Mark Prince Punches to Promote Peace On Our Streets

By Peter Silkov
From London

York Hall, in Bethnal Green, hosted a lively night of boxing Friday, October 23, which was headlined by Mark Prince (23-1, 18koes), who has become British boxing’s Peter Pan, by making a successful comeback to the ring in his mid-40s. This was Prince’s 4th comeback fight since he first returned to the ring on October 4, 2013, at the age of 44, following a lay off from the ring of almost 14 years. The reasons behind Marks comeback are different from those of most fighters who return to the ring after a long absence. Mark is not fighting again to chase glory or a big payday, the motivation behind his return is to bring attention to The Kiyan Prince Foundation, which he set up in memory of his son, Kiyan Prince.

Kiyan was a promising young footballer who had been signed by Queens Park Rangers, but his life, and all the promise that it held, was cruelly snuffed out in 2006, when he was stabbed to death outside of his North London School. In response to his son’s death, Mark set up The Kiyan Prince Foundation to bring awareness and education to the community about the increased level of knife crime upon our streets. Each month brings fresh stories of youths being fatally stabbed, often in broad daylight in front of numerous witnesses. There are many incidences of severe injuries that never get reported. The source of this self-destructive violence amongst our youth can be found in the exploding gang culture, especially in London, and the general feelings of isolation, and alienation, amongst those within this gang culture. When there is a generation growing up with the belief that they have nothing to lose, then you have a recipe for social conflict and violence.

With the backing of the Kiyan Prince Foundation, Mark tours schools, prisons, and community centers giving talks that are designed to steer troubled youth away from crime, and educate about the devastating repercussions of knife crime for all involved.  The foundation is especially geared to try and motivate young people away from the gang culture and show them that there are other avenues and possibilities open for them in life. Mark himself came from a troubled background, until he found boxing in his early 20s and turned his life around. His ‘first’ boxing career saw him beaten just once in 20 contests, and that defeat was in a brave challenge for the WBO world light-heavyweight championship held by the very formidable Dariusz Michalczewski. In the fight, Prince was competitive right up until when he was stopped in the 8th round. Mark would have just one more fight, a 1st round victory over a year later against Kevin Mitchell in November 1999, before a severe knee injury put him into a premature retirement. 

It would be 14 years before he would fight again, motivated by the desire to bring about change with the Kiyan Prince Foundation.

Last night, Mark, who at 14 stone is a cruiserweight, gave away over a stone to a genuine heavyweight, Mathew Ellis(20-12-2, 9koes), who stepped in as a late replacement after Prince’s original opponent failed to catch his flight.

The fight itself was brief, but explosive. At 46 years of age, Prince looks as fit as he was 20 years ago, fitter than many fighters much younger than him were. The only telltale sign of his age, or perhaps his past knee injury, is his flat-footed movement around the ring. Even though he is not fleet-footed, Mark is an expert in cutting off the ring against his opponents. He has also seemingly lost none of his punching power, and with his flat-footed stance, puts an impressive amount of power behind almost every punch. With his punching power and a sound technique, it is not hard to see how Prince rose to a world title challenge in his first boxing incarnation.

Last night his power was just too much for Wayne Ellis. After a minute of both men sizing each other up with some preliminary jabs, Prince started to put the pressure onto Ellis, driving him into the ropes with a series of shots, then putting him down with a right to the body, followed by a right to the head. Ellis beat the count, but the writing was on the wall for him. Prince was on him again quickly, and two lefts to the head had him falling again to his knees, where he stayed as the referee counted him out. It was an impressive performance by Prince, despite the fact that Ellis, a one-time heavyweight prospect, has long slipped into the status of a journeyman, and came in as a last minute substitute. Yet, you can only beat who is put in front of you, and since his comeback, Mark has stopped 3 of his 4 opponents, to take his record up to 23-1 with 17 wins by knockout. Mark’s victory came in front of a packed house at Bethnal Green York Hall, and the crowd was very vocally appreciative of his performance.  After his win, Prince took the microphone and spoke to the crowd, and it was easy to see why he is such a respected, successful campaigner, and speaker against the culture of violence that is taking over our streets.

