On the Cobbles: The Life of a Bare-Knuckle Gypsy Warrior

On the Cobbles: The Life of a Bare-Knuckle Gypsy Warrior by Stockin, Jimmy. paperback edition. ISBN: 9781840185096.

This is the story of a gypsy man, Jimmy Stockin, born into a world where fighting is first nature. While football may be the chosen sport for most Britisn males, bare-knuckle fighting is a passion among gypsies both as participants and spectators. Jimmy was born into a fighting family. His father and grandfather before him both "trod the cobbles," and young Jimmy was being put up against other boys on gypsy camps from the age of five. He took on bare-knuckle challenges from wherever they came, and before long Jimmy was widely recognized as the champion of the bare-knuckle fighters. On the Cobbles is a rare insight into a community under threat, a community that treasures tradition, and a man who had little choice in becoming a fighter but was nevertheless determined to be the best.