PITCH BOXING PODCAST: FITZPATRICK, SIMPSON AND WIGHT

Pitch Publishing is a fantastic imprint.
They do all the great Got, Not Got series
and plenty of other retro sports titles.

James Brown, The Late Tackle, talkSPORT

Pitch Publishing show the way for enterprising
sports book publishers and remains a beacon
of hope for sports authors aspiring or established.

The Sports Bookshelf.com

Pitch Publishing, an outfit whose "pitch perfect"
commissioning of boxing material stands
as a rebuke to more established houses

Boxing Monthly

Pitch capture the real spirit of sport with entertaining
and clever ideas. They work out what the aficionado
would want to read, then deliver it with great verve.

Paul Hayward, The Daily Telegraph

Pitch have enabled me to write in the ways I enjoy most.
Their production support is superb, delivering eye-catching
designs, attentive proof-reading, energetic marketing and helpful advice.

Tim Quelch, Good Old Sussex by the Sea, Orient to the Emirates, Underdog!

Pitch are willing to back out-of-the-blue and innovative
ideas and turn them into viable, entertaining books.
They do so with great presentation and editorial flair.

Justin Parkinson, Then Came Massacre

Pitch saw the potential in my story, used their expertise
to polish it, published it and helped inspire thousands
around the world to get into the sport of triathlon.

Andy Holgate, Can’t Swim, Can’t Ride, Can’t Run & Can't Sleep, Can't Train, Can't Stop

The process of working with Pitch to produce Picking up the Threads
was enjoyable and rewarding, with the final edition surpassing
expectations and becoming a resounding success.

John Chandler, Picking up the Threads

Pitch will take a chance on books that other publishers won't
and realise that interest in football extends beyond the
Premier League and the top 20 countries in the FIFA rankings.

Steve Menary, Outcasts!

Pitch have the vision to look beyond the obvious,
seeking out interesting ideas and subjects and
matching them with the right target audience.

David Tossell, Tony Greig, The Great English Final, Grovel!, Natural

Pitch have been an absolute joy to work with,
contributing their passion, expertise, knowledge
and experience to help produce a brilliant book.

Sam Pilger, Ashes Match of My Life

Pitch took our original concept and further enhanced it,
using their knowledge, experience and expertise, and helped
make Got, Not Got one of the football books of the year for 2011.

Derek Hammond, Got, Not Got series of books

Pitch bought into the concept of development through football,
channeling profits and proceeds from Eleven into helping
some of the most disadvantaged young people in the world.

Steve Fleming, Eleven

In the highly competitive world of sport publishing,
Pitch have consistently demonstrated the happy
knack of spotting, nurturing and promoting winners.

Neil Dunkin, Anfield of Dreams

11 Jul

PITCH BOXING PODCAST: FITZPATRICK, SIMPSON AND WIGHT

Click here to listen to the first Pitch Boxing Podcast - as three Pitch authors offer their insight into the world of boxing.

The podcast with trainer Paddy Fitzpatrick, his co-author Lee 'Teach' Simpson and their fellow author John Wight, kicks off with a discussion on Freddie Roach's Wildcard Gym in Hollywood.

It's a real treat for boxing fans, as are the two books written by the trio, Wight's This Boxing Game and Fitzpatrick and Simpson's Hats, Handwraps and Headaches.

Hats, Handwraps and Headaches is the inspiring, surprising and sometimes shocking story of Irish boxing coach Paddy Fitzpatrick, a failed pro boxer who was almost a Foreign Legionary before finding fame as a trainer of world-class fighters.

After struggling as a young adult with thoughts of suicide, Paddy's life was transformed by a chance meeting with Hall of Fame trainer Freddie Roach.

Paddy moved to LA to learn his trade at Roach's Wild Card gym, working with the likes of world champions James Toney and Laila Ali, and spending time with Laila's legendary father Muhammad Ali.

Back in England, Paddy used the things he had learnt to take George Groves to three world title fights, including the return super-fight with Carl Froch, which drew 80,000 fans to Wembley Stadium.

Filled with astonishing anecdotes - like the time Paddy was almost shot by an irate boxer and a near-miss with a grizzly bear - Hats, Handwraps and Headaches is funny and poignant in equal measure, with riveting tales from both sides of the Atlantic.

What is it about boxing that charms and bewitches us? John Wight looks for the answer as he delves into the world of beautiful brutality.

Showing that boxing is fundamentally tied to the human condition, he pulls back the curtains of his own masculinity to reveal the insecurities, life experiences and vulnerabilities that first drew him to the sport and have informed his engagement with it over a 20-year period.

While relating his experiences in boxing gyms on both sides of the Atlantic, Wight reflects on the sport's origins, analysing some of its most memorable moments and characters.

Through Wight's compelling memoirs we encounter some of modern boxing's most fascinating figures, among them Freddie Roach, Manny Pacquiao, James Toney and Scotland's IBF junior-welterweight world titlist Josh Taylor.

Straddling the line between nobility and barbarity, boxing operates on a different moral and spiritual plane than other sports. This Boxing Game explores why and how