However, Mark’s comeback has not been welcomed in every quarter. The British Boxing Board of Control, the country’s governing body, which has controlled British boxing for over 100 years, has declined to license Prince, stating that it is ‘in his best interests not to box again.’ This has led to him making his comeback under the banner of the fledgling Malta Boxing Commission, which was sanctioning yesterday’s show and all the fighters on it. The MBC is currently embroiled in a bitter legal dispute with the BBBC over the right to stage boxing promotions in England, in a case that could eventually see an end to the BBBC’s monopoly over British boxing.

It is undeniable that the BBBC is one of the most respected boxing boards in the world and that their safety record is largely impressive. However, given his performances in his comeback, and his impressive level of fitness, it does seem to be something of a puzzle as to why the BBBC continues to refuse to allow Prince a license under their banner. At 46 years old, the obvious obstacle for Mark is his age. Yet, age itself should not be a deciding matter, especially considering that Mark is in visibly better condition than many other fighters who are licensed by the BBBC are.  There is little doubt that if he was to be licensed by the BBBC, Prince would have a much bigger platform from which to gain further support for the Kiyran Prince Foundation. The skeptical amongst us may wonder whether this might not be one of the reasons behind the BBBC ‘s lack of support for Prince, perhaps he is seen in some quarters as being a bit too political. Certainly it is a strange situation, with the sports main governing body in this country keeping their backs firmly turned against a man who given support, could be such a hugely positive role model and ambassador for main stream British boxing. 

Certainly Saturday night’s crowd at the York Hall had no such doubts about Mark Prince and the message he is trying to spread.  Unless there is a reason, other than his age, why Mark Prince should not be licensed, then Mark has more than proved himself deserving of a chance to compete on British boxing’s main stage, rather than being limited to fighting for the MBC. Despite its best intentions, the MBC still has a limited pool of fighters and a much lower profile in British boxing. Mark Prince deserves to be embraced at the highest level of British boxing. It’s frustrating that a sport that often seems to have no problem with promoting negative and divisive role models seems to be hesitant to promote such a positive role model.

Whatever happens with the BBBC, Mark Prince has vowed to continue fighting in the ring, and promoting the foundation made in his son’s name. The more he continues win, the harder it will be for the BBBC to legitimately continue to ignore him.

The main event was supported by 6 undercard contests. Most notable of these was the return of Michael Alldis (25-8, 15koes).  Alldis is a former British and Commonwealth super-bantamweight champion, and was having his first competitive contest in over 13 years, and at the age of 47.  Such statistics may sound daunting, but fighting at lightweight, Alldis entered the ring looking as if, like Mark Prince, he has turned back the clock, and regained the fitness of his boxing youth. Michael’s opponent, Dinars Skripkins (2-6) was willing, yet from the start, Alldis looked remarkably sharp, considering his age and absence from the ring, took control with a sharp jab and strong body shots.  Skripkins was floored in the 2nd round with a body shot, then took the full count in the 3rd round after taking another sharp shot to the body. While his opponent was limited, it was still an impressive display by Alldis.

The other fights of the night were:

At super middleweight, Manzo Smith (6-2) out-pointed Andrejs Loginov (16-41-1, 9koes) over 4 rounds. Smith stalked Loginov throughout, and was too busy and strong for his opponent, yet, Loginov showed heart by continually fighting back every time it looked as if he might be overwhelmed, and in the end lasting the distance.

Cruiserweight Daniel Mendes (2-0, 1ko) also had to be content with a 4 rounds point’s decision win in his fight with Jody Meikle (10-56-3, 2koes.)  Meikle was out-gunned from the start by the powerful looking Mendes, who is a heavy-punching southpaw.  However, Meikle showed lots of grit and put his extra experience to use as Mendes looked to load up with the big punches. It looked as if Mendes would get his knockout victory in the 4th and final round, when he dropped Meikle by the ropes with a heavy uppercut.  Yet Meikle bravely beat the count and held, moved and fiddled his way through to the end of the fight.

