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King of the Gypsies: Memoirs of the Undefeated Bareknuckle Champion of Great Britain and Ireland
Memoirs of the Undefeated Bareknuckle Champion of Great Britain and Ireland
- GenresBiographyNonfiction
210 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 15, 2003
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
March 23, 2012
As you'd expect from a book about a bare knuckle fighter, there is a lot of blood and violence but nevertheless you get a sense of the kind of man that Bartley was. Fiercely proud of the tradition he came from whilst ultimately acknowledging that it wouldn't necessarily be the life that one would choose.
He had his run in's with the authorities but he was a well respected person and the town he made his home - Uttoxeter even had him on a memorial to the great names of the town.
I was lucky enough to meet Bartley a few times in the early 90's when I interviewed him for my dissertation on the travelling community. I always found him a pleasure to talk to, intelligent and generous - a proud and honest man who lived a brutal life but had the strength of character not to force his son to carry on with the family tradition.
Bartley sadly died shortly after the book was published, but without the history of bare knuckle fighting that Bartley was able to recall some of these stories may have been lost for ever.
He had his run in's with the authorities but he was a well respected person and the town he made his home - Uttoxeter even had him on a memorial to the great names of the town.
I was lucky enough to meet Bartley a few times in the early 90's when I interviewed him for my dissertation on the travelling community. I always found him a pleasure to talk to, intelligent and generous - a proud and honest man who lived a brutal life but had the strength of character not to force his son to carry on with the family tradition.
Bartley sadly died shortly after the book was published, but without the history of bare knuckle fighting that Bartley was able to recall some of these stories may have been lost for ever.
January 17, 2024
Very interesting and a great insight into the underground world of bare knuckle fighting and its root's
March 25, 2011
Brutal tales of bareknuckle fights involving snooker cues through arms!?!, nipples bitten off, bricks, blood, broken noses, a dislocated shoulder and a free for all at Doncaster Races and Fighters with nicknames with more literal specialisms than your average WCW wrestler with the likes of the Dentist & Cutthroat.
The book starts with a history of bareknuckle boxing and a lowdown on legendary Gypsy families and fighters including his own breed which produced two previous "King of the Gypsies"
The book then takes an autobiographical turn about Bartley's life which tends to focus more on the bouts than the man himself... but thats why I bought the book!
The feelings I got as the book progressed was a sense that the idyllic imagery of fairplay and the past in general was overtaken by violence, disrespect and the need for weapons, where as Bartley was true to his heritage, morals and faith which he kept with him to the end.
Conclusion:
I have read a couple of "hardmen" books which were Nosher & The Guv'nor and they don't compare to this one!
Bartley Gorman was very, very, very hard!!!!!!!
Quote:
"They put an oxygen mask on me and tried to force the dislocated shoulder back in its socket, but couldn't... When I awoke, my arm was back in. I asked the doctor how he had done it and said they had used a wooden mallet to knock it in."
The book starts with a history of bareknuckle boxing and a lowdown on legendary Gypsy families and fighters including his own breed which produced two previous "King of the Gypsies"
The book then takes an autobiographical turn about Bartley's life which tends to focus more on the bouts than the man himself... but thats why I bought the book!
The feelings I got as the book progressed was a sense that the idyllic imagery of fairplay and the past in general was overtaken by violence, disrespect and the need for weapons, where as Bartley was true to his heritage, morals and faith which he kept with him to the end.
Conclusion:
I have read a couple of "hardmen" books which were Nosher & The Guv'nor and they don't compare to this one!
Bartley Gorman was very, very, very hard!!!!!!!
Quote:
"They put an oxygen mask on me and tried to force the dislocated shoulder back in its socket, but couldn't... When I awoke, my arm was back in. I asked the doctor how he had done it and said they had used a wooden mallet to knock it in."
