FIGHT NOVELS: CASINO MOON!

FIGHT NOVELS: CASINO MOON!

THE ONLY THING HARDER THAN GETTING INTO THE MOB . . . IS GETTING OUT . . .

For Anthony Russo, an Atlantic City mobster’s son, the chances of escaping a life of crime are slim. They hinge on his plan to back a washed-up boxer’s comeback bid, and that, in turn, hinges on winning the help of a sexy round card girl who’s gone toe-to-toe with the current champion—in the bedroom...

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FIGHT COMICS: JOE PALOOKA!

FIGHT COMICS: THE ORIGINAL JOHNSON!

FIGHT COMICS: THE ORIGINAL JOHNSON!

TO READ ALL 11 ISSUES OF THIS EXCELLENT COMIC PROFILING THE LIFE OF THE FIRST AFRICAN-AMERICAN HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMP, JACK JOHNSON AT COMICMIX.COM CLICK HERE

FIGHT COMICS: BLACKJACK!

FIGHT COMICS: BLACKJACK!

BLACKJACK, THE STORY OF A TOUGH, BLACK, VIOLENT, BRITISH BOXER, APPEARED IN THE CONTROVERSIAL BRITISH BOYS’ COMIC ACTION IN THE 1970s. ACTION WAS DEEMED THE SEVENPENNY NIGHTMARE BY THE CRITICS OF THE DAY FOR IT’S VIOLENT CONTENT . . .

PER THE ACTION: SEVENPENNY NIGHTMARE WEBSITE:

Written by the future creator of Judge Dredd, John Wagner, Blackjack told the story of Jack Barron, a black heavyweight boxer from the East End of London. The story came in two parts, as at the midpoint, Wagner decided to leave, having told his boxing tale. He wrapped up the story with a solid and upbeat conclusion. Unfortunately, it was decided to continue the strip, which seems a serious error of judgement. The first half of Blackjack concentrated on the boxer’s quest to win the World Heavyweight title before he went blind . . . Prologues to the strip, featuring Jack’s early adventures, appeared in both the 1976 Summer Special and the 1977 Annual . . . Amazingly, the strip was accused of racism, depite being a story whose primary character was a black man striving to overcome his impoverished background and the bigoted attitudes of others, toward him. Barron was a hero to the people of the East End of London and ultimately achieved his goal at great personal cost. There were characters in the story who make racist remarks to Jack, but given that Action strived for realism, this was something that Jack would have faced. If anything, there would probably have been more obstacles that his working-class and ethnic origins would have placed in his path, but Jack, who was both an achiever and a hero, was the lead character, which for 1976 was almost unheard of. At that time, strong ethnic characters in comics were the exception rather than the rule.

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FIGHT NOVELS: 57, CHICAGO!

FIGHT NOVELS: 57, CHICAGO!

STEVE MONROE ~ 2001

Bobby the Lip, a scheming down-on-his-luck sports promoter, intends to score big by setting upand fixinga bout between Tomcat Gordon, the reigning champion, and Junior, a black contender.

But everyone wants a piece of the action and The Lip soon finds himself having to outsmart a complicated web of crooks, bookies, detectives, and mob goons. To make matters worse, Chicago is rooting for Junior.

Big bets knock the odds in the air as both the police and the mob begin to close in on The Lip, smelling the fix and a profit. And just before the big night, a couple of dead bodies and a secret from Juniors past turn up, threatening to upset the big plan.

FIGHT FILMS: GIRLFIGHT ~ 2000!

FIGHT FILMS: GIRLFIGHT ~ 2000!

First-time director Karyn Kusama tells a simple but compelling story of a young woman in Brooklyn whose violent impulses in school, and her tendency to physicalize her anger, lead her to train as a boxer. Her trainer at first puts her off, but the combination of her desire and her physical prowess changes his mind.

As played by Michelle Rodriguez, Diane is a scowling lightning rod for sudden violence who discovers that she can find a sense of personal grace in boxing – in the training and in the honing of skills—that seems to spill over into her daily life, despite the disapproval of an abusive father.

Kusama isn't telling a new story here, but she tells a familiar one with a sense of passion and pride in the uncharted territory this represents for women. Though a romantic subplot seems almost tacked on as an afterthought – Diane must box the boy she loves – Girlfight is engaging and even touching.

FIGHT NOVELS: GIRLFIGHT!

FIGHT NOVELS: GIRLFIGHT!

FRANK LAURIA ~ 2000

"You're nothing but trouble..."

"You'll never amount to anything..."

