Terry Marsh, born in East London in 1958, is better known by his stage name Vernon Vanriel, only his stage was the boxing ring. In the early 1980s, Vanriel was ranked the second-best boxer in Britain; in 1987, he had to retire because of epilepsy. On the Ropes, written by Dougie Baxland in collaboration with Vanriel, explores the highs and lows of a difficult life. Vanriel overcame crack addiction to keep boxing, was brutally targeted by the police throughout his career, and was refused his right to U.K. citizenship despite having lived there since the age of six. The soundtrack of rap, reggae, and soul lightens the heavy plot. —Jensen Davis