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Pitch Publishing Ltd - Jérôme Wilson

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131 pages

English

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Wiped Out tells the story of welterweight prospect Jerome 'Wipeout' Wilson - and shines a light on boxing's ultimate taboo. On 12 September 2014, in his 11th professional fight, Jerome was knocked out in the sixth round. He never got up. Wilson was rushed to hospital and spent ten days comatose. He had suffered a subdural haematoma, a large bleed on the brain. When he finally came to, his sense of reality had unravelled. He was unable to speak or move. Eventually he was discharged with a quarter of his skull missing. As soon as he was able, Jerome recorded his innermost thoughts in a unique diary, which traces his gradual reconnection with the world. Published on the first anniversary of his injury, Wiped Out is the most personal reaction to massive brain trauma ever put on paper. Jerome's future is uncertain, but he knows he is lucky to be alive.

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Boxing

Xian de Boxing

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Publié par	Pitch Publishing Ltd
Date de parution	16 septembre 2015
Nombre de lectures	0
EAN13	9781785311079
Langue	English
Poids de l'ouvrage	1 Mo

Informations légales : prix de location à la page 0,0500€. Cette information est donnée uniquement à titre indicatif conformément à la législation en vigueur.

Extrait

First published by Pitch Publishing, 2015
Pitch Publishing
A2 Yeoman Gate
Yeoman Way
Durrington
BN13 3QZ
www.pitchpublishing.co.uk
Jerome Wilson with Mark Turley, 2015
All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of the Publisher.
A CIP catalogue record is available for this book from the British Library
Print ISBN 978-1-90962-058-4
eBook ISBN: 978-1-78531-107-9
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Contents
Special Acknowledgements
Foreword by Curtis Woodhouse
Introduction
PART 1
12 September 2014, Ice Sheffield
Ryan, Why You?
The Coldwell Camp
The Pretty Girl
The Eye Of The Storm
So Near But So Far
Reconciled With Dad
No Turning Back
The Best Of Enemies
Views From Ringside
Sheffield Teaching Hospitals Scan Results
PART 2
Resurrection
Making Amends
Chinks In The Fabric
Once Upon A Time
The Kiss Of Death
The Noble Art And Me
Turning Over
Showbusiness With Blood
The Beginning Of The End
Fan-Friendly Fighting
Fifteen Minutes Of Fame
Rematch
Tying Loose Knots
Where The Heart Is
The Value Of Sanity
Welcome To Cairo
Looking For Serge
Reconnection
Epilogue From The Author
Further Acknowledgements
Special Acknowledgements
A S a boxer you have to make many sacrifices hoping that all will work out well in the end. Sometimes the gamble pays off but on this occasion my boxing career never did turn out how I hoped.
A lot of parts of my life took second place to boxing. I spent a great deal of time away from friends and family due to work obligations and training regimes. This took a massive toll on my relationships and put pressure on me to try and justify all the time spent away. I put up with a lot of crap and kept trying, so that one day I d be able to give my partner, kids, myself and family a better life. Much of the time I was living away from them, in a different city (Sheffield), doing what I needed to do throughout the week then whizzing back up to Bradford for the weekend.
I really do have a good woman. Michelle has stuck with me through some of the hardest of times, I ve put her through so much and she still stays by my side. So I dedicate massive love and respect to her. And I want to take this opportunity to publicly say sorry for all the selfish things I have done in the eight years we have been together.
My Mum, Brinneth, has always been there for me too. No mother should have to see their child in the condition I was in, so I also dedicate this book to her. She always worried about me entering the boxing arena and didn t want me to be a boxer. Despite that she attended the majority of my fights to show support for what I was trying to do. The aftermath of my final contest has caused so much pain, division, hurt and shock for us all. She has had to endure all of that. Sorry Mum.
My coach Ian Baines helped me learn to believe in myself, love boxing again, and to enjoy it as I had at the start. He always said everything as it was, straight down the line. He didn t make any promises he couldn t keep. He got me fit, offered me support and taught me so many new things. He didn t even ask for money. What s ten per cent of nothing? He would say. He did it because he loved it. For this I have massive respect for him.
My brother Marvin is the one person who has been there at every single pro fight I have had. He always supported me 100 per cent, and travelled with me to so many different places. I always knew I could depend on him, no matter what.
I would also like to thank Mark Turley and Pitch Publishing for giving me the opportunity to get my story out there. I have trusted Mark with many of my deep and most personal thoughts, opinions and life experiences. He has managed to unlock some memories I thought were long gone but were just festering in the back of my mind. Thank you Mark, and may you continue to write thought-provoking and interesting books for all to read and enjoy.
Jerome Wilson, June 2015
Foreword by Curtis Woodhouse
