Book Excerpt: Tales from the Vault

Occasionally in this space we'll showcase the writing in new boxing books by BWAA members. Lee Groves recently published Tales from the Vault (CreateSpace, 2010), a collection of his reports from Maxboxing.com's Closet Classics series. The book is available online from booksellers including Amazon and Barnes & Noble. Here's a teaser from the book, from Lee's piece on the 1982 battle between Ray Mancini and Arturo Frias:

...Mancini-Frias matched two physically strong brawlers whose styles guaranteed fistic fireworks. For Frias to win, he had to exploit Mancini’s easily penetrated defense and the scar tissue above his eyes. Mancini, by far the physically stronger man, wanted to use his superior work rate and punching power to overwhelm the champion. Also, Mancini had to like his chances to win because this time he didn’t have a legend standing in the other corner.

As the opening bell rang, Frias quickly kneeled in his corner and crossed himself while Mancini advanced to ring center behind a bob-and-weave defense. Both men exchanged jabs, with Mancini’s heavier and more accurate. The feeling-out phase lasted less than 20 seconds as Mancini ripped a right to the body and a double hook to the body and head and Frias connected with a one-two. Encouraged, Frias jumped in with another one-two and followed it with a scorching hook that exploded off Mancini’s cheek. "Boom Boom" staggered toward the ropes with Frias pursuing him, but Mancini managed to grab Frias and turn him toward the ropes.

Frias landed a right to the body and a right to the jaw while Mancini countered with a hook to the face. Mancini ducked under a Frias right and connected with another hook. Frias whaled away with rights under and over while Mancini worked the left overtime. Frias nailed Mancini with two jabs and an inside right to the jaw and a second right deflected off Mancini’s upraised arms.

The fight might as well have been scheduled for three rounds instead of 15 because both men fought with no regard for anything beyond that. Mancini and Frias were engaged in a high-speed firefight that could only end in an early knockout. The only questions now were "who" and "when."