"The Duke is a harrowing tragedy of Shakespearean proportions, and a
gripping read. Don't miss it."--T. J. English, New York Times
bestselling author Havana Nocturne
An American Gothic...
In the early 1990s, Tommy Morrison, a young roughneck from Jay,
Oklahoma, burst onto the boxing scene to become one of the most
controversial fighters of his era. Handsome, eloquent, and dynamic,
Morrison parlayed destructive knockout power and a homespun personality
into celebrity status throughout middle America, where boxing rarely
prospered.
But it was his starring role in Rocky V alongside Sylvester Stallone
that propelled him to stardom-and ultimately led to his tragic downfall.
His brush with Hollywood fame triggered a limitless appetite for
parties, liquor, and sex. When Morrison was shockingly diagnosed with
HIV in 1996, his life imploded, and his subsequent descent into drugs,
prison, bigamy, and conspiracy theories made Morrison notorious long
after his glory days had ended.
In The Duke, Carlos Acevedo chronicles Morrison's tumultuous life from
his days as a teenaged Toughman contestant, to his victory over George
Foreman, to his struggles with HIV and depression, to his death at
forty-four, when his delusions finally overtook him.
Morrison himself was a divisive figure but critics and readers are
unanimous about Acevedo's The Duke.
"This is a big American saga writ large, just the sort of tortured tale
Carlos Acevedo tells so well."--Don Stradley, author of The War:
Hagler-Hearns and Three Rounds for the Ages
"I love how Carlos Acevedo writes. He's detached and immersive,
observant and detailed, unsparing and fair. He brings to life what I
love--and what I don't love--about boxing. That's clear in The Duke,
which examines not just Tommy Morrison, but Morrison's place in boxing,
celebrity culture, and the greater sports consciousness. It's the
perfect marriage of writer and subject, written sharply, broadly and
expertly--and hard to put down."--Greg Bishop senior writer, Sports
Illustrated