Professional footballer 1997 to 2005, representing Sheffield United, Birmingham City, Hull City and England Under-21. Turned to boxing in 2005, ultimately becoming British light-welterweight champion in 2014. Former stablemate and training partner of Jerome Wilson.
J EROME was the most talented athlete I came across in 20 years of professional sport. He was very, very gifted. I believe if Jerome chose any sport he would have excelled at it.
His boxing career took a different path to mine. We shared probably over a thousand rounds of sparring together and whenever I had a big fight Jerome was always my first port of call. When it came to getting my preparation sorted, when I needed tough rounds, it would be Jerome who I would approach to spar. I did not enjoy our sparring sessions one little bit and came off second best almost every time, but I knew no matter who I was fighting they wouldn t have Jerome s speed. When I did well in our spars it let me know I was ready for fight night.
Boxing isn t always about who s the best, it s a business. If you sell loads of tickets, make big money for your promoters and you can fight a little bit you will be a champion of some sort. Jerome could fight a lot but was never a ticket seller. He was somewhat unknown by the mainstream, but anybody who sparred him will tell you he was one of the best kept secrets in British boxing. I ve witnessed with my own eyes Jerome taking champions to school in sparring, bamboozling British, European and world title holders. He was that good in the gym. If you ask anybody who trained alongside him, they will tell you the same.
Sometimes the dream of being a boxer and the reality of it are two separate things and having to work full-time and raise a family alongside trying to prepare for a fight are close to impossible. I was very fortunate. I came on the back of playing professional football and sold lots of tickets because of this. I won the British title but had only ten per cent of Jerome s talent. Selling tickets and being a name gave me opportunities Jerome never got.
The night Jerome got injured I had been sparring with him the weeks leading up to his fight. He was his usual slick self. I was commentating on the fight and knew instantly when he went down that he was badly hurt. I was heartbroken when he left the ring on a stretcher. I went to the hospital afterwards. It was touch and go if he would make it through the night. I really couldn t believe it. How could this be? I knew people had been injured and even died in boxing before but never anybody I worked so closely with and was a friend.
Fortunately Jerome pulled through, showing the grit and determination he had when we sparred. Jerome s injury really affected me. It made me realise that this could happen to any of us. I would only fight once more after the injury happened. I toyed with the idea of making a comeback but it had hit home to me how dangerous this sport is. I used to tell myself if it can happen to Jerome, it can happen to me.
It s great that Jerome is still with us. I find his journey an inspirational one. I ll never forget his talent as a fighter and I ll never forget the night he got injured.
After his injury I did a charity boxing event to raise some money for him to help with his rehabilitation and his family. He asked me why would I do that? That took me by surprise. Whenever I needed help with my sparring Jerome would always be there to give me the rounds and the preparation I needed. The least I could do was try and help him when he needed me.
I look forward to seeing what Jerome does next. He s just one of those people that seems to do everything well. If he needs any help along the way, just like he would always do for me, I ll always be there to give a helping hand.
Curtis Woodhouse, April 2015
Introduction
B ROKEN bits of information travelled down from the north - British champ Curtis Woodhouse said he was the best he d trained with. Three time world title challenger Ryan Rhodes called him Sheffield s Mayweather . Highly-respected manager and promoter Dave Coldwell repeatedly said he had world-class speed.
In any field of sports writing I ve always felt the most interesting stories come from the experiences of two kinds of athlete. The first are undiscovered or unappreciated talents, blossoms yet to bloom. The second are those who defy stereotype. Jerome Wilson was both.
As a writer, hearing and sharing his story feels how I imagine it is to be a botanist who has discovered a new species of butterfly or a DJ that stumbles across a rare, sought-after piece of vinyl in a huge warehouse. He is an uncommon find among the sweat and snot of the fight game, an introvert - quiet, reflective but physically exceptional. A defensive virtuoso with KO power. Whispers whirred down the wires.
He s so quick, so sharp, no one can touch him in sparring. He just needs to get his mind right and the world s at his feet. He could go right to the top.
Fame and glory are fickle things. They were not Jerome s destiny. His path led him elsewhere.
It s the stuff cult heroes are made of.
* * * * *
I d never met anyone with such a terrible injury before. It was like a movie special-effect. His head literally had a slice cleaved out of it.
I m feeling a bit nervous, he said.
Don t worry. I switched on my dictaphone. It ll be fine.
It was February 2015 and we were sitting upstairs in a house near Bradford. My host was a short, compact,