The Iron Man (Fall Guy; Iron Men)

By Robert E Howard

How long can a fighter survive when endurance becomes his only defence? Recounted by boxing manager Steve Amber, this first-person short story follows his attempt to shape Mike Brennon, a heavyweight of exceptional strength and durability whose lack of coordination, defensive instinct and tactical adaptability leaves him dangerously dependent on absorbing punishment and striking back with force. From carnival tents and small West Coast clubs to training camps and crowded boxing arenas, Brennon's career unfolds across the shifting world of prize fighting. Amber tries to teach him the discipline and technique of boxing, but the fighter's reputation rests on a very different gift: his seemingly inexhaustible capacity to withstand blows. That conflict between trained skill and raw physical endurance drives a boxing story in which every contest carries consequences beyond victory or defeat. Behind the public image of the "iron man" lies a sharper examination of pride, ambition and financial obsession. Told retrospectively by the manager who witnesses Brennon's rise through the sport, the narrative sets fame against private suffering and asks what repeated violence extracts from a man celebrated for surviving it. Its focus on the uneasy bond between instruction and resistance gives the prize-fighting world a compelling human tension, while Brennon's formidable durability remains both his defining advantage and the source of the story's central danger. This book was out of print for decades and is now republished by Alpha Editions. It has been restored for today's and future generations. This edition is not just a reprint - it's a collector's item and a cultural treasure.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 9377781299
• ISBN13: 9789377781293
• Release Date: October 2026
• Publisher: Alpha Edition
• Length: 38 Pages
• Weight: 0.15 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.0" x 0.1" x 6.0"