Review of "Tony Zale: The Man of Steel"

He fought in one of boxing’s greatest eras, yet Tony Zale rarely gets his due. This biography hits hard enough to change that. Here is my review.

Title/Author:

“Tony Zale: The Man of Steel” by Thad Zale and Clay Moyle

Rating: 

4 of 5 stars (Very good)

Review: 

During one of boxing’s most popular decades, the 1940s, one fighter twice won the middleweight championship: Tony Zale. The man who defeated Zale to win the belt—and then lost it back to him in their third match—was Rocky Graziano. Because Graziano had a far more outgoing personality and published an autobiography, he is better known to boxing historians and fans. However, Zale led an interesting life of his own, and this book by Thad Zale (Tony’s nephew) and Clay Moyle provides a rich account of Tony’s full life and boxing career.

As one might expect from a biography written by a family member, there are passages in which Thad’s admiration for Tony comes through clearly, sometimes in ways that feel biased. Even so, this is a very good biography of Tony Zale’s entire life. This review won’t go step-by-step through that life; instead, it highlights the most interesting sections.

The best parts, especially for a sports fan, are the descriptions of Zale’s major fights. There are separate chapters on each of the Zale–Graziano bouts and on his fights with Al Hostak, whom he defeated in 1940 when he first won the middleweight crown. Each chapter covering a significant fight is rich with detail—not only round‑by‑round accounts of nearly every punch, but also the actions taken in both corners and even the referee’s interactions with the fighters. These details make readers feel as if they are ringside, despite the fact that these fights took place more than 80 years ago.

As for Tony’s personal life, this is where having a family member as author is both helpful and, at times, somewhat biased. This is especially true in the discussion of Tony’s first marriage, which ended in divorce, and his subsequent inability to see his two daughters as often as he wished. While Thad appears to strive for objectivity, the narrative is more sympathetic to Tony than to Adelaide, even if all allegations against both parties are accurate.

Tony also faced financial difficulties after retiring from boxing. Here again, the reader sees the family’s sympathy, but the book also describes how Tony refused to ask for assistance because of his faith, pride, morals, and work ethic. When he married his second wife, Philomena (affectionately called “Mighty Mouth” by Tony), his life changed dramatically. Philomena took charge and ensured that Tony received the recognition due to a former world champion. That improved Tony’s life immensely, and Thad writes about this period with the same strength and clarity he brings to the boxing chapters.

Since this book set out to tell the story of Tony Zale’s life, it succeeds. I had known of Tony Zale only from lists of past champions and occasional mentions of great fights, such as his trilogy with Graziano. This book showed me that Tony Zale was not only a great fighter but a good man as well

Link:   Amazon.com: Tony Zale The Man of Steel eBook : Zale, Thad, Moyle, Clay, Zale, Deborah: Kindle Store

Review of “Beloved Warrior”

Have you ever wanted a book (or really, anything) you felt was really inappropriate and had to wait a long time to obtain but still would be great to read?  This book fits that category. 

Title/Author:

“Beloved Warrior: The Rise and Fall of Alexis Arguello” by Christian Giudice

Rating: 

5 of 5 stars (excellent)

Review: 

Alexis Arguello was one of few boxers who won the championship in three different weight classes - featherweight, super featherweight and lightweight. His dedication to the sport and his gentlemanly demeanor both in and out of the sport made him a figure well respected by many. This book by boxing author Christian Giudice is an excellent account of Arguello’s life, including his shocking death in 2009.

Having read two other books by Giudice on Latino boxing legends - Roberto Duran and Hector Camacho - I expected this one to be very good and it did not disappoint. Through extensive research and many interviews, Giudice provides the reader with a fair and balanced portrayal of the boxer from Nicaragua. 

