Hamilcar Noir
3 total works
"Hookers. Murder. Boxing. Author Patrick Connor lays out the promise of all three right there in the title of his first book, 'Shot at a Brothel'...delivering on the promise...Readers who want to see the Ali era from a less explored angle, with a story that stands on its own, are well served with this read."-Cliff Rold, Managing Editor, Boxingscene
Oscar Bonavena remains a god in Argentina. Fighting as a heavyweight during the 1970s, the division's greatest era, "Ringo" battled titans like Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier.
To resurrect his career, he moved to Reno, Nevada, and hooked up with a local pimp and gangster, Joe Conforte, who ran the infamous Mustang Ranch with his madam wife, Sally.
Bonavena had some of boxing's best handlers, but none - from famous trainers to rich syndicates to the sport's top minds-could tame him. And no one could get Conforte and his whorehouse and ex-con goons out of Reno. Ultimately, Ringo plunged into a maelstrom of sex and mayhem-and he wouldn't get out alive.
In Shot at a Brothel, Patrick Connor examines in riveting detail Bonavena's fast, turbulent life as well as Conforte's sordid past. Long overdue, here's the real story of how gangsterism, greed, and prostitution destroyed Argentina's greatest heavyweight.
Shot at a Brothel: The Spectacular Demise of Oscar "Ringo" Bonavena is the sixth in the Hamilcar Noir True Crime series. Hamilcar Noir is "Hard-Hitting True Crime" that blends boxing and true crime, featuring riveting stories captured in high-quality prose, with cover art inspired by classic pulp novels.
Oscar Bonavena remains a god in Argentina. Fighting as a heavyweight during the 1970s, the division's greatest era, "Ringo" battled titans like Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier.
To resurrect his career, he moved to Reno, Nevada, and hooked up with a local pimp and gangster, Joe Conforte, who ran the infamous Mustang Ranch with his madam wife, Sally.
Bonavena had some of boxing's best handlers, but none - from famous trainers to rich syndicates to the sport's top minds-could tame him. And no one could get Conforte and his whorehouse and ex-con goons out of Reno. Ultimately, Ringo plunged into a maelstrom of sex and mayhem-and he wouldn't get out alive.
In Shot at a Brothel, Patrick Connor examines in riveting detail Bonavena's fast, turbulent life as well as Conforte's sordid past. Long overdue, here's the real story of how gangsterism, greed, and prostitution destroyed Argentina's greatest heavyweight.
Shot at a Brothel: The Spectacular Demise of Oscar "Ringo" Bonavena is the sixth in the Hamilcar Noir True Crime series. Hamilcar Noir is "Hard-Hitting True Crime" that blends boxing and true crime, featuring riveting stories captured in high-quality prose, with cover art inspired by classic pulp novels.
"Just finished Don Stradley's book on Edwin Valero, "Berserk." Outstanding. Predictably so because 1) Don is a super writer, and 2) the story is chilling and amazing.-Steve Farhood, Showtime boxing analyst, and International Boxing Hall of Fame member
"There's no telling what went on during the next few hours, or where his paranoia took him, but in that room something terrible happened. At 5:30 a.m. Valero appeared in the lobby. As calmly as one might order something from room service, he told the staff that he had just killed his wife."
Within the dark pages of Berserk: The Shocking Life and Death of Edwin Valero, author Don Stradley uncovers the gritty details of the undefeated (27-0, 27 KO), troubled, boxer Edwin Valero.
Edwin Valero's life was like a rocket shot into a wall. With a perfect knockout record in twenty-seven fights, the demonic Venezuelan boxer, known as "El Inca" and "El Dinamita," seemed destined for a clash with all-time great Manny Pacquiao. But the Fates had other ideas.
Fueled by cocaine and booze and paranoia, Valero blazed into a mania that derailed his career in the ring and resulted in the brutal death of his young wife Jennifer-and soon afterward, his own. In chilling detail, Don Stradley captures one of the darkest and most sensational boxing stories in recent memory, which, until now, has never been fully told.
Filled with firsthand accounts from the men who trained Valero and the reporters who covered him, as well as insights from psychologists and forensic experts, Berserk is a hell-ride of a book.
