Murder on Federal Street: Tyrone Everett, the Black Mafia, Fixed Fights, and the Last Golden Age of Philadelphia Boxing
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"If there's a hero, it's Sean Nam, whose obsessional reporting and evocative style turn a true story into a noir worthy of a Gamble and Huff soundtrack. ... [Murder on Federal Street is] a wonderfully nasty business. And for the same unfortunate reasons you might be drawn to boxing, you'll love it." - Mark Kriegel, ESPN analyst and New York Times bestselling author of The Good Son: The Life of Ray "Boom Boom" Mancini
Six months after losing a world title fight that remains infamous as one of the last mob fixes in boxing, Tyrone "The Butterfly" Everett-a flashy, handsome lightweight southpaw on the verge of stardom-was dead. Only twenty-four years old, he was shot in the head by his girlfriend, Carolyn McKendrick, who claimed that Everett had abused her throughout their relationship. But for years, street corner talk raised doubts about what actually took place in Philadelphia at 2710 Federal Street on May 26, 1977.
What really happened on that tragic afternoon? Did Carolyn McKendrick shoot Everett in self-defense, as she claimed? Or did she pull the trigger when she caught Everett and a cross-dressing drug dealer in bed together? Or did Everett die at the hands of a jealous husband who just happened to be a member of the ruthless organized crime outfit known as the Black Mafia?
Set against a backdrop of urban decline, racial tension, gangland violence, and the treacherous subculture of prizefighting, Murder on Federal Street is the riveting story of a young man whose limitless future could not outrace the dangerous present.
Written with verve and an eye for the telling detail, Murder on Federal Street covers the Everett story from prelim bouts in Scranton, to a world championship fight at the Spectrum, to the horrific shooting in South Philadelphia, to the sensational trial of Carolyn McKendrick, to the mournful and mysterious aftermath of nearly fifty years.
Sean Nam is a contributor to BoxingScene.com and the British weekly boxing magazine Boxing News. A former boxing writer for USA Today, he is a full member and co-vice president of the Boxing Writers Association of America. He is also a member of the International Boxing Research Organization. MURDER ON FEDERAL STREET is his first book. He lives in Brooklyn, New York.
