Inside the Cage

by Carl Merritt, Wensley Clarkson

The Cage is a ring enclosed by a steel box where participants are urged to fight to the death - an illegal sport that attracts some of the world's richest and most powerful people as its shadowy patrons. This is the true story of the star of this deadly sport. In this compelling account of his fight for survival, "X" tells of his twelve-year career in The Cage. Transported to fights like some medieval warlord, he was drugged by opponents against his will and almost murdered by a gang intent on preventing him taking on another fighter, because of his reputation as the most deadly opponent in the world. "X" breaks the sport's strict code of silence to tell, with Wensley Clarkson's help, how he started life on the mean streets, and was led into petty crime then - just months before his 16th birthday - recruited to become the star of this most deadly of sports.

Genres: Martial Arts

Paperback

First published March 1, 2003

Reviews

[Ted · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty good book. Have seen movies about the underground fight scene but they were all fiction. So it was nice to read a first hand account. It was well written enough for me to follow. Although I didn't understand some of the British terminology that he uses. Fairly graphic account of the fight scene but I have read worse.

[Terry · Rating 2 out of 5]

Although I must admit that I was dragged into this story by a certain macabre curiosity. The story is not particularly well written, although If I was ever expecting a Pulitzer Prize contender, It is pretty clear that it cannot be expected from this book.

I went into this book very naive. I had no clue that this type of violence was so common and so organized (in an underground kind of way). As a boxing fan, I now understand why there is less interest in "classic" boxing. It is not just the plain lack of talent like Ali, Frazier, Sugar Ray, Hagler, Duran, and Tyson. People nowadays want more blood, and that is why sports like vale tudo, MMA, cage fighting, etc flourish.

Throughout the book I could not stop thinking about the contender who died in Ireland, and was dumped in a field. Surely a human being deserves some more respect?

Disturbing.

[Terry · Rating 2 out of 5]

not for the faint hearted. The book is a bit of a self-glorifying account of how the author got into this underground scene and how the clandestine cage-fight world works. I don´t doubt he must have been quite a killer in his day.

I found it an interesting story, and at the same time quite shocking. If you think boxing is barbaric, cruel, futile, etc it pales into insignificance compared to the savagery of the "sport" of cage fighting.

[Ian Stokes · Rating 1 out of 5]

Badly written. I couldn't help but just not care for Merritt, despite his efforts to let us know he was a good guy. Many better books in this genre.

[Jerome · Rating 2 out of 5]

Really horrible. I just dozed off and found it really hard to finish the book. Couldn't wait to finish it.

[Adam Tucker · Rating 5 out of 5]

really interesting story and in depth detail into the life of different aspects of fighting. really good read!