Damage

"Anyone who loves boxing--even the sport's most die-hard supporters--must take a longer and more serious look at the issues that Tris Dixon writes about with such nuance and humanity in Damage. Having covered the NFL for two decades, I've seen increasing awareness of traumatic brain injuries. We need the same in boxing, for the fighters and their families, and there's no better argument for more studies, discussion, and awareness than this book, a volume equal parts heartbreaking and inspiring with respect to the need for change."--Greg Bishop, Senior Writer, Sports Illustrated

"This is the book that boxing has always needed. Tris Dixon has written about the dark and distressing truth that lies at the heart of the sport. He confronts the damage done to fighters who have taken too many blows to the head with unflinching honesty. This is a work of great importance. It is shattering yet moving, informative yet tender as Dixon charts the history and the science of CTE and meets boxers who have suffered damage over the years. An essential read for anyone who cares about boxing and its courageous, damaged fighters."--Donald McRae, The Guardian

"Damage isn't merely excellent or overdue; it should be mandatory reading for anyone who claims to care about boxing. With deep research and dogged reporting, Tris Dixon has managed to remain both clear-headed and compassionate. It's not an easy task, trying to reconcile the great, enduring love for an international sport with its apparently inevitable price. But Dixon has done it by giving voice to the physicians and the fighters themselves, by balancing biology with humanity. In the end, though, he's reminded us how tough the fighter really is."--Mark Kriegel, ESPN commentator, author of The Good Son: The Life of Ray "Boom Boom" Mancini.

"I've often said while commentating for fights that a boxer's age should not be judged chronologically, but rather by the amount of punches he has taken. Tris Dixon's book Damage, adds forensic proof to that statement, as he walks you and these fistic titans from the lights of the ring into the shadows of their dressing rooms. I highly recommend this book."--Teddy Atlas, International Boxing Hall of Fame inductee, broadcaster, and author of Atlas: From the Streets to the Ring: A Son's Struggle to Become a Man