Unlicensed: Random Notes from Boxing's Underbelly (Mainstream sport) Book

Away from the glamour and hype of the professional ring, there lies a range of activity categorised under the banner of unlicensed boxing. This is the world which Jon Hotten's accounts explore, along with the odd glance sideways to the licensed game.As the murky world of shady gyms, pubs and warehouses--and even shadier characters--becomes clearer, lines of distinction between the various forms of the fight game become more and more blurred. The contradiction is perfectly illustrated; organised unlicensed boxing quickly strays into street violence and psychopathy. Aspects of the two not only overlap but seem interwoven; one violent criminal described also holds regard as something of a noble fighting man. Aside from this dark background, it is the characters involved who make the accounts come to life. From the "Dogman", so-named after an organised bout with a pit-bullterrier, to "The Galway Bull" and the astonishing veteran and part-time crooner, John Barnwell, each figure introduced from the pugilistic underground is accompanied by a strangely gripping tale, making the whole narrative fascinating. By conveying the human side of his experiences of these often somehow seemingly virtuous men, Hotten creates a fine perspective. The absence of any true border between his setting and that of the professional realm of Mike Tyson and promoter Don King is crystal clear. Unlicensed the pro game may not be, but it leaves a taste certainly no less unappetising than these stories from the other side. --Trevor CroweRead More