The Golden Age Boxing Epic
Shelby 1923 "Centennial Anniversary" Coffee Table Book
We have a limited number of signed copies of the original Shelby 1923 Centennial Edition book exclusively launched in Shelby, Montana in July 2023. This 4-color book, packed with stunning photos, lush graphics and illustrations, commemorates the 100-year anniversary of the Dempsey-Gibbons world heavyweight championship fight.
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After the world war and the global pandemic, America's Jazz Age explodes in 1923, launching always smiling boxing maestro Tommy Gibbons on a byzantine road to glory that leads to Shelby, Montana - a tiny prairie outpost desperate to put itself on the map by throwing a million dollar prizefight.
Tommy's mission is urgent and personal: he must defeat savage Heavyweight Champion of the World Jack Dempsey in Montana and, with the spoils of war, heal his beloved wife from the debilitating mental illness that threatens their young family.
Along the way, Tommy navigates a kaleidoscopic parade of long cons, old grudges, unexpected nightmares, and vivid characters (from sportswriters to gamblers, trigger-happy cowboys to heartbroken Indians, as well as vaudevillians, millionaires, and movie stars) - all in hopes of winning a breathtaking showdown with the man-killing Dempsey.
Here, told in full for the first time, Tommy Gibbons' century-old fight for glory in Shelby, the little Montana town that was nearly knocked out by its impossible dream.
THE REVIEWS
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"***** ..An absolute knockout!
Crisply-written and breathtakingly illustrated ... A cinematic roller coaster that reads like ROCKY in the Wild West!"
-- Biography.com -
"Book of the Year! This is a truly great family legacy story that beautifully reveals important pieces of boxing history."
Rick Farris - President/Co-Founder, West coast Boxing Hall of Fame -
"A fascinating story of prizefighters, scallywags, newspapermen,
Indian chiefs, and gate-crashers that is well-written and thoroughly-researched
with the added advantage of exclusive access to a trove of rare images and illustrations from the Gibbons Family."
Bob Mutter - Chicago Sun-Times
DR. GERARD GIBBONS
Dr. Gerard Gibbons is a noted non-fiction author, storyteller, producer and historian. After 30+ years as an award-winning filmmaker and brand strategist, he has turned his attention toward his own family legacy amd the never-been-told, true story of his legendary prizefighting great uncle and grandfather, Mike and Tommy Gibbons. He is now CEO of Fight For Glory, LLC and is developing a series, designed for literary, streaming and cinema, based on his famous family.
Today, Dr. Gibbons - an avid photographer, guitarist, backpacker and fly fidherman - spends much of his time near Joshua Tree, California. His motto, borrowed from his dad and grandfather, "Comport yourself with elegance and moderate your pace."