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A Fighter's Journey
Atria
February 2008
On Sale: February 19, 2008
288 pages
ISBN: 1416534865
EAN: 9781416534860
Hardcover
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Non-Fiction
History's only four-time world heavyweight boxing champion
and one of America's most admired and beloved athletes
reveals the dramatic story of his rise from poverty to the
very pinnacle of the toughest sport on earth. Barely able to make it into the heavyweight division and
almost always the smaller fighter in the ring, Holyfield
spent his professional career proving the naysayers wrong.
Along the way he provided some of the twentieth century's
most thrilling sports moments, not all of them on purpose.
In Becoming Holyfield, he gives us the exciting inside story
of defeating Mike Tyson, the self-proclaimed "Baddest Man on
Earth," and then getting a piece of his ear bitten off in
the rematch. We learn how it felt to become the undisputed
champion of the world by knocking out the man who knocked
out Tyson, and we find out what it was really like to be in
the middle of a title fight and see a motorized parachute
fly right into the ring. There is heartbreak to go along with triumph, beginning with
Holyfield's loss of an Olympic gold medal because of a
highly controversial disqualification and continuing through
his short-lived retirement following a misdiagnosed heart
condition. Along the way we're treated to glimpses of such
colorful figures as Don King and Howard Cosell and we come
to understand the extra-ordinary power of love in shaping a
young boy's life, and the love he tried to return. Holyfield
made more money in the ring than any other fighter in
history, and gave away millions to support the dreams of
underprivileged kids looking for the same kinds of breaks
that allowed him to become a champion. Holyfield's immense popularity cannot be overstated, and it
cuts across all ethnicities and socioeconomic classes. The
top three highest-grossing sporting events in Las Vegas
history were all Holyfield fights, and his highly rated
appearances on Dancing with the Stars helped to ensure that
show's success. Other fighters may have been bigger,
stronger, or more flamboyant, but few could match Evander
Holyfield's poise, grace under pressure, or commitment to
serve as an inspiration to others.
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