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Review of Adam Pollack’s In the Ring with Marvin Hart

By Zachary Q. Daniels - Perhaps even more than the earlier installments of his excellent series on the heavyweightchampions, Adam Pollack’s In the Ring with Marvin Hart fills a gap in the boxing literature. For while his well-researched works on Sullivan, Corbett, Fitzsimmons and Jeffries undoubtedly provided additional understanding of the boxing careers of these men, as a result of his unique reliance on local primary source accounts to cover events, these were also boxers whose lives and careers had been the subject of some attention before. Not so with Marvin Hart.

Hart is not only, as Pollack notes “one of the least known heavyweight champions,” he is probably the least-written about of the many men who have held the title in the past. No biographies have ever been published, nor did Hart himself write an autobiography. This may be unique among heavyweight champions, the more famous of whom are among the most written-about of all athletes. As surprising as it seems, this is actually the first biography of Hart that has been published. Clearly, then, Pollack’s book fills a gaping void.

As usual, he applies his thorough research techniques, relying on primary source accounts to trace Hart’s career from its beginnings in 1900 to its termination in 1910. Hart’s early fights in his hometown of Louisville, Kentucky with such men as William Schiller, Hugh ”Kid Hubert” McGann, Pete Traynor, Tommy West, Dan Creedon and others are all covered. Most of these fights ended in KO, establishing Hart as a thunderous puncher who could “hit as hard as mule’s kick.

In perhaps his first important step up in competition, he took on Chicago’s Billy Stift in 1902, and knocked him out in the 3rd. This was followed by an even more significant step up against Eddie “Kid” Carter of Brooklyn, NY, which Hart won by KO in the 9th round. This fight was the one that really first established Hart as an up and coming contender, initially as a light heavyweight. After a decision victory in his rematch with Stift in Chicago - Hart’s first fight outside of Louisville - he took a second fight against Carter in Philadelphia. Although this fight officially ended in a “no decision,” most observers felt Hart had won.

In another important fight, Hart took on light heavyweight contender Jack Root in Chicago, which he lost by six round decision. This setback did not deter Hart from pressing forward, and as Pollack reports, he fought only nine days later against top contender (and later light heavyweight champion) “Philadelphia” Jack O’Brien, in O’Brien’s hometown of Philadelphia. It was a very competitive fight in which both men were hurt, ending in a no decision. Although O’Brien landed more punches, Hart had O’Brien clearly hurt and “ready to go” as the bell rang to end the fight. A rematch had similar results, with O’Brien down and almost out at the end of six rounds.

Hart then took an important fight with light heavyweight contender George Gardiner in May, which he lost by retirement, due to a broken hand. After the hand healed, he took on longtime heavyweight contender Joe Choynski in another no decision fight, which most observers believed to be a draw. Hart’s performance in these various six round fights leads Pollack to observe that he “was a fighter ideal for the finish fight, but also one whom the cleverest…. Please Click below for the rest of this article…

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By Rio

London - Monday 31st January 2011

Steve Bunce’s Thriller ‘The Fixer’ Reprinted - In The Shops Now!

Boxing aficionados are in for a double treat this week, Mark Wahlberg’s movie ‘The Fighter’ hits the big screen and Steve ‘Mr Boxing’ Bunce’s excellent thriller ‘The Fixer’ is back in the bookshops, resplendent in it’s new cover, having gone to it’s second print.

Whilst Mark Wahlberg based ‘The Fighter’ on a well documented story of ‘Irish’ Mickey Ward’s journey to the WBU World title. Steve takes a very different tack, instead of focusing on a well known boxer, his protagonist is from another realm of the sport altogether, one that I know only too well, as Steve’s hero is a boxing writer come ‘middleman’.

The Fixer , which was first published in April 2010, follows a month in the life of a fight fixer called Ray Lester - he puts people in the fight business together and scrapes a living from a variety of legal jobs inside the boxing business.

Ray is contacted by a wayward blonde and asked to find her dad. He agrees and ends up coming close to too many nutjobs. He ends up in Las Vegas at the Hatton-Mayweather fight, on Atlantic City’s dirty boardwalk, in an East End gym and on the bleak streets of Blackpool trying to make sense of the carnage; at the same time he has to make an honest living from his list of fighters and mad contacts.

On the news that The Fixer has made a welcome return to the bookshops Steve said, “It’s a great time for the second print of the book to come out. The new film, The Fighter, just won two Golden Globes and will be a massive hit. In the USA a new boxing show on FX called Lights Out is getting rave reviews.

This book fits right in there and there is clearly an appetite for an unconventional look at the boxing business. I’ve been in the business since I was about ten at the old St.Pancras nursery near St.Pancras station, Las Vegas for over 50 fights, Olympic boxing, forgotten nights, deaths and a zillion ringsides talking cobblers.

Great way to waste a life!

There is a lot of talk about journeymen boxers at the moment with all the Prizefighter buzz. Well, my book is packed with journeymen and the men

that control them and use them. In the book the journeyman comes close to

getting a voice - close. He’s too bashed up to speak and has to eat a kebab through a straw!

The Fixer is part of a quartet - the second book will be out next year. A lot of fight people have called me after reading it and told me: ‘I found it, I’ve found myself. Thanks, Steve.’ That’s quality.” Steve Bunce, better known as Buncey, has worked as a journalist and broadcaster since 1985 and is widely regarded as ‘the voice of British boxing’.

A regular columnist for Boxing Monthly, Buncey also contributes to The Independent and the Sunday Herald. He has a monthly boxing show on BBC Radio Five Live and hosts a weekly boxing chat show on BBC Radio London 94.9 & DAB on Thursdays at 8pm.

The Fixer by Steve Bunce is available now on-line at Amazon.com and all good bookshops, RRP. £9.99.

For further information or interviews with Steve Bunce please contact:

Gianluca (Rio) Di Caro

JustListen2This Publicity & Promotion

London, UK & Philadelphia, USA

Tel: (UK) 07960 850645
Tel: (USA) 1 215 459 5060

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