The Harder They Fall

For 2026, the writer Andrew Rihn conjured up an informal book club called "Hitting the Books," consisting of four boxing-themed novels with the first being Budd Schulberg's The Harder They Fall.

Schulberg was raised in Hollywood and grew up a big boxing fan. His father, B.P., was a famous movie producer. Budd became friends with Jewish boxers Jackie Fields, Mushy Callahan, Newsboy Brown, and Maxie Rosenbloom among others.

First published in 1947, The Harder They Fall is loosely based on the career of former heavyweight champion Primo Carnera. Toro Molina is plucked from his job as a strongman in the circus back in Argentina and used by an amoral manager, Nick Latka, to enhance his bankroll. Unbeknownst to "the big bum," Molina's fights are all fixed and it's the job of the narrator, Eddie Lewis, to build up the fighter in the eyes of the public and the press.

Though explicitly Gentile, Lewis is at heart a Jewish character. A New York schmoozer, who constantly grapples with the morality of his occupation, he's always questioning himself and his surroundings. An aspiring playwright, Eddie feels more comfortable in the often contradictory world of boxing. By the end it's clear that he is nothing more than a schlemiel, destined to remain in the shady realm of pugilism.

The novel is littered with actual Jews, from Bummy Davis to Daniel Mendoza, Lew Tendler, Abe Attell, Callahan, and Benny Leonard. An Irishman named Danny McKeogh, who along with the Jewish hunchback Doc Zigman, train Toro Molina. The fictional McKeogh had been knocked out by Leonard in the first round and then became the trainer of Leonard's potential successor, Izzy Greenberg.

Schulberg's novel is immensely quotable and one of the less profound is about the fictional Greenberg, who traveled around the world fighting "the Australian champion, the Champion of England, the Champion of Europe, which is not as much trouble for Izzy as slicing Mazoth balls with a hot knife."

Danny is the impetus for an observation from Eddie, "There's nothing duller than an old ball player or an old tennis star, but an old fighter who's been punched around, spilled his blood freely for the fans' amusement only to wind up broke, battered and forgotten has the stuff of tragedy for me." It's hard not to concur.

Boxing is "a genuinely manly art, dragged down through the sewers of human greed," Eddie explains the thesis of the novel toward its end. It's a profound statement that still resonates today.

Though Schulberg published The Harder They Fall over 75 years ago, he sums up not only boxing, but the American political climate when he writes, "Hope is the blind mother of stupidity."

As Eddie tries to sell Toro Molina to the press, he encounters a skeptic and laments, "A historian yet! In every town you hit, there's always one jerk like that, the natural enemy of the press agent, the guy with integrity." For over fifteen years, the founder of The Jewish Boxing Blog has strived to be that jerk.

The next Hitting the Books entry is The Professional by W.C. Heinz.

Barwick Shows Heart as Boston Falls to Phoenix, 15-13

Brooklyn Barwick fought in two rounds in the Team Boxing League matchup between her new team, the Boston Butchers, and her old team, the Phoenix Fury. She showed a strong chin and a heart the size of the Grinch after he gives back Whoville's gifts, but was outclassed in her two rounds.

Boston jumped out to a 7-1 lead before Barwick entered the ring for the ninth round against her friend, Tierra Brandt. Hall of Fame broadcaster Al Bernstein described Brooklyn as "a good professional" before her round began. Barwick came out aggressively, but Brandt used her height and superior counter punching to completely dominate the three-minute period. Brandt used 1-2s and left hooks to the body as Barwick was forced to cover up for much of the round.

Dave Bontempo, a terrific veteran announcer, declared it was  "a tough introduction against a very good fighter," for Barwick this season.

Phoenix stormed back in the middle rounds to take an 11-9 lead when heavyweight Manuel Villalobos stopped Kimbo Boykin for a four-point sixteenth round. Boston's Rashidi Ellis, Ronald Ellis, Skylar Lacy, and Jahyae Brown all took care of business, but none could score a knockdown or a stoppage to offset Villalobos's four point outburst.

