Fighting for Survival: My Journey through Boxing Fame, Abuse, Murder, and Resurrection

by Christy Martin, Ron Borges (With)

If you were riveted by the Netflix documentary 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 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.

Genres: Biography Memoir

302 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 22, 2022

Reviews

[deniz]

this is going on my tbr because of sydney sweeney:))

[t.s. · Rating 2 out of 5]

christy martin's story is remarkable, and my rating has less to do with christy herself and more with the way her story was told. it read more like an interminable essay than a heartfelt narrative. it's a shame the storytelling felt so dry and drawn out that i couldn't stay fully engaged even though the subject demanded it.

[Lance · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay memoir- she had a very tough life in so many ways. Her struggle with mental health issues, addressing her sexuality and the domestic abuse she suffered are the real topics of the book, more than her successful boxing career. Best description I can give for my experience of reading this book was that it was depressing.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Christy's story is heartbreaking, she worked so hard, had so much success, yet didn't have control over her own life. An interesting look into the world of boxing as well as Christy's experiences with childhood sexual abuse and domestic violence. An interesting tidbit for me was that although Christy was from West Virginia, she worked with two Toughman promoters and a competitor that were local to my area in Michigan!

[Dawn-Lorraine · Rating 2 out of 5]

Though interesting, some people should let others write the story of their life. Martin has led quite the life, but the amount of detail provided for a lot of situations leans heavily into meanderings and tangents. There's also a lot of repetition and time flip flops. Not a bad read overall, but it could have been shorter and tighter.

[Jason Weber · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25 stars
Christy Martin is one of if not the best female boxer of all time. She was way ahead of her time, and should have had Ronda Rousey type fame, but the world wasn’t ready for a bad ass woman in combat sports!
The book starts of with the story of her and her ex-husband/trainer and what he did to her.
This is a must read for any boxing fan!

[Holly Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

Listened to this for the upcoming Sydney Sweeney movie
It was really interesting and I enjoyed it dipped about 3/4 I got bored 😑 but really enjoyed the outcome and the positive energy and ending of the story
Really looking forward to the movie now

[Ron Borges · Rating 5 out of 5]

Couldn’t put it down inspirational stuff a true tail of survival for anyone who was or will ever be abused, ignored, or an underdog in life.

[Christalla Ta · Rating 5 out of 5]

An absolute hero and inspiration inspiring young women and girls everywhere and breaking barriers and opens peoples eyes that no matter what people see is never the truth. From the most horrific domestic violence to child abuse to being the first woman to break the barrier in boxing for women and having to being a lesbian and having it held against her by a psychopathic leach to starting a charity to help others. Amazing…