Waiting for Carver Boyd, by Thomas Hauser

Novels set in the world of boxing are thinner on the ground than publicity-shy promoters, but the past couple of months have seen two published. Though, at a mere 112 paperback-sized pages with plenty of white space, it would be more accurate to describe 'Waiting for Carver Boyd' as a novella.

Thomas Hauser, an award-winning author best known for his writings on Muhammad Ali, charts the life and times of a white heavyweight who rises to challenge the ogreish Boyd for the undisputed world title.

Despite Mike Tyson's appearance in the story, it is not too fanciful to suggest that he is the template for Boyd, or that the promoter Vernon Jack is a dead ringer for Don King (from a Jack to a King?).

'The Fixer' (Mainstream, £9.99) by Steve Bunce is a thriller with a shady British protagonist in which much of the fun consists of trying to identify the real-life faces on whom the characters are based. Both books illustrate that in boxing, fact and fiction are often difficult to separate.

Published in hardback by JR Books, £12.99