Blood & Hate
The Untold Story of Marvelous Marvin Hagler's Battle for Glory
Published on 19. June 2025
Book
Paperback/Softback
248 pages
978-1-949590-84-5 (ISBN)
Description
"Blood
& Hate reads like a thriller: a raw, unflinching saga of survival,
betrayal, and the kind of obsession that turns underdogs into kings. Wedge
delivers Hagler's story like a haymaker to the jaw-brutal, brilliant, and
impossible to forget."-Ben Mezrich, New York Times bestselling
author of The Accidental Billionaires, Bringing Down the
House and Dumb Money.
Most
know Marvelous Marvin Hagler from his epic battles against Thomas Hearns
and John Mugabi and his controversial split-decision loss to Sugar Ray Leonard.
But it is his escape from riot-torn Newark in the late 1960s, the unbreakable
bond he built with the Petronelli brothers, and his 1980 title fight against
Britain's Alan Minter-with its deep racial animus-that captures the real story
of Hagler.
In Blood
& Hate, New York Times bestselling author Dave Wedge
tells the riveting and inspirational tale of how Hagler overcame incredible
odds, joined with Goody and Pat Petronelli to rise through the rigged ranks,
and morphed from a fatherless teenager in Brockton, Massachusetts, into
Marvelous Marvin Hagler, one of the best boxers ever and arguably the greatest
middleweight in history.
Through
exclusive interviews with Bob Arum, the Petronelli and Hagler families, and a
who's who of the boxing world, Blood & Hate reveals
fascinating details about Hagler's early life as well as the legendary Minter
fight, and once and for all delivers the definitive chronicle of Marvelous
Marvin Hagler.
& Hate reads like a thriller: a raw, unflinching saga of survival,
betrayal, and the kind of obsession that turns underdogs into kings. Wedge
delivers Hagler's story like a haymaker to the jaw-brutal, brilliant, and
impossible to forget."-Ben Mezrich, New York Times bestselling
author of The Accidental Billionaires, Bringing Down the
House and Dumb Money.
Most
know Marvelous Marvin Hagler from his epic battles against Thomas Hearns
and John Mugabi and his controversial split-decision loss to Sugar Ray Leonard.
But it is his escape from riot-torn Newark in the late 1960s, the unbreakable
bond he built with the Petronelli brothers, and his 1980 title fight against
Britain's Alan Minter-with its deep racial animus-that captures the real story
of Hagler.
In Blood
& Hate, New York Times bestselling author Dave Wedge
tells the riveting and inspirational tale of how Hagler overcame incredible
odds, joined with Goody and Pat Petronelli to rise through the rigged ranks,
and morphed from a fatherless teenager in Brockton, Massachusetts, into
Marvelous Marvin Hagler, one of the best boxers ever and arguably the greatest
middleweight in history.
Through
exclusive interviews with Bob Arum, the Petronelli and Hagler families, and a
who's who of the boxing world, Blood & Hate reveals
fascinating details about Hagler's early life as well as the legendary Minter
fight, and once and for all delivers the definitive chronicle of Marvelous
Marvin Hagler.
Reviews / Votes
"It's a knockout . . ."-The Sun (UK)"The City of Brotherly Love was where the Hagler legend truly began to take shape, and Wedge beautifully covers not just the fights the future champion had to take to move somewhere in the division, but the fighters he fought, including Bobby Watts, Willie Monroe, Eugene Hart, and Bennie Briscoe."-The Ring
"Inspirational, moving, eye-opening . . . [A] boxing biography that libraries should consider not just adding to their sports collections but profiling on display as a vivid account of how one great boxer rose above prejudice, racism, and preconceptions."-Midwest Book Review
"It's the book that Hagler's talent and achievement deserves."-All Sports Book Reviews
"Dave Wedge's masterpiece about the rise of Marvelous Marvin Hagler stands alone as the undisputed champion of its genre. Wedge has weaved a narrative that is full of action, drama, and political intrigue. But this isn't merely a book about one of boxing's most legendary fighters. It's a universal story about unlikely friendships, earned trust, and bridging the gap of the racial divide. Blood & Hate is a compulsive read."-Casey Sherman, New York Times bestselling author of Helltown and Blood in the Water
"With gut-punch prose Wedge dives deep into the violence, politics, and pride that shaped one of boxing's fiercest warriors-stripping away the myth to reveal the man: quiet, brutal, brilliant. This isn't just a biography. It's a battle poem for the forgotten. A love letter to the hard way up."-Elgin James, filmmaker/musician, creator of the hit TV series Mayans MC
More details
Edition
New edition
Language
English
Place of publication
United States
Edition type
New edition
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Illustrations
Illustrations
Dimensions
Height: 227 mm
Width: 150 mm
Thickness: 17 mm
Weight
386 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-949590-84-5 (9781949590845)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
Dave Wedge is a New York Times bestselling author based in Boston. He has co-written five books with acclaimed author Casey Sherman, including Boston Strong: A City's Triumph Over Tragedy, a nonfiction drama about the 2013 Boston Marathon Bombings adapted for the 2017 movie Patriots Day; Ice Bucket Challenge: Pete Frates and the Fight Against ALS; 12: The Inside Story of Tom Brady's Fight for Redemption; Hunting Whitey: The Inside Story of the Capture and Killing of America's Most Wanted Crime Boss; and The Last Days of John Lennon, written with James Patterson. His latest bestseller, Riding With Evil: Taking Down the Notorious Pagans Motorcycle Gang, is the true story of ATF agent Ken Croke, the only police officer to ever infiltrate the Pagans, the ultraviolent rivals of the Hells Angels. The book is currently in development as a feature film.
Dave is aslo a writer for Boston magazine, has written for VICE, Esquire, and Newsweek and was an award-winning investigative journalist for the Boston Herald for fourteen years. He has appeared on NBC News, CNN, MSNBC, E!, France 24, Fox News Channel, Good Morning America and many other local and national networks.
Dave is aslo a writer for Boston magazine, has written for VICE, Esquire, and Newsweek and was an award-winning investigative journalist for the Boston Herald for fourteen years. He has appeared on NBC News, CNN, MSNBC, E!, France 24, Fox News Channel, Good Morning America and many other local and national networks.