The launch last week of The Sweetest Thing at the Bella Union in Melbourne turned out to be a fantastic event, a great crowd and a fulfilment of my dream to bring the world of the gym to the world of book lovers, giving people a live, 3D taste of what is inside the book.
And amazingly, everything went according to plan. Everyone played their parts to perfection, from ring card boy Nick Mann with his washboard stomach and his mullet wig, to Bianca Elmir and Emily Jans who boxed three skilful rounds and then answered questions with humour and eloquence. Ring master extraordinaire, Chris Flynn, roving ringside reporter Karen Pickering, did a stupendous job and music/sound by Louise Woodward was smooth and fitting, with the boxers saying they loved sparring to her original composition.
Soon I’ll have edited video highlights of the night for those who missed out. But in the meantime, Mark Welker, who was there filming the launch, also shot some training footage at Crosse Training Centre the weekend before when a group of girls came to spar. From that, he made this amazing book trailer. Enjoy!