It’s balanced because while Arguello’s excellence in the ring, having won 77 of 85 fights including 62 knockouts, is covered in excellent detail, his problems out of the ring are also explained very well. In addition to his extramarital affairs (he was married 4 times), his alcoholism and the mishandling of his finances , it included his support and fighting for the Contras in the Nicaraguan civil war in the early 1980’s. His subsequent support for the opposing Sandinista government later in life  (who had taken all his property and forced his family into exile) is also explained as is his entry into politics. It was here where after he was elected mayor of Managua, the capital city, he was found dead in 2009 of an apparent suicide shooting to the chest. Some don’t believe it was suicided, a question still asked today. This political part of Arguello’s life is very well chronicled, a testament to Giudice’s work and dedication to tell this side of Arguello’s life. 

This is in stark contrast to how so many who were involved in boxing and knew him through the sport remember him, including his opponents. They fondly recall his as gracious and kind, never having a bad word to say about anyone. Most notably, the one boxer who defeated Arguello twice, Aaron Pryor, also felt the same way despite fighting his own demons. Pryor twice stopped Arguello from obtaining a championship in a fourth weight class. 

No matter who’s aspect of Arguello’s life a reader wants to learn about, this book is one of the best sources to get a good start at that goal.

Link: https://www.amazon.com/Beloved-Warrior-Rise-Alexis-Arg%C3%BCello/dp/1597977098/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8 

Review of “10th Round”

This was a book I obtained earlier but recently received a message in which I had a deadline to submit a review. Thankfully it was a short book, but it was excellent.  Here is my review of “10th Round.”

Title/Author:

“10th Round: Every Fight Has a Final Bell” by Eric J. Polli

Rating: 

5 of 5 stars (excellent )

Review: 

While I don’t read many fictional stories with a sports theme, the description of this short book by Eric J. Polli intrigued me. It’s the story of Mickey Brannigan, a former middleweight boxing champion whose life has been broken by several bad decisions after his time in the ring was over. Diagnosed with terminal cancer, he tries to make peace with his estranged son Danny. He is also making one last entry into the sport - not by fighting, but by training a young, up and coming fighter named Tyrell Banks. 

The story is very inspiring, no matter if the reader is reading it through the eyes of Mickey, Danny or Tyrell. Polli does an excellent job of developing all three of these characters fairly quickly without needing to go into extraneous information or with long side stories to explain their characteristics.  This is the biggest strength of the book, along with a good fast paced story.

If a reader wants to read it as a sports story more than as a story about the main characters, then it’s quite good for that as well. While the reader will get some bits and pieces of Mickey’s fights through flashbacks, the best writing about the sport is during Tyrell’s training sessions, both before and after Mickey becomes his trainer. 

Not only is the story great, but so is the ending for all three of these characters. It’s a short, quick read that readers of both boxing and inspiring stories will enjoy.

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

Link: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0FXHBWTKH/ref=x_gr_bb_kindle?caller=Goodreads&tag=x_gr_bb_kindle-20 

Review of "Return of the King"

I had time during the holiday weekend to read multiple books.  This was another one I finished during that time, and it was eye-opening.  Here is my review of "Return of the King." 

Title/Author:

“Return of the King: The Rebirth of Muhammad Ali and the Rise of Atlanta” by Thomas Aiello

Rating: 

4 of 5 stars (very good)

Review:

Many people are familiar with the legacy of Muhammad Ali. Even if one does not follow boxing and know about his career in the sport, they are familiar with his story of activism, including refusing to be drafted to serve in the Vietnam War.  This book by Thomas Aiello describes the circumstances when his conviction of avoiding the draft was overturned and he returned to boxing.

The title of the book is a perfect one as Aiello not only thoroughly discusses Ali’s legal issues, his alliance with the Nation of Islam and his training for returning to the ring, but also about the politics of Atlanta at the time, led by Georgia state senator Leroy Johnson, who was the first Black person elected to that office. Johnson had to balance the concerns of the white voters with the needs of Black voters to have equal access to items like quality housing, jobs and education. This review won’t go into the political details of Atlanta and Georgia at that time, but it should be noted that Aiello does an excellent job of presenting these issues in a balanced and informative manner.

