The War

"The War is the best sports book I have read that captures the contradictory spirits of Reagan hyper-individualism and the collective support necessary to punch one’s way out of poverty. If you aren’t familiar with the fight, go to YouTube and watch it; then, read this book to understand how these two men are able to enact violence on each other with such wicked grace."—Dave Zirin, The Progressive, "Favorite Books of 2021"

“The War stands on its own as an excellent recounting of a landmark fight…Stradley hits his stride in describing the scene in Las Vegas in the days leading up to the fight…[and] the scene on fight day is particularly well told…The saga of Hagler-Hearns is a good story and Stradley tells it well. The War ends with a nod to the future. Hagler-Hearns made Hagler vs. Ray Leonard inevitable. But there’s also a poignant nod to the past.”—Thomas Hauser, Boxing News 

“I’ve called fights that were genuinely memorable as athletic competition and involved Hall-of-Fame-quality talent, but they weren’t profoundly violent. Self-protection is a professional responsibility in prizefighting. But sometimes the genie escapes the bottle and truly great fighters go to war—GO TO WAR—and the result is breathtaking and shocking, scary and unforgettable, appalling and inspiring. That has never been more true than on the night Marvelous Marvin Hagler fought Thomas Hearns. Don Stradley’s book vividly brings those three blood-curdling rounds back to life.”—Jim Lampley, boxing blow-by-blow professional and member of the International Boxing Hall of Fame

“As the climax of the early 1980s boxing renaissance, the explosive clash between Marvin Hagler and Thomas Hearns has intrigued fans for nearly forty years. In The War, Don Stradley vibrantly captures the glitz, glamour, and grit of a golden age when America paused for a prizefight between men who may have only been middleweights, but who were bigger than life all the same. While The War is an extended character study of two distinct personalities and how their search for distinction led them to a sporting firestorm on an unforgettable Spring night in 1985, it is also a panoramic narrative of the surreal milieu of boxing during the outlandish “greed is good” decade. With color and verve, Stradley sends the reader back to the gaudy era that produced one of the most memorable and thrilling fights in history.”—Carlos Acevedo, author of Sporting Blood: Tales from the Dark Side of Boxing

“Don Stradley is one of the best chroniclers of boxing’s big moments. In The War, he lives up to his reputation. The inside view of the Hagler–Hearns fight has never been captured on this scale. This book needed to be done, and the details and insights regarding this remarkable match—and the two men who made it special —are related brilliantly. This fight means a lot to me personally, so I’m glad its story is finally being fully told and told so well."—Al Bernstein, Showtime boxing analyst and member of the International Boxing Hall of Fame

"This is outstanding, one of the best sports books I have read in ages. Captures beautifully eight of the greatest minutes in boxing history and the two fascinating characters responsible for them. Highly recommended."—Mark Gallagher, The Irish Daily Mail