Did you know that Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania is the Mecca of Boxing Champions?

No less than twelve men have been crowned “World Champion” who were weaned on the streets of Western Pennsylvania. Pittsburgh is a tough town where men’s wills are forged from the heat of the blast furnace and from the depths of the coal mines. Pittsburgh is a town that honors, admires and bestows godlike status to I sports heroes.

This is “Leather and Blood” the story of the city of Pittsburgh, and Western Pennsylvania and the men who fought from the streets of the “Steel City” to become boxings greatest and earned the title of “World Champions.”

 Then there are the “Champions” who’s life’s outside the ring were troubled at best, Paul Spadafora a champion with a defensive style that made him impossible to hit and the inner demons that destroyed him. There’s the story of Michael Moorer the hardest hitting Light Heavyweight Champion of all time who dared to stand in front of the immortal human wrecking bail known as Big George Foreman and loose the greatest title on the planet; “Heavyweight Champion of the World”.

These are just some of the men you will find in these pages. Men who earned the title of “Champion” through the pain and glory of Leather and Blood.

Chapter   1 - The Roaring Twenties–Champions are Born
Chapter   2 - Harry Greb
Chapter   3 - The Golden Age
Chapter   4 - “The Pittsburgh Kid” Billy Conn Part One
Chapter   5 - “The Pittsburgh Kid” Part Two A Legend is Born
Chapter   6 - “The Pittsburgh Kid” Part Three
Chapter   7 - Fritzie “The Croat Comet” Zivic
Pictures     - The Pittsburgh Champs in Action…
Chapter   8 - What was in the water?
Chapter   9 - Soose, Wilson, Angott–Champions All
Chapter 10 - The Fighting Yarosz Brothers
Chapter 11 - Paul Spadafora–The Troubled Champ
Chapter 12 - Charley Burley–The Uncrowned Champion
Chapter 13 - Michael Moorer–Nobody’s Champion