January 16, 2020
This is a brutally beautiful book about Bartley Gorman V, once the King of the Gypsies, and arguably the finest bareknuckle boxer in history. You'll notice that I didn't say "the history of the sport," because, while BKB is now back as a sanctioned combat sport in Britain and America, Gypsies such as Gorman do not necessarily fight for money, but for pride -- and to settle feuds amongst themselves. BKB among the Travelers, Romany, Tinkers and Gypsies is a grim, savage and serious business whose origins go back to the Middle Ages, and is documented in all of its gory detail in this compulsively readable story about one man's quest to be the most feared fighter in his world, and the world at large.
Bartley Gorman V was the son and grandson of famous knuckle men and from his teenage years had his heart on taking the title King of All Gypsies. If you've seen the movie "Snatch," you have some idea of the toughness and savagery of Gypsy boxers but the movie only scratches the surface, and is in any case a piece of fiction: Gorman lived it. He spent decades taking on all comers in dozens if not hundreds of unsanctioned, illegal, and often no-rules-whatever matches all over England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland, and was never defeated -- he won every match but one (a draw) and a few that were broken up by police before a winner could be determined. In so doing, he became both famous -- Muhammad Ali met with him -- and infamous. He also paid a terrible price, physically, emotionally and psychologically, for being the gunslinger every other gunslinger wanted to beat. Many wanted to fight him, and many others to jump him or even kill him -- including many of his closest friends. Indeed, one of the most terrifying aspects of the book is the fact that some of Bartley's toughest fights and most terrible injuries were with his mates. He was a man who, having claimed the crown, had to defend it constantly, often at a moment's notice, against dangerous men who sometimes did not take defeat with grace or aplomb. There are shootings, riots, beatings, stabbings, chases by coach and car, every manner of threat, vendettas and blood feuds, and brushes with the law and the mob. Many proposed fights fall through due to police interference or some other reason, while even more fights happen spontaneously in bars, pubs, fields, and "lanes." In one horrifying chapter, Gorman and his mates are attacked by a huge mob, beaten with pipes and sticks, hacked with broken bottles, and essentially left for dead. In another, he is challenged at his beloved brother Sam's funeral and must fight in his funeral suit with tears still in his eyes, against a man wearing a huge ring that cuts his face to ribbons.
The book, gory as it is, is not all bloodshed and violence. Gorman explains a great deal about the culture of his folk, the "travelling men," and the differences between types of Gypsies (for example: some people consdier Gypsy an epithet and Romany the proper word, but the Romany are only one type of traveller, and he uses the words "traveller" and "Gypsy" interchangeably). He also discusses his various business ventures as an unlicensed boxing promoter, scrap dealer, painter and creosoter, his family relationships, and the history of bare knuckle boxing going back some generations, including the different types of rules (from "a few" to "absolutely none.") He comes off, somewhat surprisingly, as an intelligent, deeply religious, hard-working and likeable family man, a largely honorable bloke who was simply a natural-born fighter, and it is interesting to note his attitude toward violence changed significantly as he got older. He was fully aware of the price of his quest for glory, both for him and the people around him.
All in all this was an excellent book on a culture that has survived, in some way or another, for over a thousand years and shows every sign of surviving for a thousand more.
Bartley Gorman V was the son and grandson of famous knuckle men and from his teenage years had his heart on taking the title King of All Gypsies. If you've seen the movie "Snatch," you have some idea of the toughness and savagery of Gypsy boxers but the movie only scratches the surface, and is in any case a piece of fiction: Gorman lived it. He spent decades taking on all comers in dozens if not hundreds of unsanctioned, illegal, and often no-rules-whatever matches all over England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland, and was never defeated -- he won every match but one (a draw) and a few that were broken up by police before a winner could be determined. In so doing, he became both famous -- Muhammad Ali met with him -- and infamous. He also paid a terrible price, physically, emotionally and psychologically, for being the gunslinger every other gunslinger wanted to beat. Many wanted to fight him, and many others to jump him or even kill him -- including many of his closest friends. Indeed, one of the most terrifying aspects of the book is the fact that some of Bartley's toughest fights and most terrible injuries were with his mates. He was a man who, having claimed the crown, had to defend it constantly, often at a moment's notice, against dangerous men who sometimes did not take defeat with grace or aplomb. There are shootings, riots, beatings, stabbings, chases by coach and car, every manner of threat, vendettas and blood feuds, and brushes with the law and the mob. Many proposed fights fall through due to police interference or some other reason, while even more fights happen spontaneously in bars, pubs, fields, and "lanes." In one horrifying chapter, Gorman and his mates are attacked by a huge mob, beaten with pipes and sticks, hacked with broken bottles, and essentially left for dead. In another, he is challenged at his beloved brother Sam's funeral and must fight in his funeral suit with tears still in his eyes, against a man wearing a huge ring that cuts his face to ribbons.
