Merseyside has a rich boxing heritage and a pedigree of champion fighters unsurpassed in any other area of the country. Local fighting heroes such as former world light-heavyweight champion, John Conteh and world featherweight champion, Paul Hodkinson have lived and fought in the region and their legacy lives on through the many stories of classic fights and legendary clashes told by those who remember them well. In 1973, boxing correspondent Syd Dye launched his boxing ‘Hall of Fame’ series in the Liverpool Echo and this series of articles on famous and notorious glory fighters of the past was an instant hit with fight fans. The painstaking research, total understanding of the sport and his evocation of by-gone days showed this was both a labour of love and a classic piece of seminal sports journalism. Now gathered together for the first time is the complete collection of the classic ‘Hall of Fame’ boxing profiles, covering nearly a century of boxing greats from celebrated world champions such as Dick Tiger and Hogan Bassey, to little known local fighting legends whose names and reputations live on through the stories passed down through generations: Fighters such as the undefeated British Featherweight Champion Nel Tarleton who fought with only one lung; Lud Abella, the young fighter from Bootle who took fought an opponent backed by the New York Mob and was forced to flee the ring; and the tough Liverpool featherweight Chris Kelly who made the Guinness Book of Records as the youngest fighter ever to be licensed by the Boxing Board of Control at the age of 16. The Mersey Fighters is testament to a city and a region steeped in boxing history and is a treasure trove of sporting information and anecdotes.