YOU WILL PROVE THEM WRONG

Nothing comes easy for Diana Guzman. She's in trouble at school, her father underestimates her, and her friends are few. Then, in a gritty Brooklyn gym, she discovers the secret world of boxing. Day by day, as she trains in secret, she finds an outlet for all her anger, energy, and frustration. And Adrian, a handsome young boxer with dreams of his own, is soon part of the attraction.

Now Diana is feeling something new--confidence, pride, respect. She's standing a little bit taller, and in the blood, sweat, and roar of the ring, she's going the distance. But the cost of winning may be the love she has just begun to taste . . .

FIGHT FICTION: BEAT TO A PULP!

FIGHT FICTION: BEAT TO A PULP!

THE HOTTEST SHORT STORY SITE ON THE WEB, BEAT TO A PULP, HAS RECENTLY FEATURED TWO COOL BOXING RELATED STORIES:

THE TAKEDOWN HEART BY KIERAN SHEA

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FIRST MAN FALLING BY GARNETT ELLIOTT

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FIGHT NOVELS: THE SQUARE TRAP ~ 1953!

FIGHT NOVELS: THE SQUARE TRAP ~ 1953!

IRVING SCHULMAN

The Square Trap. This is the story of an underage son of a Mexican immigrant worker who sought to settle his score in the boxing ring. Tomas Cantanios or just Tomas to his friends came from a loving family and enjoyed being as much of a kid as any poverty stricken child can in L.A.

He was going to win the respect of his family and friends, his peers and his community as "Tommy Kansas", prize fighter, but these dreams were knocked into the world of reality as the starting bell rung and as fists began to fly at him with the fierce intent of survival.

Irving Shulman puts you in a ringside seat as Tommy Kansas goes into action.

FIGHT FILMS: THE PATENT LEATHER KID ~ 1927!

FIGHT FILMS: THE PATENT LEATHER KID ~ 1927!

PER WIKIPEDIA . . .

A 1927 silent film, which tells the story of a boxer who scoffs at fighting outside the ring . . . particularly for the United States once it enters World War I.

Eventually, he is drafted, is shipped overseas, and performs a heroic act, which results in his being severely wounded. It stars Richard Barthelmess, Molly O'Day, Lawford Davidson, Matthew Betz and Arthur Stone.

The movie was adapted by Gerald C. Duffy (titles), Winifred Dunn, Casey Robinson (uncredited) and Adela Rogers St. Johns from the story by Rupert Hughes. It was directed by Alfred Santell [1].

It was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor (Richard Barthelmess).

FIGHT NOVELS: THE PATENT LEATHER KID ~ 1927!

FIGHT NOVELS: THE PATENT LEATHER KID ~ 1927!

The story of a boxer who scoffs at fighting outside the ring... particularly for the United States once it enters World War I. Eventually, he is drafted, is shipped overseas, and performs a heroic act, which results in his being severely wounded.

FIGHT FILMS: KID GALAHAD ~ 1962!

FIGHT FILMS: KID GALAHAD ~ 1962!

Immortal heartthrob Elvis Presley stars as Walter Gulick, an ex-G.I. who returns to his rustic hometown in upstate New York looking for work as an auto mechanic. Ambitious but naïve, he's reluctantlyroped into becoming a boxer by dubious manager-turned-innkeeper Willy Grogan (Gig Young). With his loyal trainer Lew Nyack (screen legend Charles Bronson) at his side, the iron-jawed, anvil-fisted Elvis quickly becomes the top-drawing champion "Kid Galahad."

But when the mob tries to muscle in on the action, the cool-headed fighter is forced to pull no punches in the ultimate bout to protect his honor and his dreams.

The mesmerizing voice of Elvis, a romantic soundtrack, and breathtaking scenery makes this popular musical remake a knockout hit for the entire family.

FIGHT FILMS: KID GALAHAD ~ 1937!

FIGHT FILMS: KID GALAHAD ~ 1937!

This influential ring saga dramatically links professional boxing to criminal gambling. Edward G. Robinson is racketeer/fight promoter Nick Donati and tightly coiled Humphrey Bogart is Turkey Morgan.

They're rival promoters who, like fighters flinging kidney punches, end up swapping close-range bullets. Bette Davis plays the moll who has a soft spot for the bellhop (Wayne Morris) that Nick is grooming for the heavyweight title.

And prolific Michael Curtiz directs this first of his six collaborations with Bogart that would include the romantic masterwork Casablanca and the sly comedy We're No Angels.

FIGHT NOVELS: KID GALAHAD ~ 1947!

FIGHT PULPS: DIME SPORTS!