Berserk is the first in the Hamilcar Noir series, from Hamilcar Publications. Hamilcar Noir is "Hard-Hitting True Crime" that blends boxing and true crime, featuring riveting stories captured in high-quality prose, with cover art inspired by classic pulp novels.
Perfect Gift For Boxing and True Crime Fans!
Berserk, combined with other books in the Hamilcar Noir series, makes a great gift for fans of stories about the darker side of boxing. Books in the Hamilcar Noir series also make for a great gift idea for true crime fans-whether they are a die-hard boxing fan or not, they will devour these quick reads and ask for more!
"There's no telling what went on during the next few hours, or where his paranoia took him, but in that room something terrible happened. At 5:30 a.m. Valero appeared in the lobby. As calmly as one might order something from room service, he told the staff that he had just killed his wife."
Within the dark pages of Berserk: The Shocking Life and Death of Edwin Valero, author Don Stradley uncovers the gritty details of the undefeated (27-0, 27 KO), troubled, boxer Edwin Valero.
Edwin Valero's life was like a rocket shot into a wall. With a perfect knockout record in twenty-seven fights, the demonic Venezuelan boxer, known as "El Inca" and "El Dinamita," seemed destined for a clash with all-time great Manny Pacquiao. But the Fates had other ideas.
Fueled by cocaine and booze and paranoia, Valero blazed into a mania that derailed his career in the ring and resulted in the brutal death of his young wife Jennifer-and soon afterward, his own. In chilling detail, Don Stradley captures one of the darkest and most sensational boxing stories in recent memory, which, until now, has never been fully told.
Filled with firsthand accounts from the men who trained Valero and the reporters who covered him, as well as insights from psychologists and forensic experts, Berserk is a hell-ride of a book.
Berserk is the first in the Hamilcar Noir series, from Hamilcar Publications. Hamilcar Noir is "Hard-Hitting True Crime" that blends boxing and true crime, featuring riveting stories captured in high-quality prose, with cover art inspired by classic pulp novels.
Perfect Gift For Boxing and True Crime Fans!
Berserk, combined with other books in the Hamilcar Noir series, makes a great gift for fans of stories about the darker side of boxing. Books in the Hamilcar Noir series also make for a great gift idea for true crime fans-whether they are a die-hard boxing fan or not, they will devour these quick reads and ask for more!
"The story of Ike Ibeabuchi is one of the strangest in modern boxing history and Luke G. Williams has told it with great clarity, sensitivity, and skill. President of Pandemonium is crammed with raw and revealing details as Williams draws us into the unsettling world of a man as vulnerable as he was destructive. It is a gripping read."-Donald McRae, The Guardian
Ike "The President" Ibeabuchi had the boxing world at his feet in 1997 after vanquishing David Tua in a battle for the ages in Sacramento. The Nigerian heavyweight's subsequent descent into a vortex of mental illness and crime and punishment was as shocking as it was tragic.
Was Ibeabuchi a vulnerable man exploited by a ruthless sport and a dysfunctional criminal justice system, or was he guilty-as-charged for his deeds and rightly punished?
Somewhere amid a colorful cast of characters including Republican politicians, crooked promoters, and demons hiding in air-conditioning units, lies the uncomfortable truth.
In President of Pandemonium, Luke G. Williams vividly recreates Ibeabuchi's life in and out of the ring. Combining exclusive interviews with those who guided his career and observed him closely, as well as firsthand testimony from "The President" himself, this is a story of brilliance destroyed by dark forces, both real and imagined.
Ike "The President" Ibeabuchi had the boxing world at his feet in 1997 after vanquishing David Tua in a battle for the ages in Sacramento. The Nigerian heavyweight's subsequent descent into a vortex of mental illness and crime and punishment was as shocking as it was tragic.
Was Ibeabuchi a vulnerable man exploited by a ruthless sport and a dysfunctional criminal justice system, or was he guilty-as-charged for his deeds and rightly punished?
Somewhere amid a colorful cast of characters including Republican politicians, crooked promoters, and demons hiding in air-conditioning units, lies the uncomfortable truth.
In President of Pandemonium, Luke G. Williams vividly recreates Ibeabuchi's life in and out of the ring. Combining exclusive interviews with those who guided his career and observed him closely, as well as firsthand testimony from "The President" himself, this is a story of brilliance destroyed by dark forces, both real and imagined.