Thank you for your interest in Gut Check’s first downloadable audio book. Facing Tyson: Fifteen Fighters, Fifteen Stories, was my first book, published in 2006 by The Lyons Press, and published internationally by Mainstream Publishing in 2007. To this day, it is my favorite book. It has been said that boxers are the best interviews in sports, and I wholeheartedly agree. I conducted interviews in cars, in locker rooms, on seedy streetcorners, in boxing gyms, and at ringside. I feared for my life more than once. I made friends with the boxers. I care about all of them, and wanted to honor them through these stories. Their unique perspectives paint a different picture of Mike Tyson than any painted before.

That said, the text is raw, gritty, and honest (read: there’s some profanity, and even a couple of f-bombs). If you’re sqeamish about this, I don’t blame you— I am too. But I wanted to maintain the authenticity of the work as much as possible. These guys are all great communicators. Enjoy their stories. Included are interviews with Marvis Frazier, Tyrell Biggs, Evander Holyfield, Lennox Lewis, and many more.

Facing Tyson is easy to purchase and download. The book is comprised of 21 MP3 files, which can be played on your computer, transfered to an iPod or other listening device, or burned to CDs.

This audio book is more than five hours long. Because audio quality is of utmost importance to us, the bundled book is 507 megabytes. High speed Internet connections can handle this file in about twenty minutes. For dial-up users, the download would be prohibitively time-consuming. Everyone in between, use your best judgment, and feel free to contact info@gutcheckpress.com with any concerns or download problems.

Special thanks to William Colin at WAC Productions, for all of his hard work mastering and perfecting the finished product, and Zachary Bartels at Gut Check Studios for his technical expertise. See below for editorial reviews on the original release of the book, and enjoy!

Best,
Ted A. Kluck

“In Facing Tyson Kluck tells [the fighters’] stories with skill, insight, and extraordinary compassion.”
- Schuler Books

“Facing Tyson by Ted A. Kluck is subtitled Fifteen Fighters, Fifteen Stories, and there the author lets himself down. There are a lot more than 15 stories, because in each case we get not just the boxer’s journey but the tales of those who travelled with him: parents, family, trainers and promoters.”
- London Telegraph

“Kluck masterfully weaves profiles of all of these men, adeptly relating all he writes about them to their fight(s) with Tyson. It is no easy task, but Kluck does a commendable job.”
- The Sweet Science.com

“Kluck writes with insight about a sport that is often maligned and misunderstood, and finds a way to humanize its warriors.”
- Lansing City Pulse

“Kluck presents a raw, vulgar yet consistently riveting look at boxing as seen through the eyes of Tyson’s contemporaries—the effect is fascinating.”
- Tampa Tribune

“What we get are 15 fascinating stories that capture the Tyson era—mainly from the loser’s point of view—far more than any self-serving autobiography could.”
- The Sunday Business Post, Dublin