Review of "From Boxing Ring to Battlefield"

While I have always liked to be working on at least two books at the same time, lately I have been finishing the two current books around the same time.  This was the case with this one and yesterday's review, "Sir Lewis."  Like the other book, this book on boxing champion and war hero Lew Jenkins was an excellent read.  Here is my review.

 

Title/Author:

“From Boxing Ring to Battlefield: The Life of War Hero Lew Jenkins” by Gene Pantalone

Rating: 

5 of 5 stars (excellent)

Review:

The best way to describe Lew Jenkins in one word is “fighter.”  As a child, he and his family fought poverty to survive.  Later, in the boxing ring, he was a fighter as well as a powerful puncher to earn the world lightweight title.  Then, he was a fighter in the Armed Forces, serving with the Coast Guard in WWII and then in the Army as an infantry man in the Korean War.  His story, both in the ring and in combat, is very interesting and Gene Pantalone tells it well.

I enjoy reading Mr. Pantalone’s books on champion boxers who are obscure to all but the most dedicated boxing fans and historians. Jenkins is no exception as he wasn’t built like most boxers as he had a very lean body.  Jenkins also was not a fan of hard training that most champion boxers do, but he did enough to earn that championship.  His first wife, Katie, had much to do with his success in the ring as well even though as a woman, she could not apply for a manager’s license.  This is the first area where I was very impressed with Mr. Pantalone’s research and writing.  Even though this boxing took place over 80 years ago, it felt like it was just recent news, and I enjoyed this part of the book.

Equally impressive is Mr. Pantalone’s writing about Jenkins’ fall from grace after he won the championship and Jenkins’ subsequent new life in the military.  Jenkins lost the title, his money and Katie due to many drunken escapades and issues with law enforcement.  He was even accused of having an affair with the wife of legendary heavyweight champion Jack Dempsey.  An entire chapter is dedicated to this sordid affair – more proof of excellent research.

Although all of this is good material, the reader will really enjoy learning how Jenkins cleaned himself up by serving in the military in two wars.  He enjoyed being on the battlefield the most – first by the guilt he felt in WWII when he was serving on Coast Guard vessels carrying Marines and later with his heroic leadership and fighting in Korea.  It was enough to earn him a Silver Star, and he made it back to his second wife and son.  Like with the other sections, Mr. Pantalone does an excellent job with his research, his interviews and his telling of Jenkins’ war stories.

Any reader who wants to learn more about a boxer who sunk to new lows in his life and then made good by serving his country in two wars will love this book.  I am very glad to have learned about the life of Lew Jenkins.

I wish to thank Mr. Pantalone for providing a copy of the book. The opinions expressed in this review are strictly my own.

Link: Amazon.com: From Boxing Ring to Battlefield: The Life of War Hero Lew Jenkins: 9781538116746: Pantalone, Gene, DiSanto, John: Books