The book, gory as it is, is not all bloodshed and violence. Gorman explains a great deal about the culture of his folk, the "travelling men," and the differences between types of Gypsies (for example: some people consdier Gypsy an epithet and Romany the proper word, but the Romany are only one type of traveller, and he uses the words "traveller" and "Gypsy" interchangeably). He also discusses his various business ventures as an unlicensed boxing promoter, scrap dealer, painter and creosoter, his family relationships, and the history of bare knuckle boxing going back some generations, including the different types of rules (from "a few" to "absolutely none.") He comes off, somewhat surprisingly, as an intelligent, deeply religious, hard-working and likeable family man, a largely honorable bloke who was simply a natural-born fighter, and it is interesting to note his attitude toward violence changed significantly as he got older. He was fully aware of the price of his quest for glory, both for him and the people around him.
All in all this was an excellent book on a culture that has survived, in some way or another, for over a thousand years and shows every sign of surviving for a thousand more.
August 16, 2017
The current lineal heavyweight champion of the world is a chap who dresses like Batman at press conferences and also chooses to live in a mobile home rather than a mansion, or even in a house. He is a traveler, or in the vernacular of some, a gypsy. Now was as good a time as ever, then, for me to dive into the story of the prior "King of the Gypsies," an honorable and sad old soul named Bartley Gorman.
His formal education ended early and he spent his youth painting barns in the summer (no mean feat for a redhead) and learning to be a bare-knuckle brawler. He fought for pride, money, and sometimes because when two men have high testosterone and high blood-alcohol content, that's what they do. He also found God after seeing too many of his friends and family members die, and his main insight at the end of his own life was that love eventually conquers hate. It would be trite coming from almost anyone else, but like a bare-fisted version of Muhammad Ali, Bartley Gorman has a way of taking what should sound like a nursery rhyme and making proper poetry out of it.
The story of the travelers is one that few know firsthand, and I'd wager that secondhand accounts (like the Guy Ritchie movie "Snatch") don't even really begin to scratch the surface on a way of life in which fighting is critical, but no more important than any number of interesting folkways, beliefs, and traditions revealed throughout the course of this book. Yes, the brawls described are graphic and fascinating (nipples twisted off, biceps bitten off, eyeballs and teeth lost), but it's all the other details that really surprised me and should make it required reading well outside the circumscribed borders of boxing fandom. Recommended.
His formal education ended early and he spent his youth painting barns in the summer (no mean feat for a redhead) and learning to be a bare-knuckle brawler. He fought for pride, money, and sometimes because when two men have high testosterone and high blood-alcohol content, that's what they do. He also found God after seeing too many of his friends and family members die, and his main insight at the end of his own life was that love eventually conquers hate. It would be trite coming from almost anyone else, but like a bare-fisted version of Muhammad Ali, Bartley Gorman has a way of taking what should sound like a nursery rhyme and making proper poetry out of it.
The story of the travelers is one that few know firsthand, and I'd wager that secondhand accounts (like the Guy Ritchie movie "Snatch") don't even really begin to scratch the surface on a way of life in which fighting is critical, but no more important than any number of interesting folkways, beliefs, and traditions revealed throughout the course of this book. Yes, the brawls described are graphic and fascinating (nipples twisted off, biceps bitten off, eyeballs and teeth lost), but it's all the other details that really surprised me and should make it required reading well outside the circumscribed borders of boxing fandom. Recommended.