Lightweights Jak Johnson, who was making his debut, and Danny Costello (5-2-1, 1ko) boxed a lively 4 rounds, with both showing solid boxing ability, but Costello being the busier, came away with the points win.

Middleweight Adam Taylor made his debut against Arturs lljins (1-1) and it quickly turned into a nightmare. Taylor looking, it must be said, in less than top condition, against an opponent who looked considerably younger and fitter than him, was in trouble almost from the start of the 1st round, as lljins jumped on him with a wild combination to the body and head. Taylor fell to the canvas under this assault, but beat the count, only to be hurt again as soon as the action resumed. Taylor was soon down again by shot to the head, and while he beat the count, this time he indicated to the referee that he could not continue and the fight was ended.
   
In all, it was a lively and entertaining night of boxing, and the packed crowd showed why the York Hall is one of the most popular and atmospheric boxing halls in the world. For all their quarreling, the MBC and BBBC would do well to stop lining the pockets of lawyers, and recognize that the best way forward for boxing in this country will be if they could learn to operate side by side, rather than in opposite corners.  Whether this can ever really happen in a sport, such as boxing, so riven by inner politics, is another question altogether.  

If you would like to volunteer, donate, or learn more about the Kiyan Prince Foundation, click here:
http://www.kiyan.org/

Or follow Mark on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheKPF

Copyright © 2015 The Boxing Glove, Inc. Peter Silkov Art. All Rights Reserved. Peter Silkov contributes to www.theboxingglove.com

TBG Book Review:The Terror of Terre Haute:Bud Taylor

The Boxing Glove Sunday Night Book Review by Peter Silkov

“The Terror Of Terre Haute”
Written by John D. Wright.

“The Terror of Terre Haute” written by John D. Wright is an engaging and vivid account of  the life and times of Bud Taylor, whose big-punching, all-action fighting style made him one of boxing’s most popular fighters during the golden 1920s. 

Bud Taylor was born in Terre Haute, Indiana, on July 22, 1903, into a close-knit, but relatively poor family. Bud found early on that he was gifted with his fists, taking part in many street fights, before he started to box seriously with gloves on.

After beginning his professional boxing career in 1920, at the age of 17-years-old,  Taylor would go on to fight the best bantamweights and featherweights of the 1920s.  In a career, which spanned 11 years from 1920, until he hung his gloves up in 1931, Taylor had around 166 officially recorded contests, which works out to an astonishing rate of one fight every three weeks. 

At a time when boxing’s popularity in America was second only to baseball, Bud Taylor was one of the top fighters during what is now viewed as a ‘golden era’ in boxing. Jack Dempsey was the World heavyweight champion for much of the 1920s, and boxing was big business during a decade where Americans dedicated much of their time to enjoying themselves, with sports being one of the main vehicles used in the nation’s pursuit of recreation.

In an era where the talent was plentiful, and a fighter had to be both tough and talented just to make it into the ranks of contenders, Taylor’s fighting career culminated with him winning the World bantamweight championship in 1927. He would hold onto the title for over a year, until difficulty in making the 118 weight limit resulted in his decision to vacate his championship, and move up to the featherweight class.

“The Terror of Terre Haute” includes some fascinating descriptions of Bud’ s fights with some of the greats of his day, such as Tony Canzoneri, Jimmy McLarnin, and Bushy Graham, to name just three. Author John D. Wright has obviously done a great deal of research on the life and fighting career of Bud Taylor, and the end result is an entertaining portrait of Taylor both as a boxer, and as a man.

Taylor’s career in the ring is meticulously reviewed; the triumphs and the tragedies.  Taylor had the misfortune to see two of his opponents die after they had been defeated by him, and although he was a tiger of a fighter inside the ring, outside he was a thoughtful and sensitive person who absorbed the weight of these tragedies, and never quite came to terms with them. Although he continued to box following these two deaths, they undoubtedly left their mark on him psychologically, both in and out of the ring.

