Reviews & Press

The Fight City

“In labeling Punching from the Shadows a memoir, Glen Sharp might be selling short his autobiographical work. More than a memoir, Sharp presents in his book a thorough and engrossing examination of his relationship with boxing…His clear-headed assessment leaves no room for self-pity, but what makes it a worthwhile read is that it’s delivered in the form of an apologia for boxing not only as sport, but as an aesthetic pursuit as valid as any of the arts.
“Boxing is not pure violence,” writes Sharp, “[but] the dramatic, at times even elegant, artistic rendering of violence.”

Boxing Over Broadway

“Sharp has written a fast paced book that gives the reader much insight into what it takes to become a fighter…Dipping into the writings of Jose Ortega y Gasset as well as Homer, he describes boxing as a form of expression, an artistic pursuit…I can’t think of another boxing book out there that gives such an inside look at what it was like to pursue the dream of boxing in the way Glen Sharp did.”

Boxing Scene

“Punching from the Shadows by Glen Sharp (McFarland and Company) - Sharp, by his own admission was a failure as a professional fighter. But this is a first-rate recounting of his journey
through the sweet science.”

Front Street Reviews

Bethany Park is brilliantly written. I could truly visualize and hear the young boy's [EddieStone’s] voice as he told his story. He is very interested in science and usually prefers to study things such as rocks and frogs under his microscope…As puberty hits he wants girls to like him, and he knows that they prefer boys that are athletic not "the ones that like to play with their microscopes."