FIGHT FILMS: FAT CITY!

FIGHT FILMS: FAT CITY!

Fat City is a powerful and gripping story about personal wins and losses in the raw rugged world of amateur boxing. Directed by legendary Oscar®-winning filmmaker John Huston (1949 Best Director Best Screenplay The Treasure of the Sierra Madre) the film stars the incredible talents of Stacy Keach (American History X TV's "Mike Hammer") Jeff Bridges (Jagged Edge The Mirror Has Two Faces) Candy Clark (At Close Range American Graffiti) and Susan Tyrrell (Cry-Baby Powder) in her 1972 Best Supporting Actress Oscar®-nominated performance.

FIGHT NOVELS: FAT CITY!

FIGHT NOVELS: FAT CITY!

LEONARD GARDNER

Originally published in 1969, Fat City is an American classic whose stature has increased over the years. Made into an acclaimed film by John Huston, the book is set in and around Stockton, California.

"The book reveals a vision of a whole stratum of American life which up to now has been more often sentimentalized, exploited, patronized and feared by even those writers who come from it and know it best. . . . The pathetic and yet not ignoble hopes of the boxers, the dead weight of pointless labor, the fragile wisps of feeling fluttering mothlike around people too timid to love and too lonely not to try." ~ Frank Conroy

"He has got it exactly right – the hanging around gas stations, the field dust, the relentless oppressiveness of the weather, the bleak liaisons sealed on levees and Greyhound buses . . .Fat City affected me more than any new fiction I've read in a long while." ~ Joan Didion

AUTHOR LEONARD GARDNER was born in Stockton. His writing has appeared in The Paris Review, Esquire, Southwest Review, and other magazines. His screen adaptation of Fat City was made into a film by John Huston. A Guggenheim Fellow, he lives in northern California.

FIGHT NOVELS: THE PROFESSIONAL!

FIGHT NOVELS: THE PROFESSIONAL!

W. C. HEINZ

"The only good novel about a fighter I've ever read." ~ Ernest Hemingway

Originally published in 1958, The Professional is the story of boxer Eddie Brown's quest for the middleweight championship of the world. But it is so much more. W. C. Heinz not only serves up a realistic depiction of the circus-like atmosphere around boxing with its assorted hangers-on, crooked promoters, and jaded journalists, but he gives us two memorable characters in Eddie Brown and in Brown's crusty trainer, Doc Carroll. They are at the heart of this poignant story as they bond together with their eye on the only prize that matters -the middleweight championship.

The Professional is W. C. Heinz at the top of his game-the writer who covered the fights better than anyone else of his era, whose lean sentences, rough-and-ready dialogue, dry wit, and you-are-there style helped lay the foundation for the New Journalism of Jimmy Breslin, Gay Talese, and Tom Wolfe. And all the trademark qualities of W. C. Heinz are on ample display in this novel that Pete Hamill described as "one of the five best sports novels ever written."

AUTHOR W. C. HEINZ is the co-author of Run to Daylight, the best-selling autobiography of Vince Lombardi, and MASH, the novel that later became a successful movie and TV series. Da Capo recently published an omnibus collection of his best sportswriting, What A Time It Was. W. C. Heinz lives in Vermont.

FIGHT NOVELS: THE BARFIGHTER!

FIGHT NOVELS: THE BARFIGHTER!

IVAN G. GOLDMAN

When he was an army boxer fighting to stay out of Vietnam, Lee Cheskis obeyed a brutal reflex, and only years later does he learn the tragic consequences. Staggered by regret, he throws himself off a career ladder at the New York Times to express his rage in bar fights against other troubled souls. Ultimately Cheskis seeks redemption guiding the career of L.A. gang member and promising heavy weight Marvin "Quick" O'Brien.

 

The Barfighter takes the reader on an often whimsical journey deep inside the heart of boxing, which can turn from sweet to savage with the snap of a punch, and where a sport that's not a game becomes an existential microcosm of the world around it.

 

The story takes the reader from Folsom Prison to the fight capital, Las Vegas, stopping in diverse locales that include the now-shuttered infantry post of Fort Ord, California, Ken Kesey's hot tub, the L.A. County Jail, and the Cafe de la Paix in Paris.

 

AUTHOR IVAN GOLDMAN is a columnist for The Ring magazine and a Fulbright Scholar. His work has appeared in The Nation, Rolling Stone, Columbia Journalism review, The New York Times , and other publications. Kirkus Reviews calls his Where the Money Is: A Novel of Las Vegas, "an impressive debut...a stylish, twisty first novel." 

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