Fighting for Survival

If you were riveted by the Netflix documentary Untold: Deal with the Devil, find out Christy Martin's whole story in this fascinating autobiography. 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 40 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.

Christy Martin is the most successful female fighter in boxing history and widely regarded as the woman who legitimized women's participation in boxing and other combat sports. Discovered by legendary promoter Don King, Martin went undefeated for nearly a decade, won the WBC world junior welterweight championship, and became the first female fighter to box on national television, premium cable (SHOWTIME), and pay-per-view. In 2020 she became the first woman enshrined by the International Boxing Hall of Fame. Martin is CEO of Christy Martin Promotions and runs a charitable foundation, Christy's Champs, that helps domestic violence survivors and their children. She is a frequent speaker around the country on domestic violence issues. Today she is happily married to a former opponent, Lisa Holewyne. Originally from Mullens, WV, Martin now splits her time between central Florida and Austin, TX. Ron Borges covered boxing, pro football, golf, baseball, hockey, and four Olympic Games for 25 years at the Boston Globe. He then became the lead sports columnist at the Boston Herald for 12 years. He was selected one of America's top 10 sports columnists by the Associated Press Sports Editors multiple times, and his work has been anthologized in "Best Sports Stories" more than a dozen times. He is the author of Fighting for Survival with Christy Martin, who is considered the greatest female fighter in combat sports history. He is a winner of the Nat Fleischer Award for Excellence in Boxing Journalism and, in 2022, was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame.

Dedication Foreword Chapter 1: Dead on the floor Chapter 2:Coal Miner's Daughter Chapter 3: The thing we carry, the things we hide Chapter 4:How'd I get myself into a Toughman contest? Chapter 5: "Want to box, girl?" Chapter 6: Meeting my mentor.and my menace Chapter 7: What kind of proposal was that? Chapter 8: Enter Don King Chapter 9: The fight that legitimized me and women's boxing Chapter 10: Bright lights, big city Chapter 11: Big fights, ear bites Chapter 12: Chasing a million dollar payday.and not getting it Chapter 13: On Boxing: It's not about violence. It's about self-control Chapter 14: All done with Don King but not with fighting, inside the ring and out Chapter 15: Down for the count and ashamed of how I got there Chapter 16: No place to run, no place to hide Chapter 17: Sex, drugs and videotapes Chapter 18: A champion again, but not for long Chapter 19: Comeback to nowhere Chapter 20: One life ends and so does another Chapter 21: Necessary endings, new beginnings About the authors