Billy Conn - The Pittsburgh Kid | Paul, F. Kennedy | The Pittsburgh Kid is a Knockout

Billy Conn - The Pittsburgh Kid | Paul, F. Kennedy | A Pittsburgh Story by a Pittsburgh Native

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Billy Conn - The P...

	Billy Conn - The Pittsburgh Kid Paul, F. Kennedy AuthorHouse, 2007 - 240 pages average customer review:based on 5 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

There has never been a fighter like Billy Conn. Handsome as a movie star and tough as a junkyard dog, Conn threw combinations with the beauty and speed of later masters Sugar Ray Robinson and Muhammad Ali. The kid from the East Liberty section of Pittsburgh began boxing professionally at age 16, as his manager Johnny Ray fed him older, more experienced pros in a "baptism of fire." Conn developed quickly. At age 19 and 20 he defeated most of the world's best middleweights, a division rich with talent. Still growing, by age 21 he won the world light-heavyweight title. After dominating that division, he sought greater challenge in the heavyweight division. He beat three of the best heavyweights, one by knockout and two by easy decision. Only one challenge remained - the great heavyweight champion Joe Louis. Their first fight remains one of boxing's all-time classics, ranked by some as the greatest fight ever. Conn's story transcends boxing. He pursued and eloped with the love of his life, the beautiful Mary Louise Smith, despite her father's vehement and public opposition. Conn and his father-in-law tangled in a chaotic brawl at a lavish christening party at the Smith home. Billy starred in a Hollywood movie, The Pittsburgh Kid, and developed friendships with big stars like Bob Hope, Robert Taylor, and Frank Sinatra. Through all the glamour Billy remained the unpretentious "kid" from gritty Pittsburgh, the city he loved. He became an icon of that city, of the downtrodden Depression-era working class, and of the American Irish. Conn's place in boxing and American folk history has been neglected and forgotten in recent decades. His story of a poor kid with talent and spirit who went for it all is one worth reading.

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The Pittsburgh Kid is a Knockout

It's about time that someone wrote a biography of Billy Conn, one of the best boxers in the sport's history and an American original. This marvelously entertaining book brings Conn to life and allows the reader to feel like he is right at ringside. Kennedy obviously possesses substantial knowledge of boxing and an appreciation for the effort involved in becoming a champion of the sport.
The books recounts many of Conn's bouts in vivid, almost breathless detail. Kennedy builds steam as he takes you through chapters called "rounds," culminating in the classic match, Conn versus Joe Louis for the World Heavyweight title.
Kennedy writes with humor, respect and an obvious affection for Conn, filling the book with telling anecdotes that reveal Conn's character and legendary Irish charm. He shows the reader both the boxer and the private man, who, despite his tough, aggressive boxing style was also an artist, family man and clearly a romantic. The colorful story of Conn's lifelong devotion to his wife, Mary Lou, is woven throughout the book, and humanizes Conn.
An added feature is Kennedy's attention to the setting and the era. He ties Conn's advancement in boxing to current events of that time, giving the reader a much appreciated context.
I highly recommend this book. Conn has been neglected and his story is well worth reading, whether you are a general sports fan or a boxing fan. For boxing enthusiasts, it's really a must read. Some older readers might also enjoy the nostalgia that Kennedy evokes by his descriptions of life in America in the Depression and World War II eras. A final bonus - it's also a terrific history of that great sports city, Pittsburgh.

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A Pittsburgh Story by a Pittsburgh Native

The story of Billy Conn cannot be told apart from the story of the city in which he was born, and in which he died, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Paul Kennedy realized that when he set out to write this biography of a boxing legend, one whose story, as noted by another reviewer of this book, has been sadly neglected until now. As Kennedy notes, Conn died in 1993, and the city he left was much like the city he grew up in, a quilt of ethnic neighborhoods, each with a character and reputation of its own. Kennedy captures what it meant to grow up Irish and poor in East Liberty, "sliberty" to Pittsburghers. Kennedy knows firsthand what it means to grow up Irish on the East End of Pittsburgh - he was raised just a 5-minute trolley ride from East Liberty, and, though not poor, he was one of nine children of a foreman at Westinghouse Electric. Paul Kennedy knows of what he writes, he's walked that walk, and his background as a journalist and historical writer serve him well in this tale of a Pittsburgh boy who almost grabbed the crown, but was noble, even in failing. To understand Billy Conn, you have to understand Pittsburgh. And Paul Kennedy understands Pittsburgh, and so will his readers who take the time to read "Billy Conn, the Pittsburgh Kid."

Bruno F. Battistoli
Kingston, New York

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Great read!

I absolutely loved this book! Makes me want to learn even more about this great boxer!

Fabulous read

This author captures what Pittsburgh (and 'sLiberty') was, so well. This is when boxing meant something and folks rallied 'round their favorite. The description of the crowds, the anticipation for a fight, the local pride truly captures what it must have been like. Billy was a hero for so many....my Dad, 90, is not a boxing fan, but he KNEW of Billy and loved this book. It captures a glorious chapter in boxing...when men behaved liked boxers, not fighters!

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