Glove Affair: My Lifelong Journey in the World of Professional Boxing

by Randy Gordon, Tracy Morgan actor and comedian (Foreword by)

Overview

Randy Gordon has spent over 40 years in the world of professional boxing, as a broadcaster, ring announcer, New York State’s athletic commissioner, editor of TheRing magazine, and host of SiriusXM Radio’s At the Fights. No one else has ever seen the sport from so many different angles and from such lofty seats.

In Glove Affair: My Lifelong Journey in the World of Professional Boxing, Gordon recounts never-before-heard stories of the boxing industry and offers insights into some of its most famous figures, including Hall-of-Famers Bert Sugar, Alexis Arguello, Bob Arum, and Mike Tyson. With the perspective only an insider can offer, Gordon also reflects on his times with Muhammad Ali—including the champ’s mind-dazzling magic tricks and his thoughts on the “Thrilla’ in Manila”—and provides a glimpse into the boxing commissioner’s office with stories of a wild and fiery hearing and a commission employee’s betrayal of the agency.

From his days as a wheelchair bound, severely injured boy in 1959 to the most-widely-listened-to boxing talk show host on the radio, Gordon recalls his life story with passion, humor, and love. More than just another book on the Sweet Science, Glove Affair is a journey through the world of boxing through the eyes of a man who has seen it all.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781538121122
Publisher:	Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
Publication date:	04/12/2019
Pages:	272
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 9.10(h) x 1.20(d)

About the Author

Randy Gordon has been involved with boxing for over 40 years, as a fighter, writer, reporter, referee, editor-in-chief of The Ring magazine—the biggest and oldest boxing magazine in the world—chairman of the New York State Athletic Commission, and host of SiriusXM’s At the Fights. He is the author of Muhammad Ali (2001) and The Ultimate NBA Sticker Book (2002). Gordon was inducted into the New Jersey Boxing Hall of Fame in 2004 and the New York State Boxing Hall of Fame in 2016.

Table of Contents

Foreword Tracy Morgan vii

Acknowledgments xi

1 The Rock And Mr. Boxing 1

2 Glove Affair 11

3 El Flaco Explosivo 23

4 The Ring 43

5 A Choice To Make 53

6 Terrible Teddy, Wild Bill, And Unswerving Irving 73

7 "Murder, Plain And Simple" 87

8 Handball Jim And Dollar Bill 101

9 Catskill Thunder 109

10 Commissioner Gordon 123

11 It's About Time 135

12 The Greatest Of All Time 151

13 Two King-Sized White Envelopes 167

14 Truth Or Trickeration 181

15 The Good Guy Award 195

16 Gentleman Gerry 211

Epilogue 231

Index 233

About The Author 237

Editorial Reviews

A wonderful read…. Truly a “glove affair” with a great sport.

Marc Ratner

There’s a detailed account of Don King and WBC president Jose Sulaiman trying to bribe Gordon with a huge stack of hundred-dollar bills in the hope that Gordon would set aside Mike Tyson’s managerial contract with Bill Cayton. Readers will also find an intriguing and extremely unflattering portrait of longtime NYSAC staff member Marvin Kohn.

The Sweet Science

For a lot of us of a certain age, Randy Gordon was a part of our boxing childhood, our gateway drug to the sweet science. And when Randy got us in the door, his continued enthusiasm and knowledge of the sport kept us here. The beautiful thing about this book is that after two decades in the game, I thought I knew it all. Glove Affair reminds me that I don't. But Randy might.

Thomas Gerbasi

Glove Affair is a hard-hitting, no-punches-pulled look at the sweet science from a guy who has seen every side of the sport.

Gerry Cooney

Glove Affair is a must read for every boxing fan. .. Gordon delivers a knockout!

George Willis

This book is riveting! It brought me back to the Golden Era of boxing.

Alexis Arguello Jr.

From the Foreword: Randy holds nothing back. He didn’t as the editor of RingMagazine, he didn’t as the Commissioner of Commissioners, he doesn’t as a talk show host on SiriusXM Radio, and he certainly holds nothing back in the pages you are about to read. Both the sport and we, as fans, have been blessed by his presence.

Tracy Morgan

Nobody has worn more hats than The Commish.… This book is superlative!

Michael Woods