Denzel Washington, Goldie Hawn, Nicolas Cage, and David Bowie can’t be wrong
06.03.2026 00:06
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Denzel Washington, Goldie Hawn, Nicolas Cage, and David Bowie can’t be wrong
In honor of #NationalBookDay I have roped a stellar set of celebrities into 100% for real endorsing #HittingTheBooks the only unofficial online boxing book club you’ll ever need
But wait there’s more ⬇️
Coverage from the local paper (not by me)
www.cantonrep.com/story/entert...
I’ll be attending a local club show on Saturday. Excited to see the homegrown talent, including several from my own gym
For #HittingTheBooks readers — boxing all night on TCM!
All this and I forgot to add the #HittingTheBooks hashtag. That's what I get for posting before coffee, I guess.
This adds another layer when considering the 1956 movie adaptation actually cast Max Baer for the role.
On the Google doc, I’ve linked to two podcasts about the movie: my visit to @ifwtpod.bsky.social as well as the Boxing Movie Podcast @mrstevehunt.bsky.social episode on the movie.
In the book, Schulberg describes Lennert as taking severe punishment from Buddy Stein in a previous bout.
This is a reference to Schaaf having fought Max Baer before Carnera. Schaaf was knocked unconscious at the final bell, for the first time in his career.
I visited Ernie Schaaf’s grave a few years ago and wrote about it here:
nyfights.com/boxing/world...
Lennert fights poorly, and after the fight, is taken to the hospital, where he dies.
This is based loosely on a real fight. Primo Carnera vs Ernie Schaaf, Feb 10 1933.
Schaaf fought listlessly, and was dropped by a light jab in the 13th. He spent 4 days in coma before dying.
CH 19 & 20 concern themselves with Toro’s big fight against Gus Lennert.
I love that it opens with these newspaper columns, then pulls back and Eddie offers meta-commentary on how he’s the one who wrote them.
That article from Sofia Johnson on Minneapolis is really good.
March has come in with more administration lyin’, which means all the more reason to share my 265th #ScholarSunday thread of public scholarly writing, podcasts, new & forthcoming books from the last week. Add more below, share as widely as you can, & solidarity, all! 🗃️ +
You’re the host with the most, Steve!
You can watch THE FIGHTER (1952) for free on Tubi
tubitv.com/movies/10004...
Jack London's stories have been adapted dozens and dozens of times, but the movies are rarely any good.
THE FIGHTER (1952) isn't necessarily great, but it's pretty good and very interesting.
Grateful for @mrstevehunt.bsky.social to make room in the schedule for me to talk about it.
A really cool detail that I overlooked during the podcast was the score. That's a shame, because it is beautiful work by Vicente Gomez.
THE FIGHTER was adapted by Aben Kandel, who also wrote the novel City for Conquest (later adapted into a movie starring James Cagney).
Kandel also penned an original boxing movie, KID MONK BARONI, about a facially-deformed street tough who becomes a success in the ring.
Its director Herbert Kline was an avowed anti-fascist. He had previously made films about the Spanish civil war and gone undercover to film the Nazi invasion of Czechoslovakia.
Blacklisted by the HUAC, THE FIGHTER was Kline's last movie for 20 years.
THE FIGHTER was released in 1952, shortly after the release of VIVA ZAPATA! starring Marlon Brando, and THE FIGHTER suffered by comparison.
Joe Rivers went on to defeat Johnny Kilbane later in 1911.
In 1912, he faced Ad Wolgast for the lightweight title, ending in the famous and controversial "double knockdown." Wolgast won the decision. In 1996, The Ring mag declared it #11 "Greatest Title Fight of All Time."
Soon after, a story went out reportedly from Rivers himself, distancing himself from the Mexican Revolution and mildly threatening beat up Jack London if they ever meet.
In real life, Joe Rivers won an upset over Danny Webster.
In London's story, Felipe Rivera wins an upset over Danny Ward.
The LA Times (same newspaper who covered the fight above) noticed the similarity immediately, and did not hesitate to point it out their readers.
London's story blended fact and fiction, almost certainly inspired by a real fighter "Mexican" Joe Rivers.
Rivers had fought Danny Webster January 14, 1911, at the Pacific AC in Vernon, CA -- only a few miles from where London was living at the time.
Here's a write up.
Richard Conte certainly was a choice for leading man. In the story, the character is "not more than eighteen." And Mexican.
Richard Conte was 42 and Italian. If he looks familiar, you probably recognize him from a later role, as Don Barzini in THE GODFATHER.
THE FIGHTER (1952) is based on Jack London's 1911 short story "The Mexican.
It weaves together two of London's passions: boxing and revolution. The protagonist volunteers for the Revolution, then secretly goes out to prize-fight -- buying rifles with his winnings.
A thread 🧵
Out now! Writer @andrewrihn.bsky.social joins me on the latest episode of the Boxing Movie Podcast to discuss The Fighter (1952).
Available on all the major podcast platforms. #boxing #moviesky #filmsky
Easily the second-best boxing movie named THE FIGHTER out there.
This is Jack London, not Micky Ward.
With the end of the book in sight, I’m also beginning to add info about the 1956 movie version onto the Google doc.
