Posted in Uncategorized, sports, boxing, Ringside Boxing Show, Interview, author, history, boxing writer, Mark Kriegel, Ray "Boom Boom" Mancini on Sep 16th, 2012 Comments
The biography of former lightweight champion Ray "Boom Boom" Mancini is more compelling as a true story than Sylvester Stallone's "Rocky" fable.
Former New York Daily News staff writer Mark Kriegel tells this riveting tale in a sensational new book, "The Good Son: The Life of Ray 'Boom Boom' Mancini," a masterpiece that seems destined to become his third book to reach the New York Times Bestseller list.
The author of "Pistol: The Life of Pete Maravich" and "Namath: A Biography" takes readers down the amazing road that was Mancini's life and career, including the idolization of his father, once a No. 1-ranked lightweight contender himself until a war injury ended his career.
Kriegel joined us on the Sept. 16, 2012 edition of The Ringside Boxing Show to discuss a fighter who, in the 1980s, became a towering example of The American Dream.
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In a scintillating biography that took more than 30 years to research, author Paul Gallender pulls back the curtain on multiple truths, myths and rumors that surrounded the meteoric and troubled life of heavyweight legend Sonny Liston.
Gallender appeared on the Sept. 9, 2012 edition of The Ringside Boxing Show to discuss "Sonny Liston: The Real Story of the Ali-Liston fights," a book packed with things you never knew about the former heavyweight champion of the world, and the two infamous fights that destroyed him as a viable boxing commodity.
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Posted in Uncategorized, sports, boxing, Ringside Boxing Show, Interview, author, history, boxing writer, Hall of Fame, John J Raspanti, book review, Jay Tunney, Gene Tunney on Jul 1st, 2012 Comments
International Boxing Hall of Famer Gene Tunney compiled a career record of 81-1, including back-to-back victories over legendary heavyweight king Jack Dempsey in 1926 and (in the infamous "Long Count" bout) 1927. More fascinating, though, is that Tunney was a self-educated man who quit school at 15 to help support his family as a dock worker, and, while learning to defend himself on New York City's roughest streets, became a voracious reader and a self-educated man.
In retirement, he became close friends with George Bernard Shaw, one of the most-celebrated playwrites in history, a relationship that forms the centerpiece of "The Prizefighter and the Playwrite," a biography written by his son, Jay Tunney.
Jay Tunney spoke in-depth about his famous father on the July 1, 2012 edition of The Ringside Boxing Show, including the "Long Count" fight, the friendship with Shaw, and much more. This was one of the most interesting interviews we've ever done on our show. Don't miss it.
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"Business of Pain" and it's Spanish-language version, "El Negocio del Dolor," is the story of the life and career of Gabriel Ruelas, who escaped hardship in Mexico through boxing to become the WBC super featherweight champion, only to kill an opponent in the ring in his second title defense. Enjoy our in-depth interview with his biographer, Aracelli Martinez-Rose, an award-winning journalist who became a belated fan of the sport while researching the book.
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Posted in Uncategorized, sports, boxing, Interview, author, history, boxing writer, Hall of Fame, Jerry Quarry, Blake Chavez on Jan 15th, 2012 Comments
Blake Chavez co-authored "Hard Luck: The Triumph and Tragedy of 'Irish' Jerry Quarry," the compelling biography of one of the most popular heavyweight fighters of all time.
Quarry fought Ali, Frazier, Ron Lyle, Ken Norton, Floyd Patterson, Earnie Shavers and other legendary opponents in a renaissance era of heavyweight boxing. He never won a title, and despised the label of "The Great White Hope" that had been bestowed upon him.
Quarry ultimately suffered and died from pugilistic dementia, a disease that also killed his younger brother, former light heavyweight contender Mike Quarry.
Enjoy this in-depth interview with Chavez, who wrote the story of Quarry and his colorful family along with former LA Times sports writer Steve Springer.
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Where was this guy when you were in college? Randy Roberts teaches a course in boxing history at Purdue University -- yes, there's a waiting list -- and he also has authored biographies of Jack Dempsey, Jack Johnson and Joe Louis, as well as a book on the rape trial of Mike Tyson.
The professor made his second appearance on our show on Sept. 18, 2011, for an animated and colorful tour of The Sweet Science. Enjoy this fascinating interview.
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First-time author John Cameron, who lives 3 hours from London, has authored a meticulously researched biography of Rocky Marciano, the only man ever to retire unbeaten as the world heavyweight champion. HIs first book is Volume One of Marciano's story, covering the future champ's life from birth to 1949 -- two years before he won his title. Volume Two of "Redemption: The Life and Death of Rocky Marciano" is expected to be finished in about a year.
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Randy Roberts is a distinguished professor of history at Purdue University and author of "Joe Louis: Hard Times Man," a 2010 book that was honored among the best in its class for nonfiction and biographies.
In this interview from our June 5, 2011 show, Roberts discusses how "The Brown Bomber" came to be an American icon in the era of the Jim Crow South and during the build-up to the war with Nazi Germany.
Our time with this colorful story teller was far too short.
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In Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, life was severe and men were tough from 1946-1970, an era when boxing reigned supreme. Johnny Nemis ran at 4:30 a.m., worked all day in the coal mines, then trained again at night during a career in which he lost just 13 of his 200 fights, and was never KO'd. Gordon "Gramps" Kiley ran three miles before down, worked a full shift in the blast furnace at the steel mill, then trained for hours every evening. This is only a taste of the stories that cna be found in Paul MacDougall's new book, "Distinction Earned: Cape Breton's Boxing Legends 1946-1970."
On the Dec. 19 edition of The Ringside Boxing Show, McDougall tells us about Billy McGrandle, who fought and won the day after burning his eye with acid, Ferdinand "The Bull" Chretian, who had an eyebrow torn off his face aainst Tyrone Gardiner, Yvon Durelle, who lost 43 pounds in one week to make weight, then won his fight, and Gordie MacDougall, who fed his alcoholism by drinking vanilla extract, shaving lotion, perfume, shoe polish, and melted-down 78-rpm phonograph records -- then made a comeback.
Enjoy this unique interview chronicling the hardscrabble life & times of boxers in Cape Breton.
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Author Thomas Hauser has written 40 books, including "Muhammad Ali: His Life and Times," the definitive biography of the man who was arguably the most charismatic athlete who ever lived. Enjoy our fascinating in-depth interview with the Pullitzer Prize-nominated writer on The Ringside Boxing Show.
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