00:00 The host and guest discuss their past experiences with combat sports, particularly boxing, and the technical and visceral aspects that make it intriguing.

04:11 Professor Louis Moore discusses his book "I Fight for a Living" which explores the intersection of boxing, race, and the Gilded Age in America between 1880 and 1915, highlighting the significant role that race played in the rise of boxing as a popular sport during a time of low race relations and the explicit imposition of Jim Crow laws.

08:11 Boxing during the Gilded Age was driven by literal hunger and the need for black men to escape low-wage work and limited job prospects, as well as the appeal of sports as a meritocracy and a way to overcome circumstances and gain agency.

12:03 Boxing during the Gilded Age was a viable job for black men who were otherwise forced into low-paying occupations, and black boxers had to navigate challenges to their manhood and racial stereotypes while also challenging the idea of black inferiority on a national scale.

16:03 The author used a thematic approach to weave together threads about labor and manhood in his research, primarily relying on newspapers as sources, despite the potential bias, in order to tell the story of the time period.

19:36 The boxing arena was primarily a space for men, with an emphasis on muscular bodies and an idealization of white manhood, while black fighters challenged this order by seeking to beat white champions and challenge the perception of their inferiority.

23:22 Black fighters challenged white men in boxing, and as they started winning more fights, even if they weren't championship fights, white fans began to back off from the notion of white superiority, leading to the ban of interracial fights in LA; trash talk from white fighters like Tommy Burns was rooted in scientific racism and the belief that black fighters were inferior, but Jack Johnson proved them wrong and shattered the belief in white racial superiority, leading to widespread riots in America.

27:23 Black fighters during the Nadir period had to navigate racist spaces, including Jim Crow laws, lynching, and racist fans, promoters, and managers, while still succeeding in the boxing ring, as exemplified by the story of Bobby Dobbs who faced backlash for having a relationship with a white woman and had to apologize to save his life.

31:12 Black fighters during the Gilded Age turned to boxing as a way to escape material deprivation and low-paying jobs available to black men, and to showcase their wealth and manhood through extravagant clothing and possessions, but often faced financial ruin due to mismanagement and the mocking of the press, perpetuating stereotypes about black people's ability to handle money.

34:50 Black fighters during the Gilded Age, including Jack Johnson, were both typical and exceptional in their sporting lifestyle and extravagant displays of wealth, but Johnson stood out by flaunting his lifestyle to white Americans, which angered and irritated them.