Heavyweight

In Heavyweight, Jordana Moore Saggese explores how images of Black heavyweight boxers have reflected and shaped racist ideologies in the United States, examining portrayals across various media from the early 20th century to today. The book analyzes how these images served to reinforce stereotypes about Black masculinity and contributed to the visual construction of Black men as both objects of desire and symbols of violence. Saggese highlights the role of boxing imagery in the broader context of whiteness and the mythology of racial supremacy, revealing how these representations continue to influence perceptions of Black men.