Don Stradley – författare

The Immortals of American Boxing celebrates our greatest ever fighters. It chooses the best of the best from over a century of the sport's colorful history. Renowned boxing writer Don Stradley selects his top 15 boxers and then delves into the careers of the true greats. Legendary fighters selected and profiled include pre-war figures Jack Dempsey and Joe Louis, plus the modern era's Mike Tyson and George Foreman. And the greatest of them all: Muhammad Ali. The book tells the remarkable stories behind each immortal's rise to the top and the adversity faced through their lives.

"Just finished Don Stradley's book on Edwin Valero, Berserk. Outstanding. Predictably so because 1) Don is a super writer, and 2) the story is chilling and amazing."—Steve Farhood, Showtime boxing analyst, and International Boxing Hall of Fame member"There’s no telling what went on during the next few hours, or where his paranoia took him, but in that room something terrible happened. At 5:30 a.m. Valero appeared in the lobby. As calmly as one might order something from room service, he told the staff that he had just killed his wife."Within the dark pages of Berserk: The Shocking Life and Death of Edwin Valero, author Don Stradley uncovers the gritty details of the undefeated (27-0, 27 KO), troubled, boxer Edwin Valero.Edwin Valero’s life was like a rocket shot into a wall. With a perfect knockout record in twenty-seven fights, the demonic Venezuelan boxer, known as “El Inca” and “El Dinamita,” seemed destined for a clash with all-time great Manny Pacquiao. But the Fates had other ideas.Fueled by cocaine and booze and paranoia, Valero blazed into a mania that derailed his career in the ring and resulted in the brutal death of his young wife Jennifer–and soon afterward, his own. In chilling detail, Don Stradley captures one of the darkest and most sensational boxing stories in recent memory, which, until now, has never been fully told.Filled with firsthand accounts from the men who trained Valero and the reporters who covered him, as well as insights from psychologists and forensic experts, Berserk is a hell-ride of a book.Berserk is the first in the Hamilcar Noir series, from Hamilcar Publications. Hamilcar Noir is "Hard-Hitting True Crime" that blends boxing and true crime, featuring riveting stories captured in high-quality prose, with cover art inspired by classic pulp novels.Perfect Gift For Boxing and True Crime Fans!Berserk, combined with other books in the Hamilcar Noir series, makes a great gift for fans of stories about the darker side of boxing. Books in the Hamilcar Noir series also make for a great gift idea for true crime fans—whether they are a die-hard boxing fan or not, they will devour these quick reads and ask for more!

Named one of "The Classics of Boxing Literature" by CrimeReads“[A] gritty, true-crime narrative…with hard-edged prose and a total absence of cheap moralizing…[A] stark and gripping account.”—Kirkus Reviews"The historical fact that the city of Boston has seen more than its share of this breed – boxers who became intertwined with the criminal underworld – is the literary gold that author Don Stradley mines so beautifully in this book. There are moments of triumph in the ring, and some failures; Stradley is right to focus as much on the boxing careers (often misbegotten) of these men as well as their criminal associations and habits."—T.J. English, from the ForewordFrom the pages of Slaughter in the Streets: When Boston Became Boxing’s Murder Capital...Frankie spent the final seconds of his life the way James Cagney might’ve in an old Warner Bros crime drama: he stumbled down the hallway and into the office of an attorney who had leased space in the building. A female stenographer who had been at her desk filling out Christmas cards looked on in horror; the sound of guns a moment earlier had shattered the holiday mood, and now she was confronted by the sight of Frankie in the doorway, blood gushing from his wounds. Without saying a word, he walked in and sat in a chair. Then he pitched forward, dead.In Slaughter in the Streets, Don Stradley masterfully unfolds the story of how Boston became "boxing's murder capital." From the early days of Boston's Mafia, to the era of Whitey Bulger, Stradley tells the fascinating stories of men who were drawn to the dual shady worlds of boxing and organized crime.Boston was once a thriving boxing city. And it was also host to an ever-expanding underworld. From the early days of Boston's Mafia, to the era of Whitey Bulger, many of the city’s boxers found themselves drawn to the criminal life. Most of them ended up dead. Slaughter in the Streets tells the violent and often tragic story of these misguided young men who thought their toughness in the ring could protect them from the most cold-blooded killers in the country.Slaughter in the Streets: When Boston Became Boxing's Murder Capital is the third in the Hamilcar Noir series. Hamilcar Noir is "Hard-Hitting True Crime" that blends boxing and true crime, featuring riveting stories captured in high-quality prose, with cover art inspired by classic pulp novels.ContentsForeword: T.J. English Chapter 1: The Shooting GalleryChapter 2: Phil Buccola: Boston’s Beloved Mob BossChapter 3: Boxing Booms in BostonChapter 4: Tommy Sullivan: Everybody’s PalChapter 5: Eddie McLaughlin: They Called Him PunchyChapter 6: Joe Barboza: The King of East BostonChapter 7: Tony Veranis: The Tough GuyChapter 8: Rocco DiSeglio: Gambling ManChapter 9: Rico Sacramone: A Stylish FighterChapter 10: Sammy Lindenbaum: Boxer, Bandit, AbortionistChapter 11: Eddie Connors: The Man Who Knew Too MuchChapter 12: Tommy Tibbs: The JourneymanChapter 13: Paul Raymond: Heavyweight HomicideChapter 14: Johnny Pretzie: Sharkey’s BoyChapter 15: Frankie MacDonald: South Boston’s HopeChapter 16: Ghosts of Winter HillPerfect Gift For Boxing and True Crime Fans!Slaughter in the Streets, combined with other books in the Hamilcar Noir series, makes a great gift for fans of stories about the darker side of boxing. Books in the Hamilcar Noir series also make for a great gift idea for true crime fans—whether they are a die-hard boxing fan or not, they will devour these quick reads and ask for more!

