Tale of the Gator: The Story of Craig Bodzianowski, the Boxer Who Wouldn't Stay Down

by Craig Bodzianowski, Mike Fitzgerald

Boxer Craig Bodzianowski loses a leg in an accident and makes the most spectacular comeback in sports history. His life, courage, struggles, action in the ring are vividly portrayed in his biograph. 20 action photos included.

Paperback

Published January 1, 2000

Reviews

[Miles Watson · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Tale" is very entertaining first-person biopic of Craig "Gator" Bodzianowski, a Chicago-based boxer who lost his leg in a motorcycle accident only to return to the ring with a prosthetic leg, eventually punching his way to a cruiserweight title shot. Although boxing afficianados will love his reconstruction of the 80s-era boxing world, during which he crossed paths with many former and future champions, this is the type of rousing comeback story anyone would enjoy, provided of course they have a taste for "Gator's" devil-may-care attitude and irreverent sense of humor. I found the philosophical, half-humorous way he dealt with what might have been a crippling injury to be deeply inspiring, and his inside look at the fight game is penned in a way to make it user-friendly to those with zero interest in the Sweet Science itself. I read this in two days and enjoyed every page.