February 2006
Rinsing Off the Mouthpiece By GorDoom
Poem of the Month By Tom Smario
The 2005 CBZ Year-End Awards By J.D. Vena
Women to Watch For in 2006 By Adam
Pollack
INTERVIEWS:
Lou DiBella: No Joe Palooka By Dave Iamaele
Lamon Brewster, Unplugged By Juan C.
Ayllon
Touching Gloves with... Clyde Gray By Dan
Hanley
PROFILES:
Iron Mike Tyson: Myth or Monster? By
Jim Trunzo
Jess Sandoval: The Coach Says, "Bundle Up" By
Katherine Dunn
The Legend of the Cuban Baron, Ramon Castillo
By Enrique Encinsoa
Paul Thorn By Pete Ehrman
Battling Nelson: Always Battered, Seldom Beaten
By Tracy Callis
Kid Chocolate,
the Cuban Bon Bon By Monte Cox
BOOK REVIEWS AND EXCERPTS:
Shadow Boxers Photographs by Jim
Lommasson
The Iceman Diaries by John Scully
The Boxing Bookshelf by Dave Iamele
|
The Boxing Bookshelf
By Dave Iamele
For the boxing fan who enjoys a good read -- and I know from some letters I've received
that there are at least a few of you out there -- I recommend both Mike DeLisa's
The James J. Braddock Story: Cinderella Man
(Milo, $14) and David Margolick's
Beyond Glory: Joe Louis vs. Max Schmeling, and a World on the Brink
(Knopf, $7).
Through a lucky coincidence, I received first the Cinderella Man book in June as a gift
from the author, and then received the Louis-Schmeling book as a present from a close
friend this October. I say this was lucky because the two books, read in that order,
comprise a marvelous story of the heavyweight championship from the 1930s through the
1940s.
As a boxing fan, I obviously enjoyed reading details of the bouts of James Braddock, Max
Baer, Joe Louis, and Max Schmeling; however, I enjoy reading books on various subjects,
and what I found particularly compelling about both stories was that each book captured
the feeling of what life was like in the United States during The Great Depression and the
early years leading into World War II. These glimpses or snapshots of those eras convey
the drama that the average Joe-on-the-street dealt with back when your average
Joe-on-the-street was a boxing fan.
To learn more about the heavyweight division back when it really meant something to be The
Champ, read Cinderella Man, about a fighter who was
tough as dirt and was one of the most beloved -- although shortest reigning -- champions.
Follow that up with Beyond Glory, and read about Joe Louis' devastating loss to
German Max Schmeling and his one-round destruction of Schmeling in the return bout. Max
Schmeling's story is especially interesting. Some Americans viewed him to be a puppet of
the Nazis and some as just a noble sportsman. Which was he? Read the book and make up your
own mind. One thing is for certain, when he retired, he made a fortune from distributing
Coca-Cola in Germany and reportedly died a wealthy man, just shy of his 100th birthday. I
would like to see more boxers follow his example: Retire, stay retired, invest ring
earnings wisely, and live a long, happy, healthy life. Sadly, Joe Louis' later years were
marked by drug abuse, alcoholism, and constant hounding by the IRS.
Contact Dave Iamele at
editors@cyberboxingzone.com.
> contents
<
|