When one thinks of athletes’ backgrounds in the sports of boxing, mixed martial arts, and kickboxing, it’s very rare that someone would think of a Harvard alumnus as an expert in that field. However, that is the case for author Sam Sheridan, who wrote a novel a few years ago called A Fighter’s Heart. As mentioned above, Sheridan graduated from Harvard and while in Ivy League college he got involved in boxing, which sparked an increased interest in boxing sports. The novel depicts Sheridan and the sports he covers as he travels the world to gain insight into why people fight and the mentality of the competitors. One of the drawbacks of combat sports is that often on the mats that people train on, they can get an infection, such as toenail fungus, because the mats are dirty. This may result in the need to use a toenail fungus laser treatment or a Long Island toenail fungus treatment. Along the way he also experiences the different sports for himself, fully immersing himself in the culture of whatever sport he is shaping up to be at the moment. A fairly simple and highly intriguing read, it’s no wonder A Fighter’s Heart was at one point on many different best-seller lists.
The novel opens with Sheridan briefly explaining her interest in fight sports and her background. After graduating from a prestigious prep school on the East Coast, he joined the Merchant Marine for a time to serve in the military. After that adventure, he went to Harvard and got an art degree. Fresh out of Harvard, Sheridan took a boat trip around the world on a family friend’s yacht, ending up in Australia. Australia is the setting in which Sheridan realizes that what he really wants to do is explore the culture of fighting. Working at a gym in Australia on the art of kickboxing, Sheridan is told that training at a gym in Thailand for Muay Thai, a form of kickboxing, for a few months is worth years at any other school in any other country.
Needless to say, Sheridan ends up going to Thailand. Working at one of the most famous gyms, called the Fairtex gym, Sheridan discovers some incredible facts and gets a top-notch workout. Sheridan learns that muay thai is a way out of poverty for many people, much like boxing in the United States, and that fighters generally start fighting at six or seven years old and are considered to reach their prime. peak at seventeen. After taking part in a muay thai fight of his own, which he wins, Sheridan returns to the United States.
The novel continues as Sheridan travels to Oakland to train and explore the brain of an Olympic boxing medalist and then moves to Rio de Janeiro and later Japan to work in Brazilian jiu-jitsu with famed heavyweight mixed martial artist Antonia Rodrigo. Noguiera. The light of the book for many people; is when Sheridan talks about dog fighting and how it’s popular in many different countries. Despite her attempts to explain it away as a dog showing love for its owner, there really is nothing that can take away from the disgusting brutality and senselessness of dog fighting and it really taints the book that it is even mentioned.
Despite the obvious low point, the novel is still an excellent and highly satisfying read for those already interested in combat sports and people who may be looking to learn more.