October 14, 2020
Well, this one is certainly more violent than either Pretty Boy or The Guv'nor. It also seems much more earnest as much as a memoir about brutal street brawls and prizefighting goes anyway. This memoir did not shy away from the violence or the grim realization that competitors and so-named "suicide fighters" would crawl from the woodwork to try to take down a champion or seize a title. The same goes for those seeking revenge for the slightest infraction or a grudge held on someone else's behalf.
This book focused on the fighting and the history of gypsy bare-knuckle boxing. This did cause the first two or three chapters to drag a little as they went through fighting history. It was necessary to illustrate the strong connection of Bartley Gorman to that fighting history of which his father, grandfather, and great-grandfather were part. Overall, it was a strong book, and details were not concealed to avoid admitting to crimes as in the previously mentioned memoirs. His bare-knuckle career essentially being a crime anyway. However, Bartley's anti-abortion stance and intense Christian faith are definitely sticking points for me but he didn't preach until the very end where his politics are muted by his humanity.
I liked this book and am glad I read it. I would recommend this to anyone interested in illegal bare-knuckle prizefighting especially if they are curious about the hidden history of such competitive fighting amongst British & Irish travelers.
October 22, 2021
Very good, i was half expecting this book to have been written by some thick necked half wit that is so common in the genre, but this was not the case. It is a very well written book and very intresting i read it in three days, its very hard to put down.
I originally picked it up after the Tyson Fury fight with Wilder (3), its easy to see now but Wilder never stood a chance, he could have fought Fury 20 times and would have lost every time. That said it does no favours for the Gypsy communities, it tells it like it is, they wonder why they are outcasts its all here.
One other thing that must add is this he fought hundreds of hard bastard men for "honor" but when his daughter had her jaw broken by a local man, he seemingly let that man go "for a point of law", my point would be this if the only fight he had ever had was to avenge the dog that attacked his daughter then That would have been "honorable" , whats the point beating up hundreds of men being the Gypsy King and then doing very little in your own town when your own daughter is attacked? true "honor" is inescapable.
ps iv also read Lenny Mcleans book years ago and enjoyed that but this is far superior, and we all now now McLean told a lot of lies, Gorman was everything Lenny claimed to be in terms of fighting.
I originally picked it up after the Tyson Fury fight with Wilder (3), its easy to see now but Wilder never stood a chance, he could have fought Fury 20 times and would have lost every time. That said it does no favours for the Gypsy communities, it tells it like it is, they wonder why they are outcasts its all here.
One other thing that must add is this he fought hundreds of hard bastard men for "honor" but when his daughter had her jaw broken by a local man, he seemingly let that man go "for a point of law", my point would be this if the only fight he had ever had was to avenge the dog that attacked his daughter then That would have been "honorable" , whats the point beating up hundreds of men being the Gypsy King and then doing very little in your own town when your own daughter is attacked? true "honor" is inescapable.
ps iv also read Lenny Mcleans book years ago and enjoyed that but this is far superior, and we all now now McLean told a lot of lies, Gorman was everything Lenny claimed to be in terms of fighting.
December 6, 2021
A window to another world
A very honest and interesting view of gypsy life. It does paint their world as a bit Mad Max and even too crazy for Bartley himself in the later years. He writes as though it were a sport but there's no a great deal of sport involved and far too much tribal hatred and drunken violence. The history was well written by a man who clearly felt connected to it. The modern world however seemed crazily dangerous it would put you off a nice day at the races. Hard to reconcile the love of Christ and the immature drunkenness and cowardly violence the book portrays as dominant among modern travellers. He doesn't seek to explain this discrepancy just says how it appeared. A good read though and there is a lot of pathos. Lots of sadness, no money and by his own admission probably a life-long mistake.