Barwick climbed through the ropes for the 22nd round against Brenda Hernandez. Hernandez had lost to Brandi Robinson in third, but she had a reach advantage over Barwick. The two fighters exchanged fire to open the round with Brooklyn boxing well, but Hernandez gradually wore down Barwick, landing clean overhand rights and right uppercuts as the round progressed.

Phoenix went up by two points after the 22nd and that's where margin lay at the end of the contest. Boston falls to 0-1 while Phoenix rises to 1-0.

This was invaluable experience for Barwick, who needs to work on her lateral movement and counter punching in order to prevent onslaughts like she faced tonight. She's 6-1 as a pro with 6 KOs, but is still a relative neophyte in the sport of boxing, having first picked up the gloves just three years ago. The 26 year old has come along way since then, but still has room for improvement.

Brooklyn Barwick Weighs in Ahead of TBL Clash

Brooklyn Barwick weighed a flat 128 for her two rounds tomorrow in Boston. Barwick is a member of the Boston Butchers of Team Boxing League, where a group of boxers compete in one or two rounds as part of a team competition.

At the weigh-in, Barwick said the other fighters were acting like “hyenas.” She spoke up and told them to calm down. One of the Phoenix Fury told her to, “Shut up, fucking Jew.” Barwick, who wore a Star of David pendant, was pissed, but her coaches told her that while it was messed up, she should try to stay focused on the fight. 

Mazza and More sponsored her refuel: grilled chicken and mushroom rice with corn. She had a cinnamon kokosh  and washed it down with two bottles of Keten grape juice and a bottle of water.

Barwick will face her friend Tierra Brandt in one round. The two showed respect for each other at the face-off and vowed to hang out after the fight. Brooklyn will face Brenda Hernandez in a “money” round.

Barwick is using the TBL to gain important experience. Her next pro bout is scheduled for May 16 in South Carolina. She then will face Grecias Novas in a rematch of a disputed decision loss.

Alan Blyweiss - The Inspirational Sparring Partner

"I was set to be the heavyweight champion of the world," Alan Blyweiss said ruefully. "The first Jewish heavyweight champion."

Instead, Blyweiss made a living sparring the likes of Mike Tyson, Lennox Lewis, and Riddick Bowe. After a small fire had broken out in his house earlier in the day and under the threat of a tornado warning, Blyweiss spoke with The Jewish Boxing Blog about his harrowing life. Alan believes he threw away his opportunity to achieve more in boxing, but the difficulties he endured have allowed him to pass on his hard-earned wisdom to the next generation of fighters.

A self-described "heroin baby," Alan Joel Blyweiss was born on March 14, 1969. Born less than a year after the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the subsequent riots, he was adopted by Lithuanian Jewish parents and raised in the Southeast D.C. community of Barry Farm, an almost exclusively Black neighborhood. "There's nothing white beyond the White House except the Blyweisses," a catchy area saying went.

Alan's father Harold was a mensch, but his mother was "mean and abusive." The unrelenting physical and emotional abuse shaped Alan's entire life. An angry kid, he began boxing at seven years old. By nine, he was the first Jewish white kid jumped into the Bloods. "I stayed in that life far too long," he admitted. In Barry Farm, crime increased exponentially during the 1970s and by the 1980s, it was widely regarded as one of the most dangerous neighborhoods in the country. At the age of 13, Alan and his family moved north to Columbia, Maryland.

Shortly after his Bar Mitzvah at Beth Shalom, Blyweiss was sent to juvenile detention for two years after holding his abusive mother at knifepoint for 16 hours. He wasn't going to kill her, but he wanted her to feel something akin to what she had put him through. When he got out of juvie, he showed promise as a high school soccer player. Alan hated to run, but his dad felt soccer would force him to get in shape for boxing. But Alan was never far from trouble. He was kicked out of Atholton High School and didn't last much longer at Mount Hebron.

After getting in trouble, a school official told Harold that his boy needed some tough love. Harold strongly disagreed, but the official quickly discovered the importance of listening Mr. Blyweiss the hard way. As the bloody official expelled Alan for good, Harold quipped, "I did warn you."

At 15 years old Alan was sent to Cus D'Amato in Catskill, New York. He sparred a few rounds with Tyson when he was the heavyweight champion of the world. Throughout his career, Blyweiss learned from other such luminaries as Emanuel Steward, Kevin Rooney, Eddie Futch, and Angelo Dundee.

He said he had over 100 amateur fights although different sources give varying numbers as is customary with records in the unpaid ranks. He said he rose to be the third ranked amateur heavyweight in the country. He took on Tommy Morrison in Kansas in the final of a big tournament. He fought smokers at the Hillcrest Heights Boxing Gym.

Promoter Bob Arum of Top Rank showed interest in Blyweiss and gave him a $125,000 signing bonus. Alan blew through the money in three months. Instead of training, he partied and used cocaine. "I was given everything, and I blew it," he said.

Trained by Vardell McCann and sporting the nickname "The Rock," Blyweiss had his pro debut on April 18, 1990 against Gus Linver at the Pikesville Armory. Even in the amateurs Blyweiss suffered from anxiety, but it came to a head in his debut. His mother's constant criticism contributed to his crisis in confidence. The anxiety would build as the fight approached. "I felt anxiety because I knew I hadn't trained properly," Blyweiss said.

Pikesville, Maryland was a hub of Jewish life at the time. Alan and his dad used to go to Pikesville on Sundays to get bagels and herring. He came to the ring wearing a tallis and a yarmulke. About 800 Jewish fans packed the armory, roaring for Blyweiss. "The crowd was awesome. I was ready to take care of business. Except I wasn't." He was stopped in the second round.

After a first round stoppage loss to George Harris in Camp Hill, Pennsylvania on November 15, 1991, Blyweiss says Arum froze his contract for six years, effectively ending his pro career. He then became a full time sparring partner.

Blyweiss had been a southpaw, but an elbow injury forced him to switched to an orthodox stance. He sparred Terry Ray under the watchful eyes of Kevin Rooney. As a small speedy heavyweight, Blyweiss fought in the style of Evander Holyfield. "I hit like a mule, and I could take a punch," he recalled. "Against big heavyweights, I boxed their ears off."

Jerry Rabinowitz, a cantor from Pikesville who loved boxing, gave Alan a salary of $850 a week and he also made $100 a round to spar. He was often used as a sparring partner for Holyfield's opponents, including for Riddick Bowe during his trilogy with the cruiserweight and heavyweight champ. Blyweiss said he traveled for three years with Lennox Lewis working with him.

At one point, Blyweiss was offered another $600 a week and a hundred a round to travel up to Philadelphia and spar with James Thunder. "He had muscles on top of muscles," Alan said of Thunder. "I looked at him and said to myself, 'I'm not too sure about this.' I sparred six rounds with him and then I told them that my beeper went off. When I came back, I said my grandmother had just died. I had to go home."

She hadn't. "Over the years, I've had a lot of grandmothers die," he deadpanned.

In 2000, Alan was near death himself. While staying in Boston, he was shot and stabbed. In the hospital, he was induced into a coma. He needed eleven abdominal surgeries. His dad was told to come up to Boston and say his last goodbyes.

Alan survived, but health problems persisted. His boxing career was done. He trained fighters, but bad luck stuck to him like velcro. In 2017, he was diagnosed with probable CTE and Parkinson's Disease. That year a card near Baltimore called "Punches and Prayers for Alan Blyweiss" was promoted to help Alan with mounting medical bills.

Despite many health challenges, things are looking up. Alan and his wife have remarried after previously divorcing. He works at 5 Stones Fight Club in the Hershey, Pennsylvania area. There his Jewish, Muslim, and Christian pupils have an opportunity to safely talk about their differences and similarities. The world, hopelessly divided, needs more of what Alan is giving his charges.

In addition to his boxers' recent success at the Central PA Golden Gloves, he advises popular MMA star Natan Levy, an Israeli who is recovering from knee surgery. Alan reports the plan is to get Levy back into the UFC or the PFL. In the meantime, Levy is on tour speaking out against the rising wave of anti-Semitism.

Alan's life has been a struggle since the beginning. Some of it has been self-inflicted and some the result of inexplicable misfortune. Those difficulties have provided the necessary experiences to help the next generation of fighters learn from his mistakes.