My Call To The Ring: A Memoir Of A Girl Who Yearns To Box is the story of Deirdre Gogarty, an Irish lass whose love for the fight game in the ‘80s sets her on a quest to become a world champion – not exactly an easy task even without the fact Ireland banned women from the sport at the time.
Gogarty’s story (written with Darrelyn Saloom) is well told and inspiring. However, there are two things setting this memoir apart from other similar boxing travails. The first is the atmosphere captured by the prose as it delineates the underbelly seediness of the training conditions faced by all but the highest level of boxers. There is no glamour here, just hard graft – hitting and being hit in tattered rings jerry-rigged in sheds and garages, stifling hot air, and the uncertainty of where the next fight, the next dollar, and sometimes even the next meal are going to come from.
Secondly, and most important to the success of the narrative, is the way Gogarty’s ‘voice’ has been captured. You believe Gogarty is sitting next to you, sharing her fears, shortcomings, uncertainties, defeats and triumphs.
As with her opponents in the ring, it is ultimately Gogarty’s relentless courage and determination that leaves its mark on her readers. My Call To The Ring is a standout addition to the shelves of boxing literature.
