Knuckle Up

By Kevin Alberto Sabio

"Mandinga Mason has had a rough come up from the streets of Red Hook, Brooklyn, and the experience has left her with a bad taste in her mouth, and a huge chip on her shoulders.  So, when "Old Man" Willis convinces her to take up boxing as a way for her to channel her anger, she jumps at the chance for better days.

 

Now reincarnated as "The Man Handler", Mr. Willis decides that it's time to take Mandinga pro, as her manager.  Enter Yusef Johns, one of Willis' former fighters brought on to be Mandinga's new trainer.  The two immediately bump heads, and form an uneasy working relationship.  Will they be able to work through their issues, and allow her to have a successful fight career?  Or, Will Mandinga and Yusef allow their inner demons to derail her career?  Set in 2005, this is one fight that you don't want to miss..."

• Language: English
• Publisher: Kevin Alberto Sabio
• Release date: Jan 21, 2021
• ISBN: 9781393846567

Kevin Alberto Sabio

KEVIN ALBERTO SABIO is an author and activist, born and raised in Brooklyn, NY.  He is also known as a screenwriter, online journalist, and advocate for the cinematic and literary arts.  He has written several fiction and nonfiction book titles.

Book preview

CHAPTER 1

Brooklyn, NY, 2005....

Night has fallen over the skies of the borough of Brooklyn.  As gentrification continues to sweep across the city of New York, you still see signs of Red Hook’s blighted past, as nighttime traffic snakes its way through her streets.  The orange haze of her streetlights covers the streets of the neighborhood, barely illuminating her pathways for her local residents.  Her tenements, housing projects, and old warehouses continue to dot the landscape of this once treasured locale.  Through the blight and recession of the 1970s, the ravages of the War on Drugs in the 1980s, and the raw and unbridled gun violence of the 1990s, this neighborhood and her residents are still able to continue to survive, and persevere.  The revitalization of the nearby Brooklyn Naval Yard continues to bleed east, now seeping into the neighborhood.  But alas...her dark past isn’t as willing to fade away, without putting up a fight.

We come to a boxing gym in Red Hook, Brooklyn; the doors of Willis’ Own Boxing Gym are locked, and the lights are off, being shuttered for business for the day.  The outside of the building is worn and weathered, showing its long history and battle scars, with some graffiti on parts of the building, but not completely defaced.  Inside the darkened gym, all of the boxing equipment sits in their proper place, waiting to be used again by the potential fighters that daily train there.  The walls are adorned with graffiti murals of known fighters, past and present.  There are also many framed pictures hung on the walls, a proverbial ‘wall of fame’; some filled with articles and pictures of some of the gym’s fighters, while others that are filled with slogans to succeed and motivate.

In the distance, we hear the sound of a heavy bag being struck aggressively.  Grunting, and aggressive hissing can also be heard, as the bag is struck repeatedly, at a furious and rhythmic pace.  A cornrowed black female in her early twenties angrily and aggressively beats on one of the punching bags, her brown skin glistening with sweat, her muscles bulging with each angry strike.

...Pap, pap, pap!!

Whap, pap, pap, pap, whap!!

Whap, pap...whap, whap...pap, pap, pap!

21-year-old Mandinga Mason continues to angrily strike the heavy bag, becoming angrier and more frustrated with each blow.  Unable to sleep before her upcoming big fight tomorrow, she decided to sweat it out on one of the heavy bags, hoping to wear herself out enough to get some rest.  She continues to angrily hiss out angry breaths as she hits the bag, using all of the boxing techniques that she’s learned; throwing different punching combinations, bobbing and weaving, using different tactics to batter down her imaginary opponent.  She angrily scowls, as she continues to pummel the bag with all of her might.  She finally stops hitting the bag, and pauses, trying to catch her breath, heavily breathing.  She continues to look frustrated, obviously not being able to exorcise whatever demons that seemed to be bothering her.  She just stares at the punching bag, frustrated, shaking her head at it.  Mandinga has worked hard to finally get to this point in her young life; 21 years of pain, strife, and anguish...from her years in foster care, going from group home to group home, to just plain surviving on the streets of Brooklyn.  But, for as far as she’s been able to come these past two years, and for as much as she’s been able to achieve up to this point, she still felt a bitter emptiness inside.  It was an impossible feeling for her to shake, and that really annoyed her.  What the hell, man...?, she questions herself, why can’t I shake feeling like this...?!  Mandinga continues to give the heavy bag a dirty look, feeling betrayed by the object for not allowing her to exorcise whatever demons she’s dealing with.  She then gives it one last, angry whack.

