Hannibal Boxing
Virgil Akins knocks down Vince Martinez during their fight for the vacant welterweight world title at the Arena in St. Louis on June 6,1958. Akins won by TKO in round four.
Finally, after all the hard years toiling in hothouse gyms and all the years crisscrossing the country as an itinerant journeyman smoke-filled halls, catcalls and hisses when facing the local hero, narrow losses tallied on doubtful scorecard after doubtful scorecard Virgil Akins became one of The Chosen.
It took “Honeybear” more than a decade to win the welterweight title, and when he did, it vaulted him into nefarious proceedings that would lead, ultimately, to the downfall of the capo di tutti capi of boxing himself: Frankie Carbo, aka (depending on the day) Mr. Fury or Mr. Gray. And while Akins never openly rued his limited reign as champion the way his successor, the radioactive Don “Geronimo” Jordan, did, he never saw the title as a blessing: “Some get the breaks, and some don’t
By NICK AND BOB FINAMORE
December 29, 2020 at 3:43 PM
Two Jersey Brothers Paperback front cover
Two Jersey Brothers Paperback front cover
Credits: Artwork by graphic artist Deanne Finamore- Jones
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December 29, 2020 at 3:43 PM
Nick and Bob Finamore wrote a memoir covering the adventures of everyday life of ordinary people in 1940s Haledon, New Jersey. The book titled Two Jersey Brothers: Stories from Our Haledon Boyhood 1939 to 1953 covers their upbringing in a close Italian family that emphasized values of a strong work ethic and physical and mental disciplines.
The book covers visits with their mother to a variety of stores in downtown Haledon. They were exposed for the first time to dirty jokes at the barber shop and were mesmerized by exposure to a piano roll player piano at a local bar. They took for granted seeing first hand killing of freshly selected chickens at the poultry store. They shopped for Italian food at Romano s Delicatessen and savored the punge