Two Ton: One Night, One Fight: Tony Galento v. Joe Louis

By Joseph Monninger

Book Overview

An "exceptional" account of underdog boxer Tony Galento's surprising 1939 showdown with renowned heavyweight champion Joe Louis (The Boston Globe)

Beetle-browed, nearly bald, a head that rode his collarbones like a bowling ball returning on rails, his waist size more than half his five-foot-eight height, Two Ton Tony Galento resembled "a taxi driving away with its top down." By all measures he stood no chance when he stepped into the ring against the Brown Bomber, Joe Louis, the finest heavyweight of his generation. But in Yankee Stadium on a June night in 1939, he entered the record books as one of the few men to put the great Louis down. For two splendid seconds he stood on the mat as the Joe Louis lay before him, champ of the world, the toughest man alive--the mythical hero of a nation little more than a year away from war. "I'll moida da bum," he had predicted. And though Louis was no bum, Galento was almost as good as his word.

Joe Monninger's spellbinding portrait of a man, a moment, and an era reminds us that sometimes it is through effort--and not the end result--that people most enduringly define themselves.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1586421387
• ISBN13: 9781586421380
• Release Date: November 2007
• Publisher: Steerforth Press
• Length: 208 Pages
• Weight: 0.62 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.5" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

Quick read, crisp rendering of an unusual man

I grew up in Orange and met Galento twice, decades after the big Louis fight. Both times he was amusing, colorful, and intimidating. I am thankful for this book; its portrayal is rather accurate to the man. One minor complaint: the book at times seems anti-boxing. Yes, boxing is brutal but it has its virtues which cannot be fully elaborated on here. And professional boxing ain't nothin' compared to the streets of Orange I knew!

Tony Galento: Quick Rise, Quick Fall, But Forever a Star

The book should be of great interest to living boxing or history fans who remember the era and add dimension to those who don't. The book conjures up moments of history without being academic or tone-deaf to the human side. Author Monninger is a first class novelist and prolific writer; this one has the distinction of detailed research and facile delivery. Monninger creates the period as if you are living it. I might have done without reading a few sections too heavy in boxing detail such as the measurement of the forces of a heavyweight fighter's punch. In the ring with mere amateurs, I've had ribs broken twice by body shots, a broken nose, various cuts and an infinite number of bruises. It rather kills the fun of it all to read that a heavyweight's punch delivers a force of 2800 newtons. But the story of the determined loser-hero willing to risk all to make his mark on history is a testament to all of us who struggle to find inspiration. Like Joyce Carol Oates well-known book `On Boxing', this story of Two Ton Tony Galento is something of a departure from traditional boxing literature. It's funny, it's fascinating, it entertains, and it's one of the markers by which America's time is measured.

Fantastic Highlight of a Forgotten Footnote !!!

As a boxing historian and a huge reader, I found "Two Ton" to be one of the best additions to the boxing library in many years. The author did a superb job in his research and in portraying the men and their time. It is a terrific read on many levels and highly recommended ...

A thrilling story, a great read, an instant classic

Boxing isn't really my thing, but I can't resist a good, well-written story. Joe Monninger's sharp, clear prose draws the reader back in time and deep into the drama of two men's lives, each both very ordinary and very special - almost mythological. It's tough not to find something of yourself in both, and impossible not to be pulled along by this engaging story of one night and one fight. Buy it. Read it.

Good boxing book

Excellent book about a boxer on the Joe Louis bum of the month tour. Galento looked and acted like a clown but he knocked down the greatest fighter of his era and the cover picture proves it.