The Catastrophist: The Troubled World of Don Jordan
Read about the turbulent life and strange career of 1950s welterweight champion Don Jordan, who ran with street gangs as a kid, partied with mobsters, and carried a bow and arrow with him through the streets of Los Angeles.
A Second Life: The Career of Pat Valentino
1940s California matinee idol Pat Valentino, product of an abusive childhood, never thought he would amount to anything, and the tough breaks he got in life were mirrored in his hard luck boxing career. When he finally got a shot at the heavyweight championship of the world, it cost him more than anyone would have imagined possible.
Detour Ahead: Georgie Abrams & The Middleweights of the 1940s
Georgie Abrams was a gifted fighter who went tooth and nail against some of the best fighters of his era: Tony Zale, Marcel Cerdan, and Sugar Ray Robinson, who once admitted that Abrams was the toughest opponent of his career. Among the fighters Abrams defeated were: Ernie Vigh, Tommy Yarosz, Lou Brouillard, Cocoa Kid, Coley Welch and Steve Belloise. He also went 3-for-3 against Billy Soose.
Nightmare In Dreamland: When Ace Hudkins Crashed Coney Island
Ace Hudkins, described by Irving Rudd as “a swashbuckling, rollicking, red-headed pug whose rip-tear, slambang, slashing style of of slugging earned for him hundreds of thousands of dollars and a reputation as one of the most vicious fighters in ring history,” was a major drawing card in California during The Golden Age of Sports and was known for his merciless style in the ring. In 1926 Hudkins traveled to New York City to take on undefeated teenage sensation Ruby Goldstein in Coney Island Stadium.
One of the last interviews granted by Hall of Fame middleweight Joey Giardello. By George Headley Hanson Jr.
Dark Mirror: When Max Baer Met Ben Foord
The night madcap Max Baer faced his double in the ring, tragic South African playboy Ben Foord.
Strange Days: The Johnny Saxton Story
The life and times of Johnny Saxton, mob-controlled welterweight who went from the championship of the world to an insane asylum.
The incredible career of one of the first Puerto Rican stars in boxing.
No Exit: The Short Life & Strange Career of Eddie Machen
Eddie Machen was a gifted heavyweight who never reached his potential because of a shaky psychological make-up. He died, in mysterious circumstances, at the age of 40.
Enforcer: The Life & Crimes of Gus Dorazio
Read about the career of strong arm Philadelphia heavyweight Gus Dorazio, who wisecracked his way through a brutal career that culminated in a title shot against Joe Louis and inspired the creation of Rocky Balboa.
Nasty, Brutish, Short: Al Palzer & The White Hopes
Lumbering Al Palzer was one of the first White Hopes to emerge in the wake of Jack Johnson. Palzer was not much of a fighter, but his career is nearly Kafkaesque in its bizarre particulars.
Lightning Express: The Quick Rise & Even Quicker Fall of Al Singer
Al Singer was one of the biggest gate attractions in boxing during the late 1920s and early 1930s. His tumultuous–and colorful–career was tainted by gangland links, and his promise as a fighter was cut short by one of the malignant gods of boxing: Fate.
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