- Paperback: 208 pages
- Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton (19 Jun 2003)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0340861452
- ISBN-13: 978-0340861455
- Product Dimensions: 20.6 x 13 x 1.8 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
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Amazon Bestsellers Rank:
87,934 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #74 in Books > Biography > Sport > Boxing
- #92 in Books > Sports, Hobbies & Games > Combat Sports & Self-Defence > Boxing
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More About the Author
Product Description
Product Description
A unique book about a unique man. Meeting the Guv'nor is the pacy and dramatic testimony of Alan Mortlock, promoter and kingpin of unlicensed boxing in Britain, and outspoken Christian evangelist with a passion for bringing Christ to the villains and hard men among whom he lives and works.
Once an alcoholic drug dealer whose life revolved around street fights and gang warfare, Alan's conversion has given him one of the most fascinating stories of London's East End.
Once an alcoholic drug dealer whose life revolved around street fights and gang warfare, Alan's conversion has given him one of the most fascinating stories of London's East End.
About the Author
Alan Mortlock is a boxing trainer and promoter based in the East End of London. He is known in the sport as the ‘Pirate Promoter’ because he champions the cause of unlicensed boxing (i.e. not recognised by the British Board of Boxing Control). Alan’s surprising other life is that of a committed evangelist, and he heads up the Godfellas, a group of tough East Enders who travel the country presenting their boxing skills and sharing the Gospel.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
10 of 11 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
As Kate Kray notes of Alan Mortlock in 'Diamond Geezers,' most men of violence become trappped by their own reputations, "which is really a form of hell." Unlicenced boxing promotor Mortlock is an exception in that he found a way out - and not by a way that anyone could have imagined.
This fearsome book will take you into a world of commonplace violence; street brawls and pub fights, knuckle-dusters, boxing and villiany. Mortlock, a master of the tear-ups and a martial arts expert got the reputation he always wanted. But the change he undergoes after a chance encounter with a drugs smuggler can be an inspiration to us all.
For anyone who has wanted to be a better person but felt the violence within them was too powerful; for anyone interested in the connections of recognised hard men such as the Krays or Roy Shaw; for anyone interested in unlicenced boxing or the nights work of a bouncer; take a swing at this and be uplifted.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This is an amazing book. I couldn't put it down. It's probably the best book I've read since Fever Pitch by Nick Hornby. Greg Watts tells the story of boxing promoter Alan Mortlock, a hard man from East London. Mortlock's big problem was his aggression and penchant for violence. He ends up in prison after he cuts a bloke in a brawl one night. Upon release, he continues his violent lifsestyle, while at the same time organising boxing shows. What happens to Mortlock takes you completely by surprise. Amazing!
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I found this book extremely difficult to put down. It held my attention throughout and brought back many memories of another book that I read nearly 30 years ago entitled "Run Baby Run" by Nicky Cruz. A book which had such a profound effect upon my own life.
My heart was moved as I read this, the life story of Alan Mortlock where the seemingly endless incidents of violence led Alan into a life of despair, where even his marriage & family were severely threatened.
The stress and pain endured by Alan Mortlock and his family are almost tangible as the brutally raw honesty of the text grips the reader into a sense of "almost being there".
The book reveals how this hardened man "met his match" when he came face to Face with the "Guv'nor" in the Person of Jesus Christ.
Alan's remarkably moving experience is captured together with the strength of his personal beliefs as he, from that day forward, embarks on a mission of preaching the Gospel at every possible opportunity, despite still being surrounded by many of the "hardest" men in this country and still employed within the intense world of unlicensed boxing.
(Readers are made aware that "unlicensed" boxing is in fact legal, but instead holds slightly different rules to the "licensed" realm of the sport).
This is the story of a light shining in a dark place.
The transformation of Alan's life so commendably described in the text is a wonderful testimony to Christianity and the forgiving, life changing power of the "Guv'nor". I highly recommend this wonderful, very readable book, to everyone irrespective of their faith, position, or situation in life. Thank you.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Meeting the Guv'nor
Alan Mortlock is a hard man who has seen the worst of life before being born again. His story is inspirational to any who have found themselves down on their luck whilst not coming... Read more
Published on 20 Dec 2006 by Denise Fencebolt
from nutter to preacher
I enjoyed this book nice read he starts out a full in your face I'll crack your skull hard man and ends you like your local vicar i was that impressed one Sunday morning i did... Read more
Published on 9 Dec 2006 by radfordred
Amazing read
This is the best book I've read in ages. The story is really engrossing - I couldn't wait to find out what happened next - and a great testament to God's power. Read more
Published on 12 Dec 2005
Gripping and inspiring
My brother read this book and raved about it. I borrowed it and was hooked by the time I got to the second page. It's a true crime book, and yet it's more. Read more
Published on 7 Mar 2005
My Book of the Month
This is my book of the month. It's a terriffic story of how one man reaches the depths of despair through violence and drink and then emerges from it. Read more
Published on 7 Mar 2005
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