BOOKS
The Greatest Champion That Never Was The Life of W.L. “Young” Stribling by Jaclyn Weldon White (Mercer University Press)
and read the entire book in one sitting. It’s that good. It reads more like a novel than a biography. In fact, Hollywood would do well to look into turning the story into a motion picture. The story of W.L. “Young” Stribling is filled
Honestly, I was never a huge boxing fan. Of
course, back in grade school, I was glued to the old black and white Magnavox TV any time Muhammad Ali laced up a pair of gloves to step into the ring. I remember the big fight, “The Thrilla in Manilla” with Smokin’ Joe Frazier, and several other high profile fights. But as for read- ing an entire book about boxing, it’s not some- thing you would find on my bucket list. When our friends at Mercer University press
mentioned in passing that they had a new title available and that it was the story of a Macon boxer who, by all rights, should have been a champion, but somehow missed that elusive- mark, I was kind of semi-interested. But when I cracked the cover on The Greatest Champion That Never Was, it was all over. I was sucked into one of the most interesting true stories I have ever read. I need to say at the outset that the author, Ja-
clyn Weldon White, is my kind of writer. She draws you in with such a subtle style that you find yourself turning page after page, not wanting to take a break from the book. Like so many, my life is filled to the rim with my own writing, everyday life, music, movies - my books must be digested in several sittings. With this one, I fully wished I could just sit in the reading chair, sipping hot tea,
with twists and turns that find him working his way up the ranks, moving from small fights in the depression-era Macon area and Atlanta to huge bouts in New York and Miami and earning re- spect from the biggest names in the business like Jack Dempsey. Stribling had many important fights during his career, but championship titles appeared to elude him. He was a very good boxer, many said a great one, but the elusive champi- onship titles stayed forever out of his reach. He came close a few times, as with his nail bitingly close almost win against then champ Max Schmeling in 1931 during a remarkable career that saw Stribling approach 290 fights over a 12- year period, 224 of them wins, only 12 losses and 51 “no decisions.” It was an amazing body of work. White’s exploration into Stribling’s life points to the fact that the fighter was simply over worked. No other fighter at the time came close to that many matches, not to mention wins. Of course, the story doesn’t end well, with Stribling dying tragically only two years after the Schmel- ing fight at the age of 28. By the time Stribling dies, you are so invested in his life that it’s hard to hold your emotions at bay. It hits like a south paw to the gut. This is an amazing story about an amazing
human being. A story that, had it not been for Jackie White, may have never been told. And that would have been truely tragic.
-Michael Buffalo Smith
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