John D. Wright follows Taylor into his post-boxing life, and we see how the man who had been teetotal and terrifically disciplined for most of his fighting career, embraced the high life with an almost self-destructive zeal once his career was over. In just a few years Taylor would see most of his hard won fortune drain away through a mixture of bad investments, fast living, failed marriages and fast friends, along with the ravages of the 1930s depression.

“The Terror of Terre Haute” is a poignant portrait of a man who, while being a ferocious fighter in the ring, was a gentlemanly and sensitive person outside of the ring. It is also a fascinating portrait of the world of boxing generally in the 1920s and the 1920s themselves. 

In addition to a number of rare photos throughout its pages, this book also has Bud Taylor’s full professional boxing record in the back pages.

Terre Haute welcomes Bud Taylor home.

This book is a must for those who are interested in fighters of the past. Bud Taylor is revealed as a truly great fighter who fought in an era where a fighter really had to be something very special to win a title of any type, but especially a world title. It underlines, more than anything else, how boxing has changed since those days. “The Terror of Terre Haute”  looks back at a time when boxing was one of the most powerful and popular sports in the world, and its champions were household names, and admired wherever they went.

“The Terror of Terre Haute” was first printed in 2008  and published by Dog Ear Publishing.

Copyright © 2015 The Boxing Glove, Inc. Peter Silkov Art. All Rights Reserved. Peter Silkov contributes to www.theboxingglove.com and www.theboxingtribune.com

 

Book Review: The 16TH Round: From Number 1 Contender To Number 45472

The Boxing Glove Book Review: by Peter Silkov
“The 16th Round: From Number 1 Contender To Number 45472”    By Rubin “Hurricane” Carter

The 16th Round is the extremely powerful and often moving autobiography of Rubin “Hurricane” Carter. During the early to mid 1960s Rubin Carter was one of the top middleweight contenders in the world, a feared and destructive fighter, who was considered by many to be a future world champion. However, that is not the way things turned out for The Hurricane. Rubin Carter did not win the World middleweight title, instead he tried and failed in what would be his one and only world title chance. Then in a dark twist of fate, Carter saw both his remaining boxing career and his freedom snatched away from him when he was jailed in 1967 for his part in the murder of two white men and a white woman in a New Jersey bar.

Carter, and a friend John Artis, were eventually convicted of the killings on May 26, 1967, despite the apparent lack of solid evidence against the men. Also, the fact that the prosecution’s main witnesses were two petty criminals, Alfred Bello and Arthur Dexter Bradley, who admitted to being in the area that night with the intent to burgle a nearby factory. Rubin Carter and John Artis strongly claimed their innocence of these murders from the beginning, but it would take 20 long years before Carter would finally be set free and have his indictment dismissed. With Artis being released on bail in 1981.   

Between their original convictions in 1967, and Carter’s release in 1985, his case would become known internationally and made him a focus during the civil rights movement. Rubin's gained the support of many high profile celebrities from the world of both sport and entertainment, including Muhammad Ali and Bob Dylan. Carter achieved a taste of freedom for a couple of months in 1976, when he was let out on bail pending a second trial.  Unfortunately for Carter, the second trial ended with the same verdict as the first, and he was returned to prison.

In “The 16th Round” Carter tells the story of his life and details the injustice of his incarceration. This book, written in 1974, behind the bars of Rahway State Prison in New Jersey, is an intense howl of anger and despair by Carter at his unjust imprisonment for murders that he claims he did not commit. 

The 16th Round is a stark and often brutal tale of Carter’s life from a troubled childhood, through to his time as middleweight contender, when he was, for a time, one of the most feared fighters in the world, onto his conviction and imprisonment for murder. It is this book that fired up much of the campaign that resulted in Rubin’s brief taste of freedom in 1976, until in the run up to his second trial. 

