Welcome to our series, RARE Reads—highlighting books in the rare disease space: The Champ & The Chump.

About the book

James’s memoir, The Champ & The Chump (Headline, 2021) is a heart-warming and hilarious story about fighting and family; it charts the differences and similarities between James—a comedian struggling with MDDS—and his grandfather, Terry Downes, world champion boxer, successful businessman and film star. The Champ & The Chump was Winner of The Best Sports Entertainment Book at the Sport Book Awards 2022.

THE CHAMP
Terry Downes – the charismatic cockney known as ‘The Paddington Express’ – was a world champion boxer, US Marine, gangsters’ favourite and later a film star and businessman.

THE CHUMP
James McNicholas’ PE teacher once told him he was so unfit he’d be dead by the time he was 23.

James has spent his life pursuing a career in acting and comedy. In reality, that has meant stints as a car park caretaker and river cruise salesperson. After Terry’s death, James finds himself in reflective mood, comparing his story of underachievement against that of his world champ grandad. What follows is an increasingly colourful journey through post-war Paddington to the blood-soaked canvases of Baltimore and Shoreditch, via Mayfair parties with the Krays.

Along the way, James begins to dig into his own story, confronting the dysfunctional elements of his childhood, describing his often hilarious efforts to make it in the world of showbiz, and attempting to recreate Terry’s trials by enlisting in a brutal military boot camp and boxing gym. When James is diagnosed with a frightening and mysterious neurological condition, the two tales of the fighter and the writer suddenly collide, and what began as a nostalgic journey takes on a far more important significance altogether.

About the author

James McNicholas is a writer and performer based in London. As a screenwriter, he has credits with BBC, ITV & BBC Radio 4. His live comedy show ‘The Boxer’ was named in the ‘Top 10 Comedy Shows of 2019’ (The Guardian). Alongside his comedy, James is a sports journalist for The Athletic.

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