The best book you've never read

Ok so you might have read it, I don't know, I just thought a catchy title like that would get more clicks. The book in question is 'This Bloody Mary Is the Last Thing I Own' by the British writer Jonathan Rendall. A great title to be sure - from a quote attributed to a Las Vegas barfly - but this book also has one of the most arresting opening lines in non-fiction:

It was a few hours after Frank Bruno attacked me at Betty Boop's Bar in the lobby of the MGM Grand that I decided to get out of boxing.

This is a book about boxing (this is a boxing blog after all) but as one reviewer points out, it successfully avoids falling into cliche and contains writing that would grace any genre.

For instance, how about this passage describing the author's first (and last) encounter with ageing Cuban boxing legend 'Kid Chocolate':

Kid Chocolate sat down on one of the chairs and opened his mouth to speak. But rum trickled out instead through his cracked lips stained with tobacco, like lava suddenly spewed from a long-extinct volcano. His voice when it emerged was a hoarse whisper, and he formed words with difficulty, each syllable accompanied by the widening of his eyes and a grin, as if greeting every tortured sound as an old, forgotten friend.

Rendall tells the story of his love affair with boxing; from falling in love with the sport as a wide-eyed eight year old watching Roberto Duran on television, to his subsequent all-too-brief foray into the ring at university, his career as a boxing journalist and sometime agent, through to the end of the affair and the reasons that led to him walking away from the sport - something in reality he never quite managed.

Several things struck me when I recently re-read the book. First and foremost, the quality of the writing, but also an overwhelming sense of sadness. You see, Rendall died a couple of years ago, aged just 48. His body wasn't found for a week. His talent was obvious, but Rendall lived a troubled life in many ways, and never really scaled the heights he reached in 'This Bloody Mary..' which received the Somerset Maugham Award for young writers when it was published in 1997.

Some have likened his writing to Hunter S. Thompson's 'Gonzo' brand of journalism, and it's true, there are passages, particularly those concerning his adventures in Las Vegas, that have a Hunter-esque quality. But he's also self-aware and incisive, a wonderful travel guide through the weird and wonderful world of boxing, from the fading lights of early-90s Las Vegas to the York Hall in Bethnal Green.

Although there's lots to admire for non-boxing fans, fans of the sport, particularly in Britain, will enjoy being reminded of names and characters from years gone by. People like Colin 'Sweet C' McMillan, an enormously talented British featherweight who Rendall helped guide to a world title in 1992. McMillan had a 'sweet as sugar' style that if injury hadn't forced him to retire could have made him one of the sport's biggest stars. Luckily you can watch all his professional fights on his website.

Rendall also reserves many of his most purple passages for another great British fighter from that era, Herrol 'Bomber' Graham, often talked of as the best British fighter to never win a world title. Trained by Brendan Ingle in Sheffield, Graham's quick, evasive, wholly unteachable style, was a massive influence on another up-and-coming fighter from the same gym, 'Prince' Naseem Hamed.

Rendall's writing, in my opinion, deserves to be mentioned alongside that of British writers such as Hugh McIlvanney and Donald McRae as well as the Tooles, Mailers and Lieblings of this world. He was a truly original voice and I'm just sad he wasn't with us for longer.

Five things I've learnt from my first 'White Collar Boxing' fight

I’ve been a boxing fan for more than 20 years, and I’ve been known to pontificate about who has the greatest punch, the best chin, the fastest hands. But until last Saturday I’d never climbed into a ring myself. Now with my first, and perhaps last, charity fight under my belt, what lessons can be drawn from the experience?

1. You’re only 10 weeks away from peak fitness
I was in okay shape when I started training for the fight at Legends Boxing Gym in South-West London. Like a lot of people, I play a bit of five-a-side football, go for the occasional run and eat reasonably healthily. But such is the intensity of boxing training, that within just a few weeks I found – to my surprise – that I’d made rapid progress in my overall fitness. There’s a reason for that. The recent fad for ‘high intensity training’ is something boxers have known about for years. Try punching a bag non-stop for three minutes and you’ll see what I mean! As middle age begins to spread itself across your midriff, it’s heartening to know that with a bit of hard work, you’re only ever 10 weeks away from the fittest you’ve ever been.

  2. There’s a good reason why boxers are considered among sport’s fittest athletes
Among our group of novices, there were several rugby players, gym bunnies and fitness freaks. We even had an ‘ultra marathon’ runner, someone who has completed the infamous Marathon des Sables (156 miles in the Sahara desert since you ask) and even she found the training tough. Boxing’s combination of intense bursts of anaerobic activity (punching to you and me) followed by relatively short recovery periods make it one of the most physically demanding sports out there. Six minutes in the ring almost finished me, the idea of going the full Championship distance of 12 x 3 minute rounds now completely blows my mind.

3. Age need not be a barrier
Our group included several guys in their late forties and even – my hero – a 61 year old called Norman. George Foreman famously regained the heavyweight title a couple of months shy of his 46th birthday but even his achievements have arguably been surpassed by Bernard ‘The Alien’ Hopkins, who won his last world title at the age of 49. In short, it’s never too late!

4. ‘Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth’
For weeks leading up to the fight I pored over every boxing book I could get my hands on, mugged up on ring strategies, and watched classic fights on YouTube. I also listened intently to everything my coach, Harvey Morgan, had to say on slipping, blocking and footwork. When I found out who my opponent would be – another lanky fellow – I tried to identify the best way to beat him. But as Mike Tyson famously said, ‘Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth’. When that happens instinct tends to take over and every fibre of your being tells you start swinging!

5. Defensive skills are underrated 
Novice fighters like myself often end up in slug-fests because the ability to think clearly under pressure is something that can only be developed over time. You can learn to punch fairly quickly, but learning how to box takes years. As a boxing fan, and I’m sure I’m not alone in this, I tend to favour the classic dust-ups like Gatti-Ward, while in all honesty Mayweather’s brand of defensive genius has often left me cold. But after this experience I’m going to re-watch a lot of old fights with a new eye. Slipping, counter-punching, timing – all these can be things of beauty, just look at masters of the art like Pernell ‘Sweet Pea’ Whitaker or Argentina’s often-overlooked Nicolino ‘El Intocable’ Locche.

And for anyone wondering what happened in my fight? After three ding-dong rounds which swung this way and that, it ended in draw. However it was declared ‘fight of the night’, so perhaps now I should retire, a little wiser, a little sorer but still undefeated!