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The Big Fight: My Life In and Out of the Ring Audiobook
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Publisher Description
In this unflinching and inspiring autobiography, the boxing legend faces his single greatest competitor: himself.Sugar Ray Leonard's brutally honest and uplifting memoir reveals in intimate detail for the first time the complex man behind the boxer. The Olympic hero, multichampionship winner, and beloved athlete waged his own personal battle with depression, rage, addiction, and greed.Coming from a tumultuous, impoverished household and a dangerous neighborhood on the outskirts of Washington, D.C., in the 1970s, Sugar Ray Leonard rose swiftly and skillfully through the ranks of amateur boxing-and eventually went on to win a gold medal in the 1976 Olympics. With an extremely ill father and no endorsement deals, Leonard decided to go pro.The Big Fight takes readers behind the scenes of a notoriously corrupt sport and chronicles the evolution of a champion, as Leonard prepares for the greatest fights of his life-against Marvin Hagler, Roberto Duran, Tommy Hearns, and Wilfred Benitez. At the same time Leonard fearlessly reveals his own contradictions and compulsions, his infidelity, and alcohol and cocaine abuse.With honesty, humor, and hard-won perspective, Leonard comes to terms with both triumph and struggle-and presents a gripping portrait of remarkable strength, courage, and resilience, both in and out of the ring.
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"He won't will a Pulitzer for this, but Leonard's autobiography is surprisingly well written! Not only that, but it is highly revealing. If you were a fan of Sugar Ray the fighter or even if you hated his guts like I once did, there's too many good boxing stories here to pass up on! "
— Jason (4 out of 5 stars)
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“The intelligence and self-reflection that helped Sugar Ray become one of the greatest fighters of his generation, have also stood him in good stead outside the arena.”
— Boston Globe -
“Few of our cultural icons look at themselves so clearly, and it’s a tribute to Leonard’s insightfulness that he makes his story such a gripping one.”
— Publishers Weekly -
“Leonard brings a bracing honesty to his reading, detailing his abusive childhood, drug and alcohol addictions, infidelities, and other personal issues.”
— Booklist -
“A revealing confession from a champ who was often accused of being a packaged TV commodity.”
— Kirkus Reviews
Awards
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A New York Times bestseller
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About the Authors
Sugar Ray Leonard is an American retired professional boxer and occasional actor. He was named Ray Charles Leonard, after his mother’s favorite singer, Ray Charles. Leonard was the first boxer to earn more than 100 million in purses, won world titles in five weight divisions and defeated future fellow International Boxing Hall of Fame inductees Wilfred Benítez, Thomas Hearns, Roberto Durán and Marvin Hagler.
Michael Arkush is the bestselling writer and cowriter of thirteen books, including Phil Jackson’s The Last Season, Sugar Ray Leonard’s The Big Fight, and The Fight of the Century.