Distinction Earned highlights the accomplishments of significant Cape Breton fighters like George "Rockabye" Ross (about who MacDougall has also penned a play), Tyrone Gardiner, Blair Richardson and Francis "Rocky" MacDougall and trainers like Johnny Nemis. Between 1965 and 1967 five national boxing champions in different weight classes were from Cape Breton. Paul MacDougall has collected dozens of interviews from participants, enthusiasts and their heirs, from which has evolved this account of an amazing sporting record. The book's title is taken from a citation of Cape Breton boxers at a Canadian Boxing Hall of Fame investiture.