Fighting for Survival

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