From early childhood, Carter was afflicted with a severe speech impediment that he would not overcome until the age of 18. This seems to have played a strong part in him growing up with an ever-deepening sense of alienation and injustice at the world around him, including his father who was a respected deacon, but could neither understand (physically or emotionally) nor control his young son.  At the age of 11 years old, Rubin was jailed in a juvenile reformatory for stabbing a man (whom Carter describes in this book as trying to sexually assault him.) It is to be the first of a number of incarcerations that featured in Carter’s life. The descriptions of these places is at times quite chilling, and Carter provides some disturbing and enlightening material upon the inhumanity and hopelessness of prison.

Rubin’s boxing career, and the rise of his alter ego “The Hurricane”, is focused on the middle part of this autobiography, with some vivid accounts of some of his most important fights. Yet, it is his experiences with authority and the justice system where this book really excels and transcends from being just another boxing autobiography. Having read "The 16Th Round," it is not hard to see why the civil rights movement took up his case and why his imprisonment was seen by many as one of the greatest injustices of the time. The whole Carter story is mired with controversy, and there are those who dispute much of what he writes within “The 16TH Round”, especially his protestations of innocence.  Even today, a year after Carter’s death, there seems to be almost an ’anti-Carter’ industry, which opposes many of the claims and assertions made by Rubin Carter and his supporters. This debate will probably continue for many years, with both sides passionate about whether “The Hurricane” was truly an innocent man or not.

After he was eventually freed in 1985, Rubin Carter’s story would become the subject of a Hollywood film starring Denzil Washington “The Hurricane”, which gained great acclaim, despite infamously taking some Hollywood liberties with the truth in some parts.

Rubin Carter himself became a powerful voice for the wrongfully imprisoned in the years after he finally achieved his freedom. 

Although there have been other books written by and about Rubin Carter since the original publication of The 16th Round, neither of them succeed in capturing the raw emotions that one can feel literally coming out of the pages at you in Carter’s original autobiography. When all the controversy is swept aside, this book stands on its own merit as a fascinating and visceral study of human nature.  Love, hate, racism, violence, despair, and courage are all to be found in here, in a autobiography that truly goes beyond the world of boxing, and looks into the darkest areas of the human condition.
 
Copyright © 2015 The Boxing Glove, Inc. Peter Silkov Art. All Rights Reserved. Peter Silkov contributes to www.theboxingglove.com and www.theboxingtribune.com.

The Hurricane: Rubin Carter

By Peter Silkov

Rubin “Hurricane” Carter was a top middleweight contender in the 1960s, whose career was cut short by a murder conviction that would see him spend almost 20 years in jail for his alleged involvement in 3 murders.

Carter was born on May 6, 1937, in Clifton, New Jersey. Rubin was a troubled child, who struggled with a severe stutter that he would not overcome until his late teens.  At the age of 14 he was convicted of assault and sent to Jamesburg Home for Boys.  Three years later, he escaped, and while on the run enlisted in the army. It proved to be a turning point in his life and while in the army, Carter took up boxing for the first time. Rubin would eventually leave the army with a record of 51-5 with 31 knockouts.  However, Carter still found himself falling into trouble and in 1957, he was jailed for 4 and a half years for his part in an assault and two robberies. 

It was following his release from this period of incarceration that Carter finally began to take boxing seriously, making his pro debut on September 22, 1961, with a 4 rounds split points win over Pike Reed. From this point, Carter’s rise was a little less than meteoric. His ultra aggressive style attracted the fans, he would stalk his opponents, and when in range throw punches in vicious combinations. A fearsome demeanor equaled Carter’s knockout power in his fists. Some 20 years before it became fashionable for fighters to shave their heads, Carter sported a bald dome, a goatee moustache and beard, and the same kind of baleful expression that was worn by Sonny Liston. By 1963, Carter was a one of the most feared contenders in the middleweight division, with impressive wins over Florentino Fernandez, Holly Mims, Gomeo Brennan, George Benton, and Farid Salim. On December 20, 1963, Carter scored a sensational 1st round knockout victory over Emile Grffith, who at the time was the World welterweight champion and would go on to become a two-time World middleweight champion as well. Griffith certainly felt that he had been run down by a hurricane on that night of December 20, 1963. It would prove to be Carter’s greatest night in the ring.

