To The Best of Our Knowledge from Wisconsin Public Radio

It's primitive and brutal and a lot of people want to see it banned. But it's a 500 million dollar a year industry that's not about to throw in the towel. In this hour of To the Best of Our Knowledge, a hard look at boxing. And how the sport influenced the English language. Also, one woman's foray into the ring.

Kate Sekules is the author of "The Boxer's Heart: How I Fell in Love with the Ring," and a former professional boxer. She tells Anne Strainchamps how she got into the sport, why she enjoyed getting really strong, and how she coped with her anger during bouts. She still thinks there's a lot to admire in women's boxing.

Eric Morel is boxing's flyweight World Champion. He was born in Puerto Rico but now lives and trains in Wisconsin. TTBOOK's Charles Monroe Kane joined Morel at the gym for a day. Morel and his trainer talk about various aspects of training, as well as fight strategy and coping with injuries. Even successful fighters have bad hands because of the damage caused when they deliver punches. This is a sound packed peek into the world of professional boxing at a very high level!

Boxer Eric Morel with reporter Charles Monroe Kane

Journalist and documentary film-maker Jack Newfield, (his "Don King: Unauthorized" won an Emmy,) considers boxing his guilty pleasure. He tells Steve Paulson that given fairly matched opponents, boxing reveals courage and character. But he admits the sport is riddled with corruption and is undeniably brutal. And, he says, even great fighters tend to stay in the ring too long and end up with permanent physical damage. And, Leonard Zwilling is general editor of the Dictionary of American Regional English. He tells Jim Fleming about boxing's impact on the English language. It's yielded such words and phrases as fan, throw in the towel, and up to scratch.

Books:

• Kate Sekules, The Boxer's Heart: How I fell in Love with the Ring (Villard)

Music:

• RL Burnside, “Come on in (part 2)”, Come on in. Fat Possum Records
• Big Walter Horton, “Trouble in Mind” Alligator Records 20th Anniversary. Alligator Records
• Katie Webster, “Pussycat moon” Alligator Records 20th Anniversary. Alligator Records
• Pinetop Perkins, “Blues After Hours” Alligator Records 20th Anniversary. Alligator Records

Distribution dates:

• week of 03/03/2002 - hour 1