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Sweet Fighting Man is based on a collection of interviews with British boxers, from journeymen to champions. The book covers a timespan of over 50 years and features some classic personalities, such as Dave 'Boy' Green, the ever-popular British and European champion who fought for world titles against Carlos Palomino and Sugar Ray Leonard; Bunny Johnson, the first black British Heavyweight Champion, and Joe Somerville, the jovial journeyman who had literally thousands of fights in the lurid environment of the boxing booths. Boxers are fundamentally entertainers and each chapter in this book is an individual performance, giving the true flavour of the characters involved. Their thought-provoking reflections proffer a unique insight into the often rollercoaster life of a professional boxer. The interviewees also talk about many aspects of their lives away from the ring and, as they drop their guards and open their hearts, they deliver plenty of laugh-out-loud moments along the way.
About the author
Melanie Lloyd has been writing about boxing for 20 years. She has contributed to the British Boxing Board of Control Yearbook, Boxing News and Boxing Monthly. She writes for the London Ex-Boxers' Association magazine and recently provided captions for the photographic book entitled Warriors Heroes Boxers. This is her third book in her Sweet Fighting Man series, where she truly captures the essence of the human beings behind the gloves.
Summary
Sweet Fighting Man is based on interviews with British boxers from a range of eras spanning over 50 years. The fighters speak candidly about their time between the ropes and how they fared after retirement, together with many other aspects of their lives. They provide many laugh-out-loud moments along the way.
