HardCover: ISBN
978-1450-20639-6 ($30.95)
SoftCover: ISBN
978-1450-20637-2 ($20.95)
Genre: True Crime / Boxing
Publisher:
iUniverse
Pages: 274
More than just a book about boxing, Ade Makinde's JERSEY
BOY: The Life and Mob Slaying of Frankie DePaula, is a portrait of
the social and cultural mores of the tough working class, Catholic-dominant
environs of 1960s Jersey City where the Mafia was an all pervading
presence.
The story of the hard-punching, charismatic but flawed Frankie DePaula
encapsulates the romantic toughness as well as the destructive
underbelly of the first city of 'The Garden State.'
THE STORY
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Hailing from the tough Westside section of Jersey
City, Frankie DePaula appeared to be a phenomenon in the making when he
stopped all of his opponents’ en route to claiming a Golden Gloves title in
1962. That Frankie failed to establish a boxing legacy befitting of one
imbued with his natural physical endowments and punching talent is one of the
largely unsung tragedies of the fight game.
Here for the first time, Adeyinka Makinde, author
of the definitive biography of boxing immortal Dick Tiger, tells the
remarkable story of a man seemingly possessed of a force of nature; a
charismatic pied piper of Jersey City who sold out arenas and inspired such
devotion from fans that some were willing to bet their houses on him being
victorious. Frank Sinatra sat ringside at several of his bouts, while Frankie
Valli and Joe Namath were close friends. But Frankie was also a man whose
character flaws would lead him to an early grave.
The book explores the controversial aspects of
his life and career including:
. The rumors that his 1969 fight with Bob Foster
for the world’s light heavyweight championship was fixed
. His involvement in a notorious $80,000 heist of electrolytic
copper
. The precipitous death of his first manager, Pat
Amato, whose role was inherited by Mob front man Gary Garafola
. His dalliance with the married step-daughter of a
high-ranking member of the Genovese crime family
. Rumors that he was compromised as an informant for
law enforcement agencies
. His shooting in an alley, his subsequent
disintegration and eventual demise in a charity ward of the Jersey City
Medical Center
Although Frankie appeared to some to be a true
life exemplar of a character from ‘Dead End’; a wild and unreconstructed
deviant headed for disaster, his life is set against the backdrop of the
often times dysfunctional environs of Jersey City, for long the seat of power
of an administration dominated for decades by Mayoral potentate Frank Hague
and maligned by the corruption of local politicians and the increasing
influence of organized crime.
Recounted are Frankie’s exciting tussles with the
likes of Charlie ‘The Devil’ Green, Jimmy McDermott and Dick Tiger. Here too
are reminiscences of Frankie’s explosive power as a street fighter and the
fear he inspired as a Mob collector.
Although prone to being brutish, Frankie could
also be big of heart. And while his many sins rendered him as heartless, he
was capable of feats of kindness. Tough, but ultimately weak-minded; Frankie’s
tale is a cautionary one: a sobering rendition of one man’s capacity for
self-destruction.
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THE AUTHOR
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Adeyinka Makinde is Nigerian by birth and based in
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PRAISE FOR JERSEY BOY: THE LIFE AND MOB SLAYING OF FRANKIE
DEPAULA
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| "The author tells it like it was...Anyone who was around
boxing in those days or has any knowledge of what the sport was like in the
1960s and early 1970s should read this book. It's worth every penny." ---J. Russell Peltz, IBHOF inductee and noted Boxing Historian & Archivist "A brilliant biography...Makinde brings it all to life through meticulous research, painstaking chapter notes and a smooth, lyrical writing style." ---Murray Greig, The Edmonton Sun "It's a cracking read" ---Steve Bunce, BBC Radio London Boxing Hour Show "Makinde writes in elegant yet precise prose" ---eastsideboxing.com "A book worthy of a Hollywood encore" ---maxboxing.com |
CONTACT
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For further information,
interviews, movie rights, or review
copies contact:
e-mail: thelawacademy@aol.com
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