Following his defeat of Griffith, The Hurricane started clamouring for a title fight, and in the mean time, out-pointed Jimmy Ellis, the future World heavyweight champion. Carter got his title shot on December 14, 1964, when he met Joey Giardello for the World middleweight title. Giardello was a 34-year-old veteran who was considered to be years paste his best, and many expected Carter to be too young and strong for the battle scarred champion. However, it was not to be, Giardello produced a boxing clinic, using all his skills and the experience of over a decade as a professional, to out-box and at times, out-punch the fearsome challenger.

Rubin Carter & Dick Tiger

The loss to Giardello seemed to have done something to Carter, whether it damaged his confidence or focus is not clear, but certainly Carter seemed to have peaked, and then began the long slide downhill that happens to all fighters. The Hurricane himself would blame the post-Giardello fight slump in his form upon the increasing harassment, which he was receiving, from the police and media by this time.

Following the Giardello bout, Carter would be 7-7-1 in his last 15 bouts. Carter was still a hit with the fans, and there was no shame in his point’s defeats to Luis Manuel Rodriguez, Harry Scott, Dick Tiger, and Stan Harrington, but he no longer looked like an invincible fighting machine, storming towards winning a world title. 
Then on June 17, 1966, an incident occurred which would change Hurricane Carter’s life. Two white men and a white woman were shot dead at the Lafayette Grill in Paterson. Carter and an acquaintance, John Artis, were pulled over within the hour and questioned. What followed was a case of tremendous twists, turns, and complexity, which still raises heated argument today.

Rubin Carter would have one more fight while free on bail, being out-pointed by Juan Carlos Rivero on August 6, 1966. It would turn out to be The Hurricane’s final fight.

On May 27, 1967, Carter and Artis were both sentenced to three counts of life in prison. In a debacle, which would include a second trial in 1976, when the pair were convicted again, Carter was not freed from prison until November 1985. In the mean time, his case had become a cause attracting worldwide attention, with support from celebrities from the sports and entertainment world, such as Muhammad Ali and Bob Dylan.  Rubin Carter’s case became an illustration of the many wrongful imprisonment cases that occur all too often, and more often than not, due to the colour of a person’s skin. While in jail, Carter brought attention to his cause with his biography “The 16th Round”, which recounted his life and boxing career, and protested his innocence. 

In 1988, a third trial was finally cancelled and the indictments on Carter and Artis finally dropped. After his release from jail Carter would spend his time giving support to other victims of injustice in Canada and America, and giving speeches about his life and experiences.  In 1999, a film “Hurricane” starring Denzel Washington was released about Carter, focusing upon his boxing career, and his wrongful imprisonment.

After his death Rubin Carter is still a controversial figure, with some people still questioning his innocence, whatever the truth, there is no denying that Rubin Carter has highlighted the problem of wrongful imprisonment in a way that was never achieved before and upon such a large scale.

Rubin “Hurricane” Carter’s final record was 27(19koes)-12-1.


 Copyright © 2015 The Boxing Glove, Inc. Peter Silkov Art. All Rights Reserved. Peter Silkov contributes to www.theboxingglove.com and www.theboxingtribune.com

Book Review: Two Ton: One Night, One Fight -Tony Galento v. Joe Louis

The Sunday Book Review by Peter Silkov

 "Two Ton: One Night, One Fight -Tony Galento v. Joe Louis" Written by by Joseph Monninger

Joe Louis and Tony Galento weigh in.

On June 28, 1939, Joe Louis defended his World heavyweight championship against Tony Galento, in what would prove to be one of the legendary ‘Brown Bombers” most famous battles. 

