Stayton Bonner is a former senior editor at Rolling Stone. Nominated for the Dan Jenkins Medal for Excellence in Sportswriting, his journalism has appeared in publications including GQ, Esquire, and Outside. This is his first book. Ari Fliakos has worked with the award-winning theater ensemble The Wooster Group since 1998, developing and originating roles in House/Lights, To You, The Birdie!, and Poor Theater (for which he won an Obie Award), among many more. His television and film credits include Company K, Pills, Limitless, The Mysteries of Laura, and Law & Order.
In this exhilarating debut, former Rolling Stone editor Bonner follows the riveting life of Bobby Gunn...usher[ing] readers into the lurid and fascinating world of illegal underground bare-knuckle fighting...Throughout, Gunn's character--a gritty, endearingly avuncular figure--and his ambition to legalize the sport...lends pathos to the sensational subculture he exists within. Boxing fans won't want to miss this. -- Publishers Weekly (starred review) Yes, this a knockout of a book. But it's also an exercise in nuance and grace and slick maneuvering. Inasmuch as bareknuckle fights go to the judges' scorecards, this gets a unanimous decision. -- Jon Wertheim, Sports Illustrated writer A remarkable story of triumph and heartbreak. -- Don Winslow, #1 internationally bestselling author of The Cartel