Sweet Fighting Man: Ring of Truth by Melanie Lloyd

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.