Harold Uriel Ribalow

I have a soft spot for boxing stories especially those bearing noirish elements and those on the puplish side of things. I found this book in a thrift store and figured I'd liked Robert E. Howard's Boxing stories so I picked it up. It didn't disappoint though a few of the stories are definitely not to my liking especially Fifty Grand by Ernest Hemingway but then again I really don't like his writing style especially when it comes to the dialogue. The casual racism and frequent epithets in several of the stories is a little uncomfortable for a modern reader. The story Crowd Pleaser by Budd Schulberg is a prime example though I'm pretty sure it was done to portray the character of Edward J. Dempsey in a negative light though the story ends in his favor.
I did really like several of the stories: Pop's Boy by Irvin Ashkenazy, His Brother's Keeper by Dashiel Hammett, Champion by Ring Lardner, A Piece of Steak, and The Mexican both by Jack London, Death of a Prize Fighter by Robert Switzer, and A Boxer: Old by Harry Sylvester. Champion is shockingly mean-spirited simply because of the character it follows a real champ with a real stinging ironic climax. A Piece of Steak is a real kick in the stomach as an old prize-fighter attains the wisdom of an old prize-fighter i.e. too late. The Death of a Prize Fighter to me felt like an episode of the Twilight Zone (the original 60's incarnation) though its ending seemed almost more something from Boris Karloff's Thriller (though nowhere near dark enough for that old t.v. series). The Mexican is just a good story all around and A Boxer: Old really communicated to me how the ring-weary protagonist Coburn felt his age in a fight reminiscent of Ground Hog's Day.
I would definitely recommend this book and the stories I mentioned to those interested in reading some boxing stories, stories that occur around (or in) an often brutal and sometimes strategic set-piece.… (mehr)