The Last Neighborhood: A South Philly Memoir

In these pages, we travel back in time to Grays Ferry, Philadelphia, a place where each neighborhood has its own corner, its own personality, and its own rules and challenges.

At a time when a kid's neighborhood was the only world he knew, Michael grows up in South Philly as the son of a boxer. But this is no Rocky movie. This is reality—a skinny, unsure kid facing his inner battles and fears and trying to survive in a city of great streetfighters and athletes.

Michael wants to do more than survive. He wants to stand out. And he needs to earn the respect of his father and his peers and prove once and for all that he deserves a reputation as a tough guy in a tough neighborhood.

On this ride-along, we find our hero—a future cop—realizing that the ring is the one place where he can prove himself. He decides to take up boxing when he is only a teenager. With his big family praying for him, God, faith, and prayer backing him up, and the neighborhood kids rooting for him, Michael Rafferty takes on the biggest challenge of his life.

Will the camaraderie, love, and laughter that surround him fill him with the confidence he needs to stand up to a real boxer? Will his faith finally quiet the doubting voices inside him? And will he emerge knowing he's got the heart and character of a champion?

Michael Rafferty was a top-ranked amateur and professional boxer for nine years. Undefeated as a pro with a 7-0 record until a car accident and other injuries sidelined his career, Mike finished out his pro boxing career with a 9-1-1 record. He has enjoyed a 28-year career in law enforcement and is currently a sergeant in the Philadelphia Police Department.