This book is available as open access through the Bloomsbury Open Access programme and is available on www.bloomsburycollections.com. Boxing is a traditional sport in many ways, characterized by continuities in the form of practices and regulations and heavy with legends and heroes reflecting its traditional/historical values. Associations with class, hegemonic masculinity and racialized inclusions/exclusions, however, sit alongside developments such as women's boxing and involvement in Mixed Martial Arts. This book will be the first to use boxing as a vehicle for exploring social, cultural and political change in a global context. It will consider to what degree and in what ways boxing reflects social transformations, and whether and how it contributes to those transformations. In exploring the relationship it will provide new ways of thinking critically about the everyday.

Boxers do what the vast majority of us will never do: they stand toe-to-toe and try to inflict as much punishment upon each other as possible. In Chasing Rocky, J. P. Flaim, a suburban father of two and cohost of The Sports Junkies on 106.7 The Fan in Washington, DC, became a part of that small percentage of people drawn to become a boxer. What started as a crazy idea from the arena seats of a professional boxing match transforms into a personal challenge that the deejay cannot ignore.

This memoir follows the journey of this average Joe who chases his dream and discovers there's more to boxing than what can be seen inside the ropes. Chasing Rocky narrates Flaim's foray into the boxing world, where he encounters a dubious boxing promoter who sees only dollar signs, a no-nonsense trainer who tests his resolve, an aspiring pro who longs for a title shot, and an icon who has inspired millions.

Chasing Rocky presents an inside look at the brutal training boxers endure. From facing fears to dealing with the pain of getting punched, Flaim tackles the sacrifices boxers make and explores the promotional aspects-from choosing the perfect heel to creating a grand ring entrance. He shows what happens when the bell sounds and a radio promotion idea becomes a boxing reality.

It's 2011 and an elderly man living alone in Massachusetts finds a box while organizing his vast boxing memorabilia collection. The contents take his fading memory back fifty years to a gym he once operated called A Puncher's Chance and its storied past, including World Champion Salvador Jimenez. When a friend happens by, the old man takes the opportunity to retell his story. Over the next several days his surprisingly vivid recollection of the champ enthralls his friend, as he switches from past to present and back again. A tragedy occurs before the surprise ending that really packs a punch. About the Author Edwin Ayala is an aspiring new author who lives in southern Massachusetts with his wife and family. After being stricken with an extremely rare neurological condition, choreoacanthocytosis (or CA), after ten years he was forced to retire in 2008 from UPS after nineteen years of service. At age forty-three, he decided to pursue his dream of becoming an author despite the limitations of CA. The condition is so rare that little information on this disease is available, but here is a brief synopsis: CA has no cure and its cause is not definitively known. Difficult to diagnose, its symptoms include fatigue, loss of speech, loss of weight due to involuntary biting of the cheeks and tongue, difficulty in swallowing, and involuntary muscle movement. To learn more about this progressive disease, visit http: //www.rareconnect.org. Publisher's website: http: //www.sbpra.com/EdwinAyala