Tosches Makes Hemingway Looked Genial and Demure, by Kevin R. Kosar, November 23, 2008
An interesting tale of the triumphant and tragic life of the boxer, Sonny Liston.
It details the extensive mob involvement with boxing. It was a corrupt, rigged system, and poor, uneducated guys like Sonny Liston were used by it. Tosches is brutally candid about the obnoxiousness of the young Muhammad Ali and he maeks a strong case that Ali’s rise to the championship was mob-tainted.
On the downside, the Tosche’s prose often is painful — so much tough guy posturing. He makes Hemingway seem genial and demure. and Tosches makes so many silly attempts at erudition (Aristotle quotes, mentions of ancient astrology).
I finished the book in two nights. I’m glad I read it, but I’m also glad I am done with it.