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Boxing trainer throws in the towel on life
- Reviewed by James Brown
Sunday, August 6, 2006

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Pound for Pound

By F.X. Toole

HARPERCOLLINS; 366 PAGES; $25.95

For 40 years, boxing writer F.X. Toole fought to get his work published. For 40 years, he got nothing but rejection. Then, in 1999, the San Francisco literary magazine Zyzzyva accepted one of his short stories, and within a year, publisher HarperCollins released Toole's first book, "Rope Burns: Stories From the Corner." He was 70 by then and died two years later, never seeing his story "Million Dollar Baby," turned into a movie that would go on to win four Academy Awards, including one for best picture.

Fortunately, Toole left behind "Pound for Pound," an unfinished novel about the underbelly of boxing. Set against the backdrop of the seedy side of Hollywood and downtown Los Angeles, Toole's novel is populated with the losers, cheaters and wannabes of boxing, of drug addiction and alcoholism, fleabag hotels, cheap women and failed dreams. But at its core, it is about the loyalty and love of the good and moral in sweet science. Toole was a devout Catholic, and it shows in his main character, the aging Dan Cooley, an Irish cut man and trainer, who renounces his faith after the tragic death of his 9-year-old grandson. " 'Here's what I think of your god, with a small g.' Dan handed the priest three pennies. 'One for your heart, one for your soul, and one for your god, two cents more than your f -- god's worth, small g.' "

Having earlier lost his daughter, wife and son-in-law, Dan abandons his boxing gym in Hollywood and sets off on a cross-country bender with the ultimate plan of killing himself. He buys an older Mercedes and hits the road, stopping only for more booze and an occasional meal. With no particular destination in mind, he first drives north toward San Francisco, then changes course and heads to Texas, where he spots a "scabby-a -- mutt" collapsed in the middle of the highway. The animal catches his eye, and against his better judgment, Dan circles back, helps it into the car and drives to the nearest vet. Ironically, it's this abandoned, dying dog that leads Dan to reconsider taking his own life, and soon he's headed home to Los Angeles with what the veterinarian ascertains is a used-up, discarded "fighter" dog -- a real one. The kind on which bets are wagered.

The chapters in "Pound for Pound" cut back and forth among its various characters, most notably Dan and Chicky Garza, a young, talented amateur fighter from San Antonio. Like Dan's deceased grandson, Chicky has lost both parents; he's raised by his grandfather Eloy, a former boxer, and after the boy is cheated out of a slot in a tournament that would've taken him to the Olympic trials, he heads for Los Angeles in search of Dan. According to his grandfather, Dan is one of the best trainers in the business, and that's exactly what Chicky needs if he wants to turn pro. But when he gets to Los Angeles, Dan is nowhere to be found. Instead, he meets up with some crooked managers and trainers who throw him into the ring against seasoned pros he couldn't possibly beat, all for a quick buck.

The story continues to bounce back and forth between the two until their paths finally converge at the Santa Cruz Sports Arena in Pico Rivera in Los Angeles. Dan is a spectator. Chicky is on the card. Though he narrowly loses his fight against the hometown favorite, his luck is about to change. In the parking lot later that night, as Chicky walks to his car, he encounters several cholos beating up Dan. Chicky wades in, and with the assistance of Dan's dog, he teaches the bad guys, who are slow and out of shape, what it really is to fight with only your hands. Now that Dan and Chicky have met, the novel takes on a more defined focus. As the two work closely together, they become something akin to father and son. Chicky's boxing skills improve immensely and far more quickly than either of them could've imagined. The few remaining chapters move toward settling an old score with a fighter Chicky encountered during his amateur years, the one whose managers cheated him out of a shot at the Olympic trials. What happens after that is anyone's guess.

"Pound for Pound" ends abruptly, and long before it can pull together its many story lines. Originally a 900-page manuscript, the book has been whittled down to about a third that size. But the reader knows this going in, and it wouldn't be fair to hold the novel to a higher standard. It is, after all, incomplete. The same could be said of Oscar night when "Million Dollar Baby" swept the awards and no one had the respect to thank its author. That's Hollywood. But the reader thanks Mr. Toole here, and forever after, for his last and greatest work.

James Brown's work has been selected for "Best American Sports Writing of 2006." He is also the author of "The Los Angeles Diaries."

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