout was a global event that captivated and enthralled people on almost every continent - when the main event was the event?

When Boxing Was Boxing is a photographic celebration of the sport's heyday. It's a beautifully illustrated tribute to an age when the noble art was a little more dignified, and a little less preoccupied with money and the politics of sport. It's about a time when there weren't quite so many governing bodies, nor multiple world `champions' viewed only by tiny audiences on pay-per-view channels; a time when boxing was once regarded as the pinnacle of professional sporting endeavour, and not just a lucrative arm of the leisure and entertainment business.

This is no whitewash of boxing history. As the chapters show, the toughest game has an often murky past. But in its portrayal of the great pugilists and their finest bouts, the famous arenas and the colourful characters, When Boxing Was Boxing brings to vivid life the atmosphere, raw spectacle and sheer excitement of this most brutal yet compelling of sporting theatre.

With special features on the sport's grassroots, its particular customs, culture and curiosities, and its more lighthearted moments, this is an affectionate and wonderfully nostalgic look at a time when boxing really was boxing.