Publisher's Synopsis
"This book may cement [Acevedo's] status as one of today's best boxing journalists."—Kirkus ReviewsBoxing has one of the richest literary traditions in sports. From A. J. Liebling to Donald McRae, the sweet science has consistently inspired great writing. The work of Carlos Acevedo stands firmly in that distinguished tradition.In this expanded edition of Sporting Blood, Acevedo adds two new masterful essays—one about the murder of Stanley Ketchel, the other about the gangland slaying of Battling Siki—to those that made his debut collection an instant classic. Other highlights include a moving meditation on Muhammad Ali; a penetrating look at the enigmatic Charles "Sonny" Liston; and a vivid profile of Mike Tyson, which brilliantly conjures the Boy King's late 1980s reign of terror. Acevedo also offers many other unforgettable tales from boxing's dark side, featuring Jack Johnson, Joe Frazier, Roberto Duran, Aaron Pryor, Jake LaMotta, and more.Sporting Blood is ultimately a poetic throwback, an uncanny book that evokes journalism's golden age and places Acevedo not only among the best sportswriters of this generation, but of any other as well. ContentsForeword: Thomas Hauser1: A Ghost Orbiting Forever: Muhammad Ali 1942-20162: Fugitive Days: Jack Johnson in Exile3: The Last Goodbye: Remembering the Rivalry Between Roberto Durán and Esteban De Jesús4: Right on for the Darkness: On Aaron Pryor 1955-20165: The Catastrophist: The Troubled World of Don Jordan6: Dark Sun: Remembering Joe Frazier7: Strange Days: The Johnny Saxton Story8: The Hurting Kind: Wilfredo Gomez vs. Lupe Pintor9: Yesterday Will Make You Cry: The Short, Tragic Career of Davey Moore10: Under Saturn: Johnny Tapia 1967-201211: Total Everything Now: Mike Tyson, 198812: The Windfall Factor: The Night Bert Cooper Almost Beat Evander Holyfield for the Heavyweight Title13: Red Arrow: The Mysterious Death of Sonny Liston14: The Dark Corner: The Furious Life of Jake LaMotta15: A Young Old Man: The Tragic Life of Ad Wolgast16: The Lightning Within: Tony Ayala, Jr.17: No Exit: Eddie Machen18: One Long Season in Hell: On Michael Dokes19: Lightning Express: The Quick Rise and Even Quicker Fall of Al Singer20: Live Forward, Learned Backward: Mike Quarry and the "Quarry Curse"21: Leftover Life to Kill: Who Will Remember Carmelo Negron?22. The Busy World: The Murder of Stanley Ketchel23. Too Far from Home: Battling Siki Comes to America.
