Tough Guys sheds a new light on them Tough Guys
Mixed Martial Arts have exploded in popularity. While the sport is in the news and there is a lot known about the fighters’ styles and records, there is not much known about them personally, until now.
These are the opening words to the book entitled “Tough Guys” by John Wyatt. Tough guys is a coffee table type book of photos but that’s not what the book is about. The book is about the words that accompany those pretty pictures that offers a tiny glimpse into these men and women often labeled as one of the “Tough Guys”. The books features a wide range of people and professions, from heavyweight boxers, bouncers, street fighters, Muay Thai fighters and of course Mixed Martial Artist. In total there are 66 people displayed in “tough guys”, each having a side to them you more than likely didn’t know. That is what this book is all about.
The first person readers are introduced to is the former professional heavyweight boxer Chuck Wepner. For those that don’t know, Wepner was the inspiration for the movie Rocky and fought the great Muhammad Ali for fifteen rounds. Wepner talks about growing up in a converted basement in New Jersey before moving to the projects where an encounter with the local gang on the basketball court change how the people looked at him around the neighborhood. Wepner also gets into how he earned a heavyweight title fight and how it turned out to be Ali standing across from him and not George Foreman. Chuck Wepner has a lot of interesting stories and the book devotes two full pages to him, but this is not the norm for Tough Guys.
The majority of the people in the book are given a two page spread, with one full-page being a photograph of them. The other page will have their name and a short description of that person, while others will also have the writing from that person. The pictures in the book each has their own character, with a mix of black and white photos with color ones they are great to look just by themselves. Don’t just skip through the pages looking at the pictures, if you do so you’ll be missing out.
Other notable people featured in the book are MMA referee Kevin Mulhall, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Grand Master Francisco Mansur, UFC welterweight Thiago Alves, Underground fighter Tommy Guns, Female MMA fighter Bridget Narcisse Christman, Bouncer Scotty Bronx and the MMA veteran Jeff Monson, who also graces the books cover (pictured on the right). The above mentioned Mulhall is a lot tougher then I bet you all think he is and he also has some pretty funny stories about past fan interaction.
Tough Guys has a lot to offer no matter if you’re an MMA fan or not, though I’d recommend you having at least a liking of combat sports. The stories inside the hard covers open up a door into these people lives and unfortunately some are lacking these stories which seems strange and almost just thrown in as filler. The bottom line here though is whether you know the person or not, behind their toughness is something else and this book (for the most part) provides its readers a look at that.
Tough Guys is published by Schiffer Publishing and can be purchased through their website www.schifferbooks.com. You can also order the book online at Amazon or pick it up at your local bookstore.
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About the Author (Author Profile)
My brain child is MMAValor, something I had wanted to do for a long time and finally it’s here. Been an MMA fan since TUF season one (play catch up all the time) and the obsession started to grow like a weed and as the sport grows so does the love for the sport. I’m a jack of all trades, a very organized person that rides an emotional roller coaster daily.Subscribe
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