There isn’t a lot of boxing text in the book, dealing more with Ali’s legal matters and activism.  It doesn’t ignore all of Ali’s action in the ring, be it sparring or his official return to the ring against Jerry Quarry.  The fight took place in Atlanta on October 26, 1970.  However, that wasn’t Ali’s first action in the ring after getting his conviction overturned and his boxing license approved.  That came in an exhibition at Morehead College in Atlanta. These events brought attention to the city in both sports and politics.  For the former, it was to show that Atlanta was a “major league city”, even though it already had the Braves (MLB), Falcons (NFL) and Hawks (NBA).  For politics, while it was mainly a show, there was the perception that Atlanta was more progressive on racial relations. Johnson played a very important role in getting the fight to be held in Atlanta and his political career was helped with this, even if only briefly.

There are many facts and items that might be surprising while reading the book.  The biggest one I found was the revelations by Aiello that in his election to the governorship of Georgia, Jimmy Carter was appealing to white voters with the appearance of racism.  He does give credit to the future President that he did support more progressive measures but reading that was surprising.  This is just one example of those types of passages. This is a good book that is recommended for readers of racial relations, politics and yes, even boxing.  

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

Link: Return of the King: The Rebirth of Muhammad Ali and the Rise of Atlanta: Aiello, Thomas: 9781496244185: Amazon.com: Books

Review of “The Good Son”

To finish my reading and listening of books in September, I went back to one of my favorite authors, Mark Kriegel. He writes excellent sports biographies and this on on Ray Mancini did not disappoint. Here is a review of “The Good Son.”

Title/Author: “The Good Son: The Life of Ray ‘Boom Boom’ Mancini by Mark Kriegel, narrated by Holt McAllany

Rating: 5 of 5 stars (excellent)

Review: Boxing in the 1980’s saw a rise in the popularity of lighter weights and one of those popular boxers was Ray “Boom Boom” Mancini. His life both in and out of the ring is told well in this book by Mark Kriegel, an accomplished sports biographer.

Mancini came from a boxing family. His father Lenny, also nicknamed “Boom Boom” was a promising fighter until he was injured serving in WWII and was not the same. Ray always wanted to please his father, and the ties between them as well as those Ray had with his mother and siblings are captured well by Kriegel.

Of course, there is plenty of text about Ray inside the ring and in training. While he did earn the lightweight title, sadly he is most remembered for a fight in which his opponent, DunKu Kim from South Korea, died in a hospital several hours after Mancini knocked him out in the 14th round. That affected him deeply in both his professional and personal life. That is told superbly both in Kriegel's writing and McAllany’s narration. What gives it an even better touch is that Kim’s family is included in the book - what they did in the wake of his death is both sad and inspiring.

This also affected the Mancini family hard as well. Like his father’s career after returning from the war, Ray’s career wasn’t the same as it was after the Kim fight. It was clear that he didn’t have the same desire in both training and the bouts. While he put up a great effort to regain his title, he knew it was time to retire. The book tells about this and his subsequent failed marriage. Through it all, the book has even-mannered, informative and engrossing stories that will keep the reader engaged, where using the print or audio version. 

Link: https://www.amazon.com/Good-Son-Life-Boom-Mancini/dp/0743286359/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0 

Review of “Baddest Man”

This book grabbed my interest because of the author. Mark Kriegel wrote excellent biographies on two of my favorite childhood athletes, Joe Namath and Pete Maravich.  Knowing this and also that he covered boxing for a New York City newspaper during Mike Tyson’s era, I felt this would be an excellent book on him - I wasn’t disappointed.

