Pound For Pound

F.X. Toole, the author of the celebrated short story on which the Oscar winning movie "Million Dollar Baby" is based, wrote "Pound For Pound" on stolen time. He died from cancer before he could re-write the final draft of the novel. Nevertheless, it is an interesting and deeply human story about boxers and trainers who dream to make it big despite all the punches life throws at them. The book makes me wonder about the profile of people involved in professional boxing. I don't mean promoters and managers, I mean the athletes and trainers, all of whom seem to come from a poor background, some honest to the core, others cheating at every step. While the richies turn to golf and tennis, the poor end up in the rink, with the gloves on. That, appropriately, brings to mind Paul Simon's verses:
"In the clearing stands a boxer and a fighter by his trade, and he carries the reminder of every glove that laid him down or cut him 'till he cried out in his anger and his shame: 'I am leaving! I am leaving!' but the fighter still remains..."