Fighting for Survival

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What to expect

Boxing legend Christy Martin was a trailblazer in the ring and continues to be an inspiration to female fighters across the globe. She is without a doubt the most important woman in the history of female combat sports. But behind the scenes Martin was in a losing battle, unable to express her true sexual identity and struggling to survive sexual and domestic abuse at the hands of her husband.

In Fighting for Survival: My Journey through Boxing Fame, Abuse, Murder, and Resurrection, Christy Martin recounts her harrowing yet inspiring story. Growing up in a small town in West Virginia, Martin felt forced to keep her sexual orientation hidden to please her family and the sports world, eventually agreeing to a sham marriage with coach Jim Martin. While she rose to prominence in the world of boxing, Martin was secretly contending with substance abuse, domestic violence, and an attempted murder by her husband, who left her to die on their bedroom floor.

Fighting for Survival reveals how Martin battled back to life from her near-death experience, how she overcame abuse, violence, addiction, and forty years of living in the closet, and how she turned her pain into victory and debasement into triumph. Her story is one of hope and self-belief, an inspiration for anyone struggling to break the chain of abuse or who fears to be open about their sexual orientation. It is more than the story of a boxing champion; it is the story of a survivor.

Critics Review

  • “Nobody has written an autobiography as candid, honest, and heart-wrenching as hers. And nobody ever had to fight harder outside the ring for survival…This is one hell of a book.”

    Star-Ledger (Newark, New Jersey)

  • “Behind-the-scenes details…were fascinating to a boxing junkie…There’s a happy ending to it all. It’s a career worth celebrating and a book worth reading.”

    Boxing Scene

  • “Throughout the book she offers advice and compassion for those who might be struggling…Fighting for Survival is powerful and holds nothing back. She writes as she fought–by laying all her cards on the table and scoring a knockout success.”

    Sport Book Reviews

  • “A brutal but nuanced story of an authentic trailblazer, expertly told…This is the story of a woman coming to terms with herself, an account of the unlikeliest victories, in the ring, and of the soul.”

    Mark Kriegel, New York Times bestselling author

  • “A moving tale about how one person could find a way to take on life’s version of Murderers’ Row, with the Devil as her cornerman, and triumph over them all.”

    Teddy Atlas, ESPN's Hall of Fame boxing analyst and trainer

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