The book offers a deep and engaging analysis of a tale centered on fatal obsession, exploring its complexities and the lingering mysteries that surround it. Through a thoughtful lens, it invites readers to reconsider the motivations and consequences of obsession, making it both compelling and reflective.
The battle between Marvelous Marvin Hagler and Thomas Hearns is remembered as one of the greatest fights of all time. But in the months before the two finally collided on April 15, 1985, there was a feeling in the air that boxing was in trouble. The biggest name in the business, Sugar Ray Leonard, was retired with no logical replacement in sight, while the American Medical Association was calling for a ban on the sport. With Hagler-Hearns looking like boxing's last hurrah, promoter Bob Arum embarked on one the most audacious publicity campaigns in history, hyping the bout until the entire country was captivated. Arum's task was difficult. He'd spent years trying and failing to make Hagler a star, while Hearns was a gifted but inconsistent performer. Could Arum possibly get a memorable fight out of these two moody, unpredictable warriors? The Hagler-Hearns fight is now part of history, but The War by Don Stradley explores the many factors behind the event, and how it helped establish what many feel was boxing's greatest era. With additional commentary from many who were there, Stradley shows the unlikely path taken by two fighters searching for greatness. They didn't care how many punches they endured, as long as it led to stardom. When the fight was over, however, each learned that fame inflicted its own kind of damage.
In Slaughter in the Streets, Don Stradley masterfully unfolds the story of how Boston became boxing's murder capital. From the early days of Boston's Mafia, to the era of Whitey Bulger, Stradley tells the fascinating stories of men who were drawn to the dual shady worlds of boxing and the mob.
Carlos Monzon was one of Argentina's most celebrated figures. A renowned boxing champion and movie actor who enjoyed affairs with beautiful women, he also harbored a secret life of drug use, alcohol, and domestic violence. When his estranged wife was found dead―strangled and tossed from a balcony―Monzon confessed that they'd fought the night before, but he couldn't remember what had happened. The resulting murder trial cast a long shadow over Monzon's legacy and launched a decades-long battle between his critics and defenders.In A Fistful of Murder, Don Stradley explores Monzon's turbulent life, from his beginnings in poverty to his dramatic rise to stardom, all the way to the case that shook a country―and still haunts Argentina today.A Fistful of Murder: The Fights and Crimes of Carlos Mozon is the sixth in the Hamilcar Noir series. Hamilcar Noir is "Hard-Hitting True Crime" that blends boxing and true crime, featuring riveting stories captured in high-quality prose, with cover art inspired by classic pulp novels.
Filled with firsthand accounts from the men who trained Valero and the reporters who covered him, as well as insights from psychologists and forensic experts, Berserk is a hell-ride of a book.