Federal Street Murders Tyrone Everett, Black Mafia, Fixed Fights, and The Last Golden Age of Philadelphia Boxing
Handsome, brash and flashy, lightweight boxer Tyrone Everett was one of the biggest names to emerge from the frenzied 1970s Philadelphia boxing scene. But his ascent to superstardom seemed unlikely. His unstoppability came to an abrupt and terrible halt on the morning of May 26, 1977, in the bedroom on the second floor of a block on Union Street in South Philadelphia. Just twenty-four years old, Everett was found dead with a bullet to the head delivered by his girlfriend, Carolyn McKendrick. On the kitchen table were thirty-nine sealed bags of heroin, ready to be distributed. The only witness to the shooting was a gay drug dealer who, depending on the source, may have been caught in bed with Everett. McKendrick, who claimed she was abused by Everett on multiple occasions, would eventually end up in jail, but for years, scumbags on the streets of South Philadelphia assumed there was reason to doubt the official story.
Even for a sport as fundamentally associated with sadness and filth as boxing, the untimely death of Tyrone Everett stands out for its unresolved and heartbreaking sadness. IN Murder on the Interstatejournalist and debut author Sean Nam sheds light on Everett’s grim final days, unraveling long-held misconceptions, asking new questions and, at the same time, providing information revealing, including Everett’s entanglement with the Black Mafia, the harassing criminal syndicate that controlled the dope trade in South Philadelphia in the ’70s.
Nam also analyzes one of the most infamous miscarriages inside the ring, one that continues to spark heated debates among die-hard fans: the 1976 lightweight title fight at Spectrum in Philadelphia between Everett and Alfredo Escalara takes place just six months before Everett’s death. Everett, to the eternal embarrassment of the hometown crowd, is defeated by the decision to split. Nam shows that the bad turn of the night was almost certainly the result of careful planning. Indeed, no matter what path he is on in life, Everett always seems to be distracted at every turn. As award-winning writer Carlos Acevedo (Sports blood, Duke) notes in the book’s astute preface, Everett suffered from a “twisted overlap” between street corruption and boxing.
Deeply researched and vividly narrated, Murder on the Interstate combines racial politics, urban history, and sociology to place Everett in the broader context of a tumultuous age, marked by civil rights strife and economic depression. The book also painstakingly shows how Everett compares to his Philadelphia colleagues (Bennie Briscoe, Stanley “Kitten” Hayward, Matthew Saad Muhammad, Bobby “Boogaloo” Watts, Eugene “Cyclone”, etc.) Today’s bustling England is considered one of the last great regional renaissances in the American league. Interviews conducted with key figures—from Everett’s younger brother to his promoter, J Russell Peltz—help shed light on the life of a memorable boxer whose name has been obscured—and distorted—over time.
Murder on the Interstate is a moving, true crime story about a modern day Icarus, whose ambitions set him on a path of difference but ultimately his downfall.
Pre-read copies are available upon request. please contact [email protected]
Praise in advance for Interstate murders:
“Until now, only fans of heavyweight boxing had known Everett’s story—except for the perspective and large volume of important and significant events. Now, thanks to Nam, the picture has gone from opaque to clear and complete.”
—Steve Farhood, Showtime boxing analyst, 2017 International Boxing Hall of Fame inductee, and former editor of Rings magazine
“[Murder on Federal Street is] investigative reporting and storytelling at its best with a bit best friend response raging bull.”
—Harvey Araton, The New York Times best selling author
“If there is a hero [in Murder on Federal Street], it’s Sean Nam, whose haunting and narrative style turns a true story into a dark story worthy of the Gamble and Huff soundtrack. …[Murder on Federal Street is] a great nasty business. And for the same unfortunate reasons you might be drawn to boxing, you’ll love it.
—Mark Kriegel, ESPN analyst and The New York Times best-selling author of The Good Son: The Life of Ray “Boom Boom” Mancini
“Sean Nam has written a fascinating, page-turning history of Tyrone Everett, a book that will appeal to both boxing fans and true criminals. His comprehensive research is astounding, covering everything from urban and racial politics to the boxing scene to the underworld, and his writing is top notch.
—Sean Patrick Griffin, Professor of Criminal Justice at The Citadel and author of Black Brothers, Inc.: The Violent Rise and Fall of the Black Mafia in Philadelphia
In death as well as in life, Philadelphia’s underweight Tyrone Everett remains a colorful, controversial character whose story deserves as much scrutiny as author Sean Nam aptly provides.
—Bernard Fernandez, 2020 International Boxing Hall of Fame inductee and author of Championship Round boxing anthology series
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Sean Nam is a contributor to BoxingScene.com and the weekly British 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 the Interstate is his first book. He lives in Brooklyn, New York.
ABOUT THE FOREWORD WRITE:
Carlos Acevedo is the author of The Duke: The Life and Lies of Tommy MorrisonAnd Sports Blood: Stories from the Dark Side of Boxing. He is the editor of Hannibal Boxing and a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America. From 2009 to 2016, he was the editor of The Cruelest Sport. His work has appeared on The Ring, Boxing News, HBO Boxing, Undisputed Champion Network, Remezcla, and Boxing Digest. His stories “A Darkness Made to Order,” “A Ghost Orbiting Forever,” and “The Duke of the West Side” all won first place from the BWAA. He lives in Brooklyn, New York.
Book details:
Imprint: Rushcutters Bay Books
paperback
Bezel: 5.5 in x 8.5 in
Open for sale: May 23, 2023
Price: $22.99
Number of pages: 332
ISBN: 9798218137298
(Kindle eBooks are also available on Amazon.com)