*  *  *  *  *

The Manhattan skyline greets us, with her pristine skyscrapers, and busy traffic filled streets.  Midtown Manhattan was busy as usual, forever packed with people and motor vehicles; her high energy, and the hustle and bustle of her streets bleeds among her populous, as they hurriedly move about, trying to reach their destination at the appointed time.  We are greeted by the grand, circular sight of Madison Square Garden, where the Golden Gloves boxing tournament is being held.  You see male and female fighters dressed in yellow and blue, competing in several different rings, and the spectators watching the on goings of the competition.  You can feel the excitement in the air for both the fighters, and the spectators alike; the atmosphere electric with high energy, and great fandom for both the sport, and the up and coming fighters themselves.

Mandinga has entered into the ring for her own fight, sporting the blue attire for her corner.  She is being coached by an older black male in his early seventies.  Her coach and trainer, Mr. Willis, is trying to give her some tactical instructions, while Mandinga loosens up a bit; bouncing around on the balls of her feet, rolling her neck, and throwing a few upper cuts...hissing out a few aggressive breaths.  She continues to scowl at her white female opponent standing across the ring from her, dressed in yellow, being instructed by her own corner.  Mandinga continues to loosen up, never taking her angry eyes off of her opponent, focusing on the can of whup-ass that she was about to unleash upon her unsuspecting opponent.  This bitch’s ass is MINE!!!, she angrily seethes to herself, chicks be watching Million Dollar Baby, now ALL these white bitches think they can fight!.  Mandinga is so mentally focused on beating down her opponent, that she barely acknowledges Mr. Willis’ presence, as he tries to give her some tactical advice.

...-Have to learn to use strategy when you’re out there, understand?

Yeah, whatever..., she replies, annoyed, not really paying attention to him.

...-I mean it, Manny!, Mr. Willis barks, Don’t blow me off, like you always do-...!

...-Whatever!, she barks back, her eyes burning into him, ...I got it!

Mr. Willis pauses, wanting to say something.  She’s blowing me off, again..., he sourly thinks to himself.  Mandinga could be very hardheaded when she wanted to be, and he knew that it could be a futile battle to challenge her, on occasion.  There was a time and a place for such encounters...but, this wasn’t one of them.  This moment was too important, for the both of them.  She needed to stay focused, if she were to win this fight.  He then decides to let it go, and prepares to man her corner.  Uh...okay, he concedes, changing the subject, getting back to the fight,  ...Remember to keep your hands up, and keep your feet and hands active.

Fine...whatever!

The trainers leave the ring, and go to their corners.  The Announcer enters into the ring, grabs the mic, and beings to introduce the fighters.  Ladiiiiies and gentlemeeeen..., he proudly boasts, ...Welcome to today’s exhibition for the Golden Gloves boxing tournament!.  The spectators give a raucous cheer, looking forward to the fight.  He lets the cheering die down for a bit, and then continues with his introductions. 

Fighting out of the yellow corner, representing Manhattan...standing at 5’7, 132 pounds...Chelsea’s own, Michaelangelaaaaaaa Gigaaaaanteeeeee!". 

Michaelangela Gigante hops around, getting a cheer from her circle of supporters that are in the crowd, as Mandinga continues to angrily scowl at her, focusing on the fight, completely unimpressed with her; looking forward to completely destroying her. 

...Aaaaand fighting out of the blue corner, representing Red Hook, Brooklyn...standing at 5’6, 135 pounds...Mandingaaaaaaa The Man Handler Maaaaaaasooooon!". 

Mandinga raises one of her fists in the air, soaking in her own cheering section of the crowd, continuing to bounce around on the balls of her feet, ready for action.  The referee then brings the two fighters to the center of the ring, and gives them their instructions for the fight.  Mandinga doesn’t take her angry eyes off of Michaelangela during the whole time, psychologically trying to intimidate her, readying to unleash her pent up rage on her.  They finally touch gloves, return to their corners, and wait for the bell to ring.

The bell sounds, and the referee motions for them to fight.  Mandinga aggressively charges in after her opponent, continuing to scowl at her.  They come to a head at the center of the ring, and respectfully slap gloves.  Mandinga commences to pummel her opponent, using different punching combinations, having a more aggressive and fluid fighting style.  She starts snapping Michaelangela’s head back with a few sharp jabs to her face.  Mandinga begins to angrily batter her obviously inferior opponent about, shocking Michaelangela with her level of aggression, and much quicker hand speed and footwork; hitting her with crosses to the face, and body shots.  Mr. Willis excitedly yells instructions to her