Title/Author: “Baddest Man: The Making of Mike Tyson” by Mark Kriegel

Rating: 5 of 5 stars (excellent)

Review: Mike Tyson is probably the most talked about boxer in the history of the sport aside from Muhammad Ali. His life has taken so many twists and turns. Despite all that has been already said and written about him, this book by bestselling author Mark Kriegel is excellent in not only its portrayal of Tyson, but also in its ability to make even those readers who think they can’t read anything new about him will find something they didn’t before.

While the book is about his life from his childhood in the Brownsville section of Brooklyn to his 91-second knockout of Michael Spinks in 1988 to unify the heavyweight championship of boxing, the prologue will grab a reader right away. Kriegel writes about Tyson, the father who is watching his daughter at a tennis match. From just this passage, it will be clear to readers that this will not be a typical sports biography.  

From there, Kriegel takes the reader on a journey that will not only reveal much about Tyson, but also provide in-depth looks at a variety of topics: poverty, crime, gang activity, the media’s love of celebrity issues, the crookedness of the boxing business and its characters, the greed of the 1980’s and so much more. None of these topics will be new to anyone, but the depth to which Kriegel writes about these topics, especially the business side of the sport, is excellent. It should be noted that Kriegel was a long time boxing writer for the New York Daily News, so his knowledge of this side of the sport is well-grounded.

While the fights Tyson had in the ring as an amateur, his failed attempt at making the 1984 U.S. Olympic team, and those as a professional are well covered (including the famous bout with Spinks), the work on Tyson’s life outside the ring is what makes this book so good. Kriegel writes about the myths on Tyson, especially in his days in Brownsville and those when he was taken in and mentored by Cus D’Amoto. Also noteworthy is Kriegel’s accounts of Tyson’s marriage to actress Robin Givens, his relationship with her mother Ruth Roper , his lack of business acumen when dealing with Jim Jacobs, Bill Clayton and especially Don King. If one remembers this time as a tangled, salacious time for what Tyson was doing, the reader will find out even more twists as Kriegel navigates then through all of the lies, deception, stories and craziness.

But one conclusion that one will make, no matter their view on Tyson as a person, is that it’s very clear that he was a person who lacked the love and support he wanted and would accept it from whomever would provide it. Nearly every person mentioned in the previous paragraph was doing that in some way and Tyson was always seeking it, no matter what it would do to him later.

Since this book only covers Tyson’s life up to that June 1988 night in Atlantic City and the anticipation that accompanied it, I am hoping Kriegel writes a sequel covering some of the other events that made Tyson such a compelling character. This book is highly recommended for any reader who wants to read about any aspect of Mike Tyson’s first 22 or so years of life. 

Link: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/552034/baddest-man-by-mark-kriegel/ 

Review of “It Happened!”

While I certainly knew about Jim Lampley before reading this book, I admit to having forgotten that he covered so many different sports before he became known for his work in boxing that earned him enshrinement into the International Boxing Hall of Fame. This book has a story about that day and so much more. Here is my review of “It Happened!”

Title/Author: “It Happened! A Uniquely Lucky Life in Sports Television” by Jim Lampley with Art Chansky

Rating:  4 of 5 stars (very good)

Review:  Jim Lampley had a long and mostly successful career in sports broadcasting, most notably for his work in boxing for HBO. He writes about his life and his ups and downs in both his professional and personal lives in this very good memoir.

 

Most memoirs and biographies will follow the timeline from childhood to either the present or death. This one does not do that at all, aside from the beginning, when Lampley describes his childhood and early adulthood. I found that the biggest drawback of the book because unless one is a fan of Lampley and followed his career closely, it was hard to determine where in his life or career he was at. It felt like he wanted to jump to the next story or topic that was on his mind, whenever it might have occurred relative to the last one. 

But the stories he can tell are so good, especially those from his days of covering “Wide World of Sports” and the Olympics (both Summer and Winter Games). His accounts from his vantage points of Frank Klammer’s exciting downhill skiing gold medal run in 1976 and the 1980 “Miracle on Ice” in Lake Placid were two of my favorite stories in the entire book. But the excellent stories are not limited to the Olympics. His account of the George Foreman-Michael Moorer fight and the upset of Mike Tyson by Buster Douglas are also great. Especially the Foreman-Moorer bout where Foreman told Lampley before the fight what he was going to do to his opponent. That was the fight in which Lampley exclaimed his famous line whis is the title of the book, “It happened!”

