Author: Adam Pitluk
Publisher: Da Capo Press
ISBN: 0786733764
Category : Sports & Recreation
Languages : en
Pages : 286
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Book Description
Here is the inspirational story of Gabriel Sandoval, who grew up in the small dirt-poor town of Delicias, Mexico. Crossing the U.S. border with his family as a young boy of seven, he settled in Chicago, where he learned to speak English and to box-winning three Gold Glove championships-and where he also joined a gang, committing a robbery in his teens that landed him in one of the most violent prisons in America, Statesville. After his three-year stint in prison was up, he was met by an INS agent and put on the first plane to Mexico City with fifty dollars in his pocket. He eventually re-entered the U.S. illegally. Settling in Austin, Texas, he resumed his boxing career and changed his name to Jesus "El Matador" -- after the Chicago gym in which he learned to box-Chavez, and went on to become the Lightweight champion of the world. But the story doesn't end with this crowning achievement. He applied for a driver's license, and his real name, Gabriel Sandoval, came up on the computer and he was found to be in the U.S. illegally. For the second time, he was deported to Mexico before gaining his U.S. citizenship after a long, protracted fight with the U.S. government. Standing Eight is the triumphant tale of a strong-willed fighter who refused to stay down for the count and overcame tremendous obstacles to become champion of the world.
Author: Thomas Hauser
Publisher: University of Arkansas Press
ISBN: 9781557287182
Category : Sports & Recreation
Languages : en
Pages : 288
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Book Description
This is the second collection of articles on professional boxing to be published in book form by acclaimed writer Thomas Hauser. It offers unique insights into Muhammad Ali, George Foreman, Shane Mosely, Ray Jones Jr. and many more superstars, as well as an insider's critique of the sweet science today. Satirical, whimsical, and pungent, Hauser deftly maps the politics and poli-tricks of the world's only true universal sport.
Author: Reginald Allen
Publisher: AuthorHouse
ISBN: 1524686441
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 194
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Book Description
Sports entrepreneur, Reginald Allen, gives readers a glimpse into the star studded life he built for himself. This book is a photo journal which contains personal interviews and short stories delving into the backgrounds and history of prominent sports legends and their influences on the sports world. “My Journey” began in the inner city but the associations and friendships that grew through the people I met and places I traveled led me away from an uncertain destiny. The stories and experiences contained in these pages will shed light on how a genuine interest in people can lead to an extraordinary life. The interviews that fill “My Journey” take place across America over several years but they all contain a common theme of perseverance, hope and hard work.
Author: Mark S Allen
Publisher: Xlibris Corporation
ISBN: 1796097306
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 218
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Book Description
Former professional MMA Fighter and amateur boxer takes us through his journey from his post college graduate days of hard core drug addiction and alcoholism to sobriety and the competitive sports world of amateur boxing and professional MMA fighting, only to be sidelined by a devastating Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) from repeated blows to the head.
Author: Jan Reid
Publisher: Texas A&M University Press
ISBN: 0875657834
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 551
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Book Description
Songwriter, band leader, Vietnam vet, sparring partner of the great Ken Norton—Haid Shelton’s coming of age story immerses the reader in the volatile last half of the twentieth century as only Jan Reid could do. The Song Leader follows Haid from his teenage years in a small Texas pipe town, where he is the song leader of his church. His enduring gifts are his tenor voice and success as a Golden Gloves boxer. Dreaming of becoming a rock star and hoping to evade Vietnam, Haid joins the Marine reserves, gets into serious trouble, and is sentenced to four years in the brig. There he’s recruited as the sparring partner of future heavyweight champion Ken Norton. Haid’s knockout by his new friend Kenny gets him shunted to the war as an infantry grunt in 1968. Back home, bitter, with a disabled hand and a Purple Heart, he’s surprised and signed to a recording contract by the rock star Leon Russell. He rejoins his friendship with Norton on the eve of Kenny’s famous upset of Muhammad Ali, who’s an important character along with George Foreman, Joe Frazier, and Mike Weaver. Later their lives are brought together by a horrendous accident and by Kenny’s guardian angel Virginie Nalula, a child refugee from eastern Congo. Enduring friendship, race relations, professional boxing, and the American culture of violence are brilliantly explored in this last novel by the late, great Jan Reid.
Author:
Publisher: Xulon Press
ISBN: 1612151809
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 132
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Book Description
Author: Jack Slack
Publisher: Kings Road Publishing
ISBN: 1786065029
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 277
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Book Description
'WE'RE NOT JUST HERE TO TAKE PART - WE'RE HERE TO TAKE OVER' Conor McGregor is the biggest star in the fight game. The Dubliner has achieved more in three years with the Ultimate Fighting Championship than anyone in the twenty year history of the organization. From an unknown prospect in 2013 to the first man to hold two world titles simultaneously, McGregor's knockout-filled march through the featherweight and then lightweight rankings sent shockwaves through the world. But as effortless as McGregor's heroics have seemed, his journey was far from smooth and his destiny anything but certain. Just another teenager trading martial arts techniques with his friends in a shed, the seemingly delusional boy packed in his plumbing gig - to the massive anxiety of his parents - to chase a pipe dream with little promise of reward. No one could have guessed he would go on to become the biggest pay-per-view attraction in the world. As a technician and tactician inside the cage, McGregor was something special. Outside of the cage McGregor could draw thousands of screaming fans to press events with his wit and presence. And away from the cameras, McGregor's life was built around a love of treating his friends and a loyalty to his teammates and his hometown. This is not another tale about an athlete who was born exceptional and groomed for success. It is about how one young man, through bloody-minded determination and indomitable spirit, came to change the whole game. From Crumlin to Las Vegas and from the cage to the cars, Notorious: The Life and Fights of Conor McGregor explores not just how the fight game changed Conor McGregor, but how Conor McGregor revolutionized the fight game.
Author: Dennis Taylor
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
ISBN: 1442273062
Category : Sports & Recreation
Languages : en
Pages : 208
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Book Description
Intimate Warfare: The True Story of the Arturo Gatti and Micky Ward Boxing Trilogy traces the lives and careers of two legendary fighters—Micky Ward, a humble, hardscrabble, blue-collar Irishman from Lowell, Massachusetts, and Arturo Gatti, a handsome, flashy, charismatic Italian-born star who was raised in Montreal. Dennis Taylor and John J. Raspanti paint a vivid portrait of these two fighters who ushered each other into boxing lore and formed an unlikely friendship despite their brutal battles in the ring. Gatti’s life would end tragically and mysteriously just a few years later, but his name and Ward’s remain tied together in boxing history. In Intimate Warfare, each of the three spectacular fights between Gatti and Ward, two of which were named The Ring magazine’s “Fight of the Year,” are described in detail. Multiple photographs from the trilogy highlight the intensity and power of these epic collisions. With a foreword by former world champion and International Boxing Hall of Famer Ray “Boom Boom” Mancini, this book will be of interest to all fans of boxing.
Author: Sam Sheridan
Publisher: Grove/Atlantic, Inc.
ISBN: 0802143431
Category : Sports & Recreation
Languages : en
Pages : 315
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Book Description
Recounts the personal story and international travels of a professional fighter, from his initial discovery of his passion for fighting upon his arrival in Australia, to his training at Bangkok's legendary Fairtex gym, to his research throughout the world in search of historical and contemporary fighting disciplines. Reprint.
Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Soldiers
Languages : en
Pages : 712
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Book Description
