John Duncan, sports correspondent with the "Guardian", needs a change: he leaves his job and moves to Havana, with a deal from Frank Warren to arrange a fight between Mike Tyson and Cuban double Olympic champion Felix Savon, the world's two greatest living heavyweights. However, professional boxing is illegal in Cuba, Castro having banned it in 1961, and Felix Savon had already turned down the $25 million purse offered by Don King to fight Tyson. So John Duncan spent a year negotiating with Cuban bureaucracy in an attempt to pull off the impossible, and arrange a professional fight in the last bastion of Communism, where money does not buy everything. His account of a year spent in the maelstrom of Havana's heat and bureacracy is intercut with portraits of Cuba's most famous boxing legends including Teofilo Stevenson, Benny "Kid" Paret, Black Bill, Angel Espinosa and Kid Chocolate. This work is a reflection on the noble and often dirty art of boxing, both past and present.
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"John Duncan's eye-witness testimony will prove a valuable reminder of an invigorating episode in the history of sport." -"Guardian
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
Picking up this book on recommendation alone, I didn't know what to expect. I am a girl, I am not a boxing fan and I know nothing about Cuba.
I read it in two sittings.
The narrative is riveting, the writing witty and relaxed, yet the author never loses sight of the seriousness of the Cuban situation and the difficulties these world-class boxers have had to endure. It is inspiring to read first hand accounts from fighters who have remarkably warm memories of their lives and careers, irrespective of having been deprived of the wealth and fame that goes hand-in-hand with the Tysons, Holyfields and Naseems we are more accustomed to.
Embarking on a project to set up a contest between the professional heavyweight champion of the world and his amateur equivalent was an inspired and fantastic idea. John Duncan had the audacity and drive to do just that. His book is a testament to the spirit of Cuba and the fighters who fought just as hard outside the ring as in.
By MelissaKay
Format:Paperback
I bought this as a gift for my partner and so having not read it can only pass on his account of the book.
Any fan of boxing will enjoy this read, it gives you a detailed look into the culture of Cuban sport and has been enjoyed by a pool in Varadero - Cuba itself !!!
Any fan of boxing will enjoy this read, it gives you a detailed look into the culture of Cuban sport and has been enjoyed by a pool in Varadero - Cuba itself !!!
By Greg Jones
Format:Paperback
Good read. I've been to Cuba and I like boxing and it hits the nail on the head
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