The Name of the Game

THE NAME OF THE GAME Heavyweight Thad Spencer-he could have been the 1960 Olympic gold medalist. Instead he turned professional at 17 to be Eddie Machen's sparring partner. Poor management, poor training habits and a love of nightlife slowed his progress until in 1964 he hooked up with Willie Ketchum, trainer and manager of fighters from boxing's early days as a populist sport, controlled by underworld bosses. In his 30 years in the business, Willie had seen and done it all except manage and train a heavyweight of promise all the way to the Promised Land, the greatest prize in all of sports: the Heavyweight Championship of the World. As a fighter, Spencer had it all. Admirers called him "another Joe Louis" for his cool, calculating demeanor in the ring and lightning fast hands. Along with Joe Frazier and Muhammad Ali, he should be remembered as one of the outstanding heavyweights of the 1960s and early 1970s. Instead, today, Thad Spencer is boxing's all but forgotten fighter. CLAY MOYLE, AUTHOR OF BILLY MISKE: THE ST. PAUL THUNDERBOLT: THE NAME OF THE GAME story concerns the life and boxing career of Thad Spencer who at one time was the #1 ranked contender for the heavyweight championship of the world in the latter part of the 1960's. Author, Adam Heach, writes about Muhammad Ali's fight with Jerry Quarry in 1970 after his boxing license had been reinstated and says that when Spencer read about the fight he was jealous to the point of making himself physically ill. It was the Muhammad Ali bout Thad had wanted his entire career. Instead he was the forgotten man. "It should have been me, "Spencer thought regretfully. It should have been me." Yeah, that's pretty much what happened I thought as I read that part of the book, Spencer, a talented heavyweight basically became the forgotten man. I have to admit that prior to reading Adam's fine book about Spencer I had no knowledge of Thad's boxing career whatsoever. I'm not sure what possessed Adam to write a book about such a flawed character as Thad Spencer, but I'm glad he did. The book is extremely well researched and makes for fine reading. I highly recommend the book to anyone who would like to learn more about this period of heavyweight boxing history. JIM AMATO, MEMBER OF THE BOXING WRIERS ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA (DWAA): Author Adam Heach really did his homework on this book. Spencer's time in the limelight was brief but it was also full of controversy. I highly recommend it. TRACY G. CALLIS , BOXING HISTORIAN AND DIRECTOR OF HISTORICAL RESEARCH AT CYBERBOXINGZONE: Adam Heach has written a most compelling and entertaining book about former '60s top ranked heavyweight contender Thad Spencer who boxed in arguably one of the most turbulent and interesting periods of ring history. Many/most of us around today were young fans when Spencer was active in the ring. Like Thad, we were disappointed when he failed to reach his potential. Here was a prime example of a man with outstanding talent who lost focus and allowed destructive habits get in the way of his important goals. Heach's account of the life and goings-on around Spencer contains some intriguing facts as it takes the reader back to a period in history when heavyweight boxing reigned as the number one spectator sport. J RUSSEL PELTZ, BOXING PROMOTER, MEMBER OF THE INTERNATIONAL BOXING HALL OF FAME, AND WORLD BOXIN G HALL OF FAME : "One of the best books on boxing I have read, and I have read just about every book on the subject. I could not put down this book."