THE third volume of The Mersey Fighters - More lives and times of Liverpool’s boxing heroes has been four years in the writing.

But after all that painstaking research and hours of interviewing and transcribing Gary Shaw and Chris Walker have produced a detailed and fascinating 268-page account of the 14 boxers they have covered this time around.

The volume predominantly features some of those fighters who lit up the Liverpool boxing scene at amateur and professional level, but of particular interest to St Helens readers is the town’s own Ian Chantler.

The welterweight was as game as they came, travelling Europe to take any bout that was offered to him, tough fights where he knew he would have to do something special to get the nod. Starting with a debut against Elvis Morton Chantler packed in 62 professional contests between 1982 and 1993.

Although he won 27, and lost 34 Chantler was never an an easy night for any of his opponents.

Tall for a welterweight, his style confusingly for his opponents combined orthodox with southpaw and he could not half bang them.

Chantler’s attacking approach always made for an entertaining fight, significantly 17 of his wins came via knockout. The flip side of that was that this approach left him open to whatever the other could throw in return.

The book details some of Chantler’s high points and memorable bouts, with some pretty down to earth matter of fact reflections coming out in the interview.

An early highlight was fighting Ray Murray at Cindy’s - enabling Chantler’s local support to see him box in his home town.

A look down the list of opponents he faced, two names jump out from 1987.

He fought a young Michael Watson at the start of the year, losing after the ref stopped on cuts and then suffered the 16- second destruction by Nigel Benn.

The fight that never happened against fellow St Helener Gary Stretch is one that got away.

Overall a good chapter on one of the town’s gamest fighting sons.

The book is on sale priced £15.99.