The working-class white neighbourhood of Randgate, in the far west of metropolitan Johannesburg, is tightly knit by its underdog pride. What is not visible or audible from the front porches of neighbours soon becomes gossip. Likewise, this proud community knows all about life’s punches and rock‐hard body blows – people who refuse to just lie down.

Through perseverance and ambition distilled from experiences that have shaped him as both a boxer and a person, Eddie Blignaut rises above his surroundings. Coached by Uncle Ig, Eddie walks a path that is rarely afforded – from an open‐faced young tyro to a tough professional boxing champion of the world. He fights worldwide and wins against the most formidable opponents. In South Africa, he becomes a household name; his lifestyle is the epitome of success and prosperity.

From sportsman to businessman, the press writes about him. Like Icarus, Eddie flies too close to the sun. His social weaknesses and blind spots slowly but surely trip him up. His most cunning opponents arise from his home neighbourhood and family. In envy and jealousy, ambushes are set, accusations made, and lives turned upside down. Eddie finally encounters the biggest test of his integrity – one coming from outside the ring.

Riaan Marshall published his debut novel in early 2023. Extremely favourable reviews motivated Riaan to translate his first novel from Afrikaans into the English language as Sucker Punch. He lives on the Arvert peninsula in southwest France where he writes, does sculpture, surfs Atlantic Ocean waves, plays golf and loves to entertain his five grandchildren. He is a veteran of eleven marathons and a retired electrical engineer, with forty years of corporate career spanning five countries. A certified amateur writer is his second career, though his first love. Born in South Africa, where he lived for forty years, he uses each opportunity to revisit his roots.

Customer Reviews

5.0

1 reviews

Professor Naòmi Morgan

Good novels about boxing are a rare occurrence: The Harder They Fall; The Professional; Fat City … Riaan Marshall not only saw a gap in the market but also wrote an engrossing story: a rags-to-riches “novel of education”, but also a social novel set against the backdrop of South Africa before the 1994 elections. It is populated by unforgettable characters like Uncle Ig, Klaas, Sammy Naidoo and of course Eddy Blignaut himself, whose fictional biography constitutes the main storyline. The natural dialogue could be used unchanged in a television series. Whether Marshall was a boxer himself or just did his research very well, the pages describing the various fights keep readers on the edge of their (ring) seats. The novel is also a veritable time capsule, recreating the nostalgia of small-town Christmases and boxing academies in a South Africa where boys fought their way out of poverty and unhappy homes, sometimes to the detriment of those in even more desperate circumstances. The novel will satisfy boxing enthusiasts as well as readers intrigued by a now almost forgotten society, while its message of redemption brings the title to a satisfactory conclusion. The story of Sucker Punch is, in the end, one of dealing with life’s unexpected blows. A brilliant debut novel from a very promising author.