King of the Gypsies
Memoirs of the Undefeated Bareknuckle Champion of Great Britain and Ireland
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King of the Gypsies
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Narrated by:
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Alan Turton
About this listen
Bartley Gorman was the greatest bareknuckle fighter of modern times. He reigned as King of the Gypsies for 20 years, beating all comers in illegal contests at fairs and racetracks, down mineshafts and in quarries, on campsites and car parks. He fought for honour and pride and became a legend among the travelling community.
In this hard-hitting autobiography, completed shortly before his death, he lays bare the secret world of illicit prize-fighting and recalls his violent clashes with professional boxers, martial artists, streetfighters, wildmen and the lawless "Suicide Fighters" who seek out the top champions of the day. He describes great fighters of the past like the infamous Uriah ‘Big Just’ Burton, the challenges he threw out to London hardmen Lennie McLean and Roy Shaw, and the brutal mob attack that almost cost his life on St Leger Day at Doncaster Races.
As told to best-selling writer Peter Walsh, author of Gang War and Cocky: The Rise and Fall of Curtis Warren, his extraordinary memoir offers not only a rare insight into a hidden world, but also contains many rare photographs and unveils the formidable new breed of fighting travellers.
©2003 Peter Walsh (P)2021 Peter WalshListeners also enjoyed...
What listeners say about King of the Gypsies
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- William Hutchinson
- 12-01-22
Great listen
A well told story of a true gypsy legend. Read in a voice that keeps the listener captivated.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
Great listen
Brilliant story honest wit ups and lows nearly had a tear in my eye at some stage well worth a listen
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Paul colloff
- 25-08-24
just an amazing story
very interesting listen, I was locked in from the start to finish, can't recommend this enough
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Anonymous User
- 15-12-21
Great Story teller Mr Bartley Gorman!
Great strory! loved it, digging deep into the underworld of bare knuckle boxing, bringing to life characters by the narrators voice and actions! must read for any boxing fan too! Gives a nice base into Tyson Fury and what it means to being Gypsy King!
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- brian park
- 07-03-23
What a legend!!
A true legends story told. Loved this one. Once I started I couldn’t stop. Hooked right from the beginning
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- matthew giles
- 22-11-21
what a book.
wow what a book. An amazing listen groped form start to finish. Barely was the last of the true gentleman hard men for my. You sir are a pure legend rest easy my brother.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Mike R
- 18-06-22
probably the best audiobook you'll ever listen to
A superbly narrated account of a colourful life, lived out to the full. Lots of tales of gypsy life, from Bartleys own upbringing to the very end. whilst it has stories of his many fights, it also touches on aspects of his day to day life. Some questionable activities "I never stole" says Bartley at one point, then he proceeds to regale a tale of sheep rustling. But, whilst of dubious morals, this particular story is warm, witty and well recounted. "Gandys dead" is a phrase that will tickle me for a long time to come. Listen and you'll find out for yourself.
I can understand why this book may not be for everyone. But, for a minute, but aside any prejudice you may have, and just listen. If you do, you'll be royally entertained by a King of the Gypsy's.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- TChill
- 17-12-22
Enthralling story about a proud gypsy
This is not a essex boys type book about thugs drugs and macho BS. This is a book filled with raw honesty about an amazing proud gypsy man who fought for the pride of his breed and family. The charm, grace and self depreciating humour cut across this was a man of real values from a different era. The fight stories come across as honest and don't feel exaggerated like alot of the hard man books, he just genuinely was the best bareknuckle man of his era and that was a long era.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 10-01-22
Slow start but good once it started
Interesting insight into the life of a gypsy fighter. A bit of a slow start & some what repetitive but some good tales from the bare knuckle fighting scene. Struggled with the narrators accent
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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- JJ
- 31-01-22
brilliant book
fantastic story and alan turton read so well but maybe sounded just too nice to be a gypsy fighter
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