A very honest and interesting view of gypsy life. It does paint their world as a bit Mad Max and even too crazy for Bartley himself in the later years. He writes as though it were a sport but there's no a great deal of sport involved and far too much tribal hatred and drunken violence. The history was well written by a man who clearly felt connected to it. The modern world however seemed crazily dangerous it would put you off a nice day at the races. Hard to reconcile the love of Christ and the immature drunkenness and cowardly violence the book portrays as dominant among modern travellers. He doesn't seek to explain this discrepancy just says how it appeared. A good read though and there is a lot of pathos. Lots of sadness, no money and by his own admission probably a life-long mistake.
April 15, 2022
Fantastic account of not only Bartley himself but the gypsy community in UK and Ireland that is all too often misunderstood and the target of prejudice.
Definitely worth a read and don't think that Bartley was trying to bring glamour to violence, much the opposite, he gives a true account of its horrors.
Definitely worth a read and don't think that Bartley was trying to bring glamour to violence, much the opposite, he gives a true account of its horrors.
August 18, 2023
Brilliant
Bare knuckle boxers have a code of honour. Usually the prize is pride at winning. They are never going to be in a designated ring. When a challenge is lain down, the challenge has to be accepted.
This is not like professional boxing with gloves but certain unwritten rules have to be abided by.
Bare knuckle boxers have a code of honour. Usually the prize is pride at winning. They are never going to be in a designated ring. When a challenge is lain down, the challenge has to be accepted.
This is not like professional boxing with gloves but certain unwritten rules have to be abided by.
April 30, 2024
One of my favourite books of all time and THE BEST FIGHTING BOOK EVER!!!!!! Bartley Gorman was an absolute legend and this book tells his fascinating story. The world of the gypsies is always an interesting one and Bartley and his family are one of the most interesting for sure. It’s brutal, sad, poetic, romantic and everything else between. Cannot recommend this enough
July 2, 2021
This book was quite an interesting peek into a hidden society. I find myself wanting to read more! Braggart, societal leader, and keeper of the culture-the King is a complex man with both a feral intelligence as well as a level of intellectual intelligence that is unexpected. I’ll read it again.
July 6, 2025
Glad I read it. I've read a lot of different books about claims to be various Gypsy Kings and Hardest Men. Bartley Gorman no doubt up there with them all. Good to see the Frankhams given an honorable mention and words on George Foreman but not Freddie.
November 13, 2018
A great insight into a world I'm glad I'm not part of.
January 28, 2022
Excellent
February 3, 2022
Just not long finished was a good book on a night
September 20, 2022
Brilliant read, good insight into the real life of a gypsy fighter.
August 1, 2023
Bartley Gorman was a hard but honourable man.
Great read.
Great read.
August 8, 2023
Well written, elegant and insightful.
March 5, 2021
What a fantastic book, a great insight into Bartley Gorman's life, trials and tribulations. Highly recommend. A good read.
August 24, 2020
What an unique and original book. Which really is the rarest thing to achieve.
As someone who lives in a country with travellers and who has a negative view of them in general and their culture I can honestly say I was astouned after only a few pages about the depth of culture this man had and by extension travallers in general.
Great book and a great man. As in a principaled and a man of character. Very interesting story that seems to be true as best I can tell. Very interesting and riveting story and easy to digest. A great read and highly reccomended
As someone who lives in a country with travellers and who has a negative view of them in general and their culture I can honestly say I was astouned after only a few pages about the depth of culture this man had and by extension travallers in general.
Great book and a great man. As in a principaled and a man of character. Very interesting story that seems to be true as best I can tell. Very interesting and riveting story and easy to digest. A great read and highly reccomended
December 14, 2013
Bartley Gorman's story is rich in images from a world hidden all around us, images which challenged the way I see things. His life was a magnet for impossible characters, and he defeats them all. Reading this book will make you at least twice as tough.
January 27, 2013
Interesting story about Bartley, especially the history, I might've worked with relatives of Jem Mace from Norfolk...
Read
September 25, 2016really amazing
January 3, 2017
Loved this book. Fantastic insight
January 4, 2024
Fond of fighting in pub car parks and isolated fields. That just about sums up the book.
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews