"Twas the Fight Before Christmas"

[Redd Foxx]

Wanted to post this last year but forgot. Luckily the link still works. It's a bittersweet true boxing story from back in the day. Those bastards were sure tough.

Hope some here will appreciate it.
Merry Christmas guys!

https://www.si.com/vault/1999/12/27/271859/twas-the-fight-before-christmas

Here's a teaser in case you're not sure if you should click...

It starts the day in 1918 when a doctor tells a slender heavyweight named Billy Miske that his bum kidneys give him five years to live, if he's lucky. Turns out he's dying of Bright's disease. This comes as rotten news to Billy, who's only 24 years old and not half bad in the ring. He's good enough to fight guys like future light heavyweight champ Harry Greb twice to 10-round draws, which is sort of like tying with a twister. Still, the doc says if Billy's smart, he'll find a comfortable couch and retire right now.

[Madison Boxing]

Great read...

[Dip_Slide]

these mothafückers were tough!

[mrpain81]

I've read it before but still a classic.

Good stuff.

[Citizen Koba]

Wanted to post this last year but forgot. Luckily the link still works. It's a bittersweet true boxing story from back in the day. Those bastards were sure tough.

Hope some here will appreciate it.
Merry Christmas guys!

https://www.si.com/vault/1999/12/27/271859/twas-the-fight-before-christmas

Here's a teaser in case you're not sure if you should click...

It starts the day in 1918 when a doctor tells a slender heavyweight named Billy Miske that his bum kidneys give him five years to live, if he's lucky. Turns out he's dying of Bright's disease. This comes as rotten news to Billy, who's only 24 years old and not half bad in the ring. He's good enough to fight guys like future light heavyweight champ Harry Greb twice to 10-round draws, which is sort of like tying with a twister. Still, the doc says if Billy's smart, he'll find a comfortable couch and retire right now.

You must spread some reputation around before giving it to Redd Foxx again.

Thanks for the read, man

[McNulty]

That check buys the best Christmas the Miskes ever have. The kids come flying downstairs in the morning to a Christmas tree, a toy train, a baby-grand piano and presents stacked higher than they can reach. They eat like Rockefellers and sing like angels and laugh all day. Do you know, the only smile bigger in Minneapolis that day than the ones on the faces of those three Miske kids is on Billy's mug.

Great story. Well timed, +1.

[jaded]

Quite the story...

[Tony Trick-Pony]

Wanted to post this last year but forgot. Luckily the link still works. It's a bittersweet true boxing story from back in the day. Those bastards were sure tough.

Hope some here will appreciate it.
Merry Christmas guys!

https://www.si.com/vault/1999/12/27/271859/twas-the-fight-before-christmas

Here's a teaser in case you're not sure if you should click...

It starts the day in 1918 when a doctor tells a slender heavyweight named Billy Miske that his bum kidneys give him five years to live, if he's lucky. Turns out he's dying of Bright's disease. This comes as rotten news to Billy, who's only 24 years old and not half bad in the ring. He's good enough to fight guys like future light heavyweight champ Harry Greb twice to 10-round draws, which is sort of like tying with a twister. Still, the doc says if Billy's smart, he'll find a comfortable couch and retire right now.

Excellent story, man.

There's something about going out with glory and not "waiting for the rocking chair" as he said.

Here's to Billy Miske, a champ's champ.

And Merry Christmas to you, Redd. Been another fun year!

[Redd Foxx]

Excellent story, man.

There's something about going out with glory and not "waiting for the rocking chair" as he said.

Here's to Billy Miske, a champ's champ.

And Merry Christmas to you, Redd. Been another fun year!

Cheers, brother.
I'm one who tries to extract the positives from every negative so it's a particularly poetic one for me.
I read it for the first time last year and told myself "I gotta share this with the guys next year." Not that it's a life changer or anything, but how many boxing Christmas stories do we have?

['b']

Ho Ho Ho, Merry Christmas!

and thank you for the good read.