Dave Wedge a NYT bestselling author with a considerable following/platform in Boston and nationally. He is also film producer. His book Boston Strong was made into the feature film Patriot's Day , starring Mark Wahlberg. Sam Rockwell's production company has already optioned the Blood & Hate , and the project is currently in development. This is the definitive biography of Hagler --because of Dave's access to the Hagler family and inner circle, plus his access via Hamilcar to a who's who of the boxing world (fighters, trainers, promoters, writers, etc.) Central to the book is Hagler's 1980 fight against Britain's Alan Minter , a victory that finally won him the undisputed middleweight world title--after years of struggle and discrimination--and an event fraught with racial tension and racism, via Minter's pre-fight words ("I'll never lose my title to a Black man") and via Minter's being supported in and outside the arena by right-wing, racist organizations such as the National Front, which were burgeoning in England at the time. After Hagler won the title, a riot ensued in Wembley Arena, and Hagler and his team had full beer cans tossed at them by angry fans , a scene captured in an iconic photograph that will be featured in the book. Marvin Hagler (who died in 2021) is one of the greatest cult heroes in the history of boxing , a fighter revered by fans worldwide for his toughness and record-breaking string of title defenses.

(Hagler lived in Milan from the late 1980s till his passing, and is hugely popular in the boxing-crazy UK market. ) Wedge is a Brockton, Mass., native. Marvin Hagler lived and fought out of Brockton. A statue of Hagler was just unveiled in Brockton, a project Wedge spearheaded.