In anticipation for the upcoming release of “12 Rounds in Lo’s Gym: Boxing and Manhood in Appalachia,” we are checking in with some of the most accomplished and respected boxing figures from the state of West Virginia. These are road warriors, guys who fight anyone, anywhere, anytime — Appalachian underdogs of the squared circle. Their […]
Floyd Mayweather
Interview with James “Smitty” Smith
The palm trees, the sand, the balmy weather. Miami is where his story begins. As a child, he was a ball boy for the Miami Dolphins, befriended Hall of Fame Wide Receiver Paul Warfield and even appeared on Warfield’s television show. He was a standout football player at Carol City High School and later at […]
Interview with James “Lights Out” Toney
June. 2017. It was a happenstance meeting. The kind of thing I’ve come to expect at the International Boxing Hall of Fame’s annual festivities. It was me, my father, and my brother-in-law. We were entering the ballroom of the Oncenter, located in downtown Syracuse, New York, excited to take in the “Banquet of Champions.” We […]