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“Chaos in a Phone Booth” aka CQB Mobster Style by Mark Hatmaker

 


[October 1st we release in-the-weeds drilling from an unsavory aspect of Underworld History—let’s set the stage with a bit of history.]

Let us turn our eye on the Boxing-Mob connection.

The Real-Life Donnie Brasco, Part 1

The connection between old school boxers, old school wrestlers of the legitimate sort and those who moonlighted a bit in both worlds is vast and almost astonishing in its roster.

If we add those who never competed in the legitimate game but were considered fearsome nevertheless by those who did play at top levels in the sportive side of things, the roster quadruples.

The observations that follow from Joseph “Donnie Brasco” Pistone are simply from one voice in the know.

We could easily add hundreds more like observations from the historical record of folks saying gangsters, mobsters, wiseguys, hard bastards, hooligans and thugs knew what they were doing, and, in most cases, knew more than the sport-saturated will ever know.

[Mr. Pistone’s observation is echoed in testimony from the 1750’s forward on both sides of the pond—never forget Ronnie & Reggie Kray were just two notable examples of folks who took what they learned in the ring and upped it outside the game. The following holds for boxing and wrestling; scufflers from The Barbary Coast to The Five Points put their skills to less than savory use. Gerald Kersh’s 1938 novel, Night and the City, although ostensibly about corruption in the wrestling game, also had a knowing eye on “performers who moonlighted.”]

I turn it over to Joseph D. Pistone, a man who went deep undercover with the Mob. A brave man who knows of what he speaks.

“When you grow up on the streets, you get into a lot of street fights. No way around it, plain and simple. That’s why a lot of your champion boxers grew up on the streets. In Paterson, New Jersey, I got into situations all the time where the only way out was with my fists. The first time you punch someone in the face, you are almost shocked by the violence of it, the blood, the crunching sound, the breaking bones. After that, it’s a piece of cake. I punched a lot of people in my day, almost always in situations where it was punch or be punched.

[In Part 2, Mr. Brasco let’s us know he saw some mighty facile fistwork on the other side of the legal line. Again, see October’s release of “Chaos in a Phone Booth” aka CQB Mobster Style for the in-the-weeds how to throw with Mobster Intent in a 3x3 box.]

[Available for Pre-Order Here.

Be advised, we will not be shipping until Me & the Missus return from our 24th Wedding Anniversary on October 12th. Orders will be prioritized in order of receipt, with Black Box Subscribers shipping fist—always.]

More info on throwing Illegal Hands and The Black Box Subscription Service below.

Resources for Livin’ the Warrior Life

The Black Box Warehouse

https://www.extremeselfprotection.com/

The Indigenous Ability Blog

https://indigenousability.blogspot.com/

The Rough ‘n’ Tumble Raconteur Podcast

https://anchor.fm/mark-hatmaker

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