Tony Galento was one of  Louis‘s more outlandish challengers. Standing only 5’ feet 8” inches tall, and weighing usually something between 225 to 245 pounds, Galento was a full blown ‘character‘ who trained on beer, had a constant cigar gripped between his thick lips, and owned and ran his own bar in Orange, New Jersey.  Perhaps the most outlandish thing about Galento was that, despite his unconventional lifestyle and training habits, he really could fight. He was a natural, savage brawler, with a heart as huge as his belly and a punch to match. Galento was the kind of fighter who during the days of bare knuckle fighting could have been world champion. 

Galento ready to take Louis on.

Louis was already at the halfway point of becoming a legend when he defended his title against the barrelesque Galento and few gave the challenger much of a chance of defeating "The Brown Bomber."  However, on the night,  the fight proved to be a thriller and sensation, for the 4 rounds that it lasted. Galento lived up to his pre-flight boasts of doing the best he could to ‘Moider dat bum’; hurling his wide frame forward again and again, even as Louis’s slashing fists began to make a bloody mess of Tony’s pudgy face.  However, more than that, Galento’s wide yet powerful punches actually rocked Louis in the 1st round, and then dropped him in the 3rd.

Galento knocks Louis down in the 3rd.

For a couple of seconds in the 3rd round, it seemed that Tony Galento was on the threshold of pulling off one of the biggest upsets in the history of boxing, indeed in the sport itself.

“Two Ton: One Night, One Fight -Tony Galento v. Joe Louis” by Joseph Monninger is a riveting portrait of that night of June 28, 1939, when, for a few precious seconds, enthralled the thousands watching the world championship contest in person, plus the millions listening via radio. For those few precious seconds, Galento had the world at his feet, and the most coveted prize in all sports within his hands.

It was a night when a fighter with the nickname of “Two Ton,” who actually looked like he weighed two tons, came close to becoming Heavyweight champion of the world. 

Then Joe Louis got up. 

Referree helps Galento up.

First published in 2006, “Two Ton: One Night, One Fight -Tony Galento v. Joe Louis” gives us a marvellous portrait, not only of both boxers that swapped leather that night for the world heavyweight crown, but also of the people around them. We are given an at times mesmerizing glimpse of the world of 1939, a world where radio still ruled the airwaves, and boxing ruled the sports world.  Monninger’s narrative is stylishly sparse and to the point. He says a lot in paragraphs that are short, but flowing, hitting the target like a Joe Louis combination.


First published in 2006, “Two Ton: One Night, One Fight -Tony Galento v. Joe Louis” gives us a marvelous portrait, not only of both boxers that swapped leather that night for the world heavyweight crown, but also of the people around them. We are given an at times mesmerizing glimpse of the world of 1939, a world where radio still ruled the airwaves, and boxing ruled the sports world.  Monninger’s narrative is stylishly sparse and to the point. He says a lot in paragraphs that are short, but flowing, hitting the target like a Joe Louis combination.

Tony Galento after his fight with Joe Louis

Yet, it is Tony “Two Ton” Galento who is the real hero of this book, not Louis. In this book, we see Galento in all his beer sodden, blood splattered, wise cracking, glory.  It is hard to think of a more comprehensive and insightful portrait of the New Jersey brawler. These 208 pages, which include a nice selection of photographs, do a wonderful job of showing us why this fight thrilled so many at the time, and reached the status of one of the truly legendary battles to have been fought for the World heavyweight title. We also see why Galento was such a favourite with the public and the press alike, and how even in savage defeat, his performance against Louis consolidated his legacy.

Joe Louis reads the headlines after his victory over Tony Galento.

“Two Ton: One Night, One Fight -Tony Galento v. Joe Louis” is a book that, despite its relatively slim nature, manages to reveal a vast amount of information, about both of its two combatants, but also about the time in which both men lived and fought, and when boxing was the most important sport in the world, with the power to transcend all barriers.

Copyright © 2015 The Boxing Glove, Inc. Peter Silkov Art. All Rights Reserved. Peter Silkov contributes to 

www.theboxingglove.com and www.theboxingtribune.com