“Carlos Monzón’s life was one that could have been defined with an almost unblemished boxing record, but was ultimately overtaken by a completely defaced personality. The only legacy he leaves is that the narrative, told brilliantly in the book, is unfortunately so absorbing.”—Jack Porter, The SportsmanFrom the pages of Fistful of Murder...The death of Alicia Muniz wasn’t a complete surprise to anyone who knew Carlos Monzon. The surprise was that no one else had died in his company.He had a volcanic temper. He drank heavily and used cocaine. He drove recklessly, had a fascination with guns, and had been arrested many times for physical assaults. In February of 1988, with his personal life in shreds, Monzon had finally reached the nadir of an existence defined by hostility, with nothing to obstruct his most savage instincts.***Carlos Monzon was one of Argentina's most celebrated figures. A renowned boxing champion and movie actor who enjoyed affairs with beautiful women, he also harbored a secret life of drug use, alcohol, and domestic violence.When his estranged wife was found dead—strangled and tossed from a balcony—Monzon confessed that they'd fought the night before, but he couldn't remember what had happened. The resulting murder trial cast a long shadow over Monzon's legacy and launched a decades-long battle between his critics and defenders.In A Fistful of Murder, Don Stradley explores Monzon's turbulent life, from his beginnings in poverty to his dramatic rise to stardom, all the way to the case that shook a country—and still haunts Argentina today.CONTENTSCHAPTER 1: The VoidCHAPTER 2: Rome, 11/7/1970CHAPTER 3: “They Killed Themselves with Laughter”CHAPTER 4: Luna Park 1965–69CHAPTER 5: ChampionCHAPTER 6: Garbage and MiraclesCHAPTER 7: Bad BennieCHAPTER 8: BulletsCHAPTER 9: Taking on the WorldCHAPTER 10: A Glass Full of PissCHAPTER 11: The Boxer and the BeautyCHAPTER 12: “He Can Be Evil”CHAPTER 13: One Fight/One FilmCHAPTER 14: SuperstarCHAPTER 15: El Macho’s Last RideCHAPTER 16: Desperate SundownCHAPTER 17: AliciaCHAPTER 18: The Lady on the BricksCHAPTER 19: Murder in Mar del PlataCHAPTER 20: Killer and Still ChampionCHAPTER 21: The Outlaw SaintA Fistful of Murder: The Fights and Crimes of Carlos Monzon is the fifth in the Hamilcar Noir series. Hamilcar Noir is "Hard-Hitting True Crime" that blends boxing and true crime, featuring riveting stories captured in high-quality prose, with cover art inspired by classic pulp novels.

"A thoughtful, compelling reexamination of an intriguing story of fatal obsession and its enduring mysteries."—Kirkus Reviews"Well-researched and a page turner..."—Library JournalThe disappearance of atwenty-one-year-old woman from a Massachusetts suburb became one of the mostdiscussed crimes of the twentieth century. The discussion intensified when thepublic learned that she worked as a prostitute in Boston's notoriousred-light district, the “Combat Zone,” and was linked by a trail of blood to afamous professor from Tufts University.When Robin Benedict vanishedthe investigation and media circus that gripped the city of Boston hadn't been seensince the days of the Boston Strangler case. On a Sunday morning in March 1983,a small-time pimp walked into a police station and claimed his girlfriend wasmissing. He said she had been on her way to visit a client named WilliamDouglas. In the year that followed, the case drew in detectives, statetroopers, scores of journalists, and even psychics. But Robin was never found.Boston Tabloid  reconstructsa grisly murder, and explores one man's bizarre obsession. In revisiting thislegendary crime, Don Stradley consulted journalists involved in the mediafrenzy, prison authorities, arresting officers, and psychiatrists, all in aneffort to unravel a most tangled story. Why was the city, and the nation, sweptup in this sordid tale? It remains a grim and fascinating moment in Boston'shistory.

"Excellent."—Times Literary Supplement The battle between Marvelous Marvin Hagler and Thomas Hearns is remembered as one of the greatest fights of all time. But in the months before the two finally collided on April 15, 1985, there was a feeling in the air that boxing was in trouble. The biggest name in the business, Sugar Ray Leonard, was retired with no logical replacement in sight, while the American Medical Association was calling for a ban on the sport.With Hagler–Hearns looking like boxing's last hurrah, promoter Bob Arum embarked on one the most audacious publicity campaigns in history, hyping the bout until the entire country was captivated. Arum's task was difficult. He'd spent years trying and failing to make Hagler a star, while Hearns was a gifted but inconsistent performer. Could Arum possibly get a memorable fight out of these two moody, unpredictable warriors?The Hagler–Hearns fight is now part of history, but The War by Don Stradley explores the many factors behind the event, and how it helped establish what many feel was boxing's greatest era. No book, not even George Kimball’s classic, Four Kings, has focused solely on this legendary fight involving two of those "Four Kings" that boxing fans have revered for their skills and willingness to take on challenges that many fighters do not take in today's boxing landscape.With additional commentary from many who were there, Stradley shows the unlikely path taken by two fighters searching for greatness. They didn't care how many punches they endured, as long as it led to stardom. When the fight was over, however, each learned that fame inflicted its own kind of damage.