Great Book, Misleading Title
SONAHR: HALIFAX, Nova Scotia – January 16, 2016 – Boxing flows through the heart and soul of British writer Tris Dixon. After participating in the sport at the amateur level, he went on to become editor of the venerable publication Boxing News, which is older than The Ring magazine. Besides his coverage of numerous major bouts throughout the world, Dixon has spent a great deal of time travelling in North America in search of stories ? reminiscences of ring warriors who plied their brutal trade from the 1950s to the early years of the 21st century. His odyssey took him from the wide-open spaces of Utah to the meanest streets of North Philadelphia.
The stories these warriors shared comprise the meat and bones a book Dixon has written called The Road to Nowhere: A Journey Through Boxing?s Wastelands, a remarkable view of the ?Sweet Science? through the eyes of its practitioners. The fighters? experiences rattle with the impact of gloves hitting the speed bag, and they crunch like well-placed body shots.
As the title of the book implies, the road that many of the fighters Dixon interviewed did, indeed, lead to ?nowhere.? Iconic ringsters such as Matthew Saad Muhammad, who was once the most exciting fighter on the planet; Jimmy Young, who almost defeated Muhammad Ali; and Aaron Pryor, who was once a pound-for-pound great, descended into poverty, homelessness and drug addiction after their days of ring glory were gone.
Yet the ultimate destinations of many other ex-pugs who crossed Dixon?s path cannot be characterized as ?nowhere.? Nor can their surroundings be considered ?wastelands.? These more-fortunate veterans of ring wars are neither punch-drunk nor poverty-stricken. They are at peace with themselves, even though some express regret and over missed opportunities and bear lingering resentment over injustices inflicted by promoters and managers.
This is especially true of the 1950s fighters Dixon tracked down ? TV stalwarts such as Rocky Castellani, Joey Giambra, Chico Vejar and Florentino Fernandez. These men are in their 80s now, but they remain hale, hearty and humorous ? the ?Greatest Generation? of boxing in the post-World War II era.
The roster of fighters Dixon interviewed is impressive. It includes champions and Hall-of-Famers like Gene Fullmer, Joey Giardello, Jeff Chandler, Buster Douglas, Jose Torres, Buster Drayton, Marvin Johnson, Dwight Muhammad Qawi, and Ernie Terrell. Sadly, more than a few of those fighters have passed away prior to the book?s publication. Their own words provide their epitaphs.
Lesser-known but still fascinating gloved gladiators also populate Dixon?s pages. We hear from Micky Ward, who warred three times with the late Arturo Gatti. Chuck Wepner, the inspiration for Sylvester Stallone?s ?Rocky? character, weighs in. So does Marvis Frazier, son of ?Smokin? Joe.? Philly legends Stan ?Kitten? Hayward and Bobby ?Boogaloo? Watts are here, as is 1970s prison boxer James Scott ? who remains incarcerated.
These men could not have found a better person to tell their stories than Tris Dixon. His empathy and respect for all boxers, be they famous or obscure, shines through in every word he writes. The reader feels the punches the fighters deliver and absorb, both in and out of the ring.
Still, the title of the book is something of a misnomer, because not all of the fighters interviewed ended up in the gutter after they hung up their gloves. The Hardest Road might have been a more accurate title.
But that?s just a minor quibble. Whether you are old enough to have watched Gene Fullmer fight on TV, or young enough to consider Buster Douglas?s upset of Mike Tyson ancient history, if you are a fight fan you owe it to yourself to read this book. You will come away with a much deeper appreciation for a sport that is loved and loathed in equal measure.
