The Corner Man of the West Bottoms: A Kansas City Boxing Story Under the Pendergast Machine

Set in Kansas City between 1925 and 1939, this story follows a young trainer rising through the smoke and sweat of the West Bottoms boxing circuit under the shadow of the Pendergast political machine. In a city where ward bosses fix elections, jazz pours from basement clubs, and fights are as much business as sport, loyalty can be bought and reputations can vanish overnight. As promising fighters pass through his corner, he learns that survival depends on knowing when to speak, when to stay quiet, and who truly controls the purse strings. When ambition collides with corruption, he must decide whether protecting his boxers means playing the game or risking everything to step outside it. Read more