What makes Lampley’s career even more interesting is the sheer variety of sports he has covered in his career: college and NFL football, Major League Baseball, college basketball, golf, tennis to name just a few as well as boxing. Just about any sport a reader enjoys could be covered in this book.  

There is also plenty of material on his personal life, which is not quite as successful, starting with the fact he has been married four times. To his credit, no matter what happened in his relationships with those women or his children, he never criticized them or had anything bad to say about them. When it comes to stories about this part of his life, the best ones involve his daughter Brooke, whom he had with his second wife Joanne. 

Overall, I felt this was a very good, entertaining and easy to read memoir even if it jumped around at times and felt like it needed more boxing since that is what Lampley is best known for. Nonetheless, if a reader wants to learn more about this very interesting and versatile broadcaster, it is highly recommended. 

I wish to thank Ben Bella Books for providing a copy of the book via NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are strictly my own.

Link: https://www.amazon.com/Happened-Uniquely-Lucky-Sports-Television/dp/1637746431/ref=sr_1_1?crid=7MOKRPPA7IJA&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.Rkx2FHEvcoTBEetamWkLLpTGUImrdou6KJhMQK7H0WcHA7UFjeu9oohix8pEyp4-.fq14ZizGJ7kYuJIs50kHL7FM7pgZzcoCDUCcAvIGejE&dib_tag=se&keywords=it+happened+jim+lampley&qid=1755970311&sprefix=It+happened+jim%2Caps%2C120&sr=8-1 

Review of “The Fight of His Life”

Having not picked up a boxing book in a while, I decided to request this one on Joe Louis. While there is boxing in it, this book is really about so much more. Here is my review of “The Fight of His Life.”

Title/Author: “The Fight of His Life: Joe Louis’ Battle for Freedom During World War II” by Randy Roberts and Johnny Smith

Rating: 4 of 5 stars (very good)

Review: It is well known and well documented that Joe Louis became a national hero when he defeated German fighter Max Schmeling to become the heavyweight champion of the world at a time when the Nazis were rising to power in Germany. What isn’t as well known was Louis’ later troubles with blt at racism and segregation when he enlisted in the United States Army to help defeat the Nazis. His time in both the ring and the military is captured in this book co-written by Randy Roberts and Johnny Smith.

As the subtitle will imply, much of the book is dedicated to Louis’ time in the Army. Instead of engaging in combat duty, his main duty was to promote goodwill amongst the troops, put on boxing exhibitions and to also show at least on the surface that Black soldiers were making a difference in the Allied forces’ efforts. As Roberts and Smith illustrate, that was not the case. Some of the best work they do in this book are also some of the hardest parts to read. The discrimination, poor work assignments (especially for Black enlisted sailors in the Navy) and treatment on liberty by military police are portrayed in enough detail that will make even a hardened reader shake their head.

Along with the portrayal of Louis as a vice for the Black military member, the book does a very good job of portraying Louis as a great boxer, a married man with a wandering eye (especially while in service as he and Lena Horne were an item) and also as a person who was used and indebted to his boxing manager Mike Jacobs. I never realized just how much financial difficulty Loouis had until reading this book. 

This is a book that certainly pulls no punches to fully describe the activist in Joe Louis and for that reason alone, it is one that should be read by all, not just boxing fans.

I wish to thank Basic Books for providing a copy of the book via NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are solely my own. 

Link:  https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0DZ22V8KN/ref=x_gr_bb_amazon?ie=UTF8&tag=x_gr_bb_amazon-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B0DZ22V8KN&SubscriptionId=1MGPYB6YW3HWK55XCGG2

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