This four-volume reference work covers the history, records and lore of boxers and boxing. Part I, the longest section, presents alphabetical entries of bare knuckle boxers, and the transitional and Queensberry Rules eras (with more than 2,600 fighters from the latter). Each entry includes dates of birth and death, place of birth, nicknames, a list of fights, and career statistics. Part II covers non-boxers, including referees, promoters, publicists, managers, trainers, cut men, announcers and others. Part III contains records of world title bouts from 1878 through 2010. Part IV lists various records and champions, both amateur and professional, including the all-time leaders in many statistical categories. Part V describes the organisation of the sport, tracing the history of weight divisions, world titles and halls of fame. Part VI is an overview of boxing in history and culture (champions of ancient Greece, equipment, gymnasiums, radio and television, literature, drama, the arts, etc.). An appendix offers a timeline of boxing and a bibliography concludes the work.