Book Review: The Criminology Of Boxing, Violence And Desistance
| Author | Anton Roberts |
| Position | PhD researcher, Manchester Metropolitan University |
| Pages | 109-111 |
109
British Journal of Community Justice
©2019 Manchester Metropolitan University
ISSN 1475-0279
Vol. 16 (2) 109–111
BOOK REVIEW
THE CRIMINOLOGY OF BOXING, VIOLENCE AND DESISTANCE
Jump. D, (2020). Bristol University Press. pp221 (hdbk) £57.81. ISBN-10 : 1529203244
Jump’s publication The Criminology of Boxing, Violence and Desistance, presents a
fascinating exploration into the exciting and, at times, contradictory world of pugilism.
Employing an immersive ethnographic method, Jump utilises 3 in-depth narrative accounts
of professional boxing coaches ‘Frank’, ‘Eric’, and ‘Leroy’. Through these authentic stories it
allows the reader to understand how boxing practices, perform and maintain masculinity,
including their assumed rel ationship with reducing violence and desistance. The book
provides a critical discourse on the assumptions associated with boxing as ‘hook for change’
(p.2); seeking to understand this relationship between sport and crime prevention while
drawing upon the m ost recent literature and theoretical frameworks to help explain it.
Through Jump’s interrogation of the ideas and case studies, many central themes emerge
such as; systemic poverty, the exclusory nature of boxing towards certain groups, lack of
opportunities, lack of social mobility, problematic masculinity, and wider notions of social
class.
The author begins with a brief history of boxing and its wider r ole within society and why
this environment is a worthy area of study for the social researcher, this effectively sets the
scene for its later evaluation. These earlier chapters (1 & 2) also contain a review on the
most salient literature on desistance, such as Martinson’s revelations from the 1970s, that
very little works in interventions on recidivism – Jump also outlines the links between sport
(particularly conflict sports) and negative forms of masculinity, typically referred to as
‘hegemonic’ after Connell's influential work on domineering/subjugating forms of gender
performance. Chapters 3 to 6 then introduces Jump’s collected data on 6 months of
fieldwork, the bibliographical interviews of three individuals, all deeply entrenched in the
boxing world. Chapters 7 and 8 illuminate the key findings from these accounts, with the
final chapter being directed towards an evaluation of boxing as a means of desistance and
the potential future policy changes.
The authors central finding is the revealing appraisal of boxing as an intervention on
criminogenic attitudes, by showing an accurate portrayal of the shifting legitimacy of
violence. It is both boxing and hypermasculinity laid bare - how it can be effectively utilised
as a tool for change, that allows for the construction of the ‘new self’. Conversely, outlining
what needs to change in order promote inclusivity in the sport and maximise its
mechanisms for crime reduction. There are also several key insights in this work. For
To continue reading
Request your trial