Doughty, Jack – The Rochdale Thunderbolt

Description

Doughty, Jack ‘The Rochdale Thunderbolt’ 1991 1st ed. 321 pages. The story of Jock McAvoy, British and Empire title holder whose private life was littered with brocken marriages, violence and numerous court appearances. He knocked out world title holder Babe Risko in one round in a non-title fight but was never granted a shot at the title. VG in good complete non-priced clipped mylar protected dust jacket. Another in the same condition without the mylar protection. $35.00 each.

The 1991 first edition hardcover of The Rochdale Thunderbolt: A Story of Triumph and Tragedy by Jack Doughty is a 321-page sports biography and historical expose published in Stockport, United Kingdom by Pentaman Press. Written by a former boxing promoter and manager, this deeply researched volume uncovers the turbulent, legendary life of Jock McAvoy, one of the hardest-punching fighters in British history.

Book Details:
• Author: Jack Doughty
• Publisher: Pentaman Press, Stockport, UK
• Publication Year: 1991 (First Edition)
• Format: Hardcover octavo (8vo), bound in blue cloth boards with bright gold gilt lettering on the spine, issued with a pictorial dust jacket originally priced at £14.95.
• Length: xii + 321 pages
• ISBN-10 / ISBN-13: 0951244914 / 9780951244913

Content & Overview:
• A Tale of Triumph and Tragedy: The text tracks the remarkable rise of Joseph Bamford, who grew up in extreme poverty in the Lancashire mill towns of the 1920s and assumed the ring alias Jock McAvoy. Discovered at the Rochdale Boxing Club, he ultimately captured the British and British Empire Light-Heavyweight and Middleweight championships.
• The Babe Risko Sensation & Underworld Corruption: A core focus of the narrative is McAvoy’s legendary 1935 trip to America, where he shocked the sporting world by knocking out reigning World Middleweight Champion Eddie “Babe” Risko in just one round in New York. Doughty investigates why McAvoy was subsequently denied a shot at the actual title, successfully uncovering a paper trail linking Risko’s handlers to notorious Mafia mobster Frankie Carbo (the infamous hitman for Murder, Inc. who controlled 20th-century boxing).
• Flawed Hero: Doughty takes an unfiltered look at McAvoy’s highly chaotic personal life outside the squared circle—a dark trajectory filled with domestic violence, numerous court appearances, and a succession of broken marriages.
• The Final Fight: The biography concludes with McAvoy’s final, devastating battle outside the ring. Stripped of the fortune he earned during his career, he contracted polio in 1951, confining the legendary power-puncher to a wheelchair for his remaining twenty years of life.
• Illustrations: The volume is highly valued as a historical record of Lancashire’s boxing roots, complete with a dedicated 32-page archive section of black-and-white photographs showing vintage fight cards, outdoor stadiums, and rare family portraits.