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Books > Language & Literature > Biography & autobiography > Sport
Two of the most prominent and celebrated athletes in the world,
Marvelous Marvin Hagler and Sugar Ray Leonard came together to
contest the $100million SuperFight on April 6, 1987 at Caesars
Palace in Las Vegas. From Frank Sinatra to U2, Joan Collins to
Whoopi Goldberg, the stars were drawn to ringside by the huge
box-office appeal of the blue-collar, dominant world middleweight
champion facing his nemesis, the charismatic and flamboyant Sugar
Ray, who was coming out of virtually five years of retirement.
Drawing on his deep reservoir of nerve, outstanding technique and a
strategy which Budd Schulberg - who provided Marlon Brando with the
immortal line, 'I coulda been a contender' - called a compound
optical illusion, Leonard won on points. It was boxing's greatest
comeback, but to this day the judges' decision remains bitterly
contested and not merely by the protagonists. But the story of The
SuperFight is much more than the story of the fight, for it details
two remarkable lives, the demons that drove both men and the
formidable challenges they overcame inside and outside the ring.
Hagler grew up in the Newark, New Jersey ghetto of Central Ward,
where a riot/rebellion rooted in racism claimed the lives of 26
people, injured 1,000 more and, to the young teenager, was "like
the end of the world". Fuelled by anger, he climbed to the top of
his domain and ruled for seven years as champion, one of the most
accomplished in boxing's annals. Leonard was an Olympic gold
medallist and all-American hero whose career was cut short by a
detached retina after he became the world welterweight king. He was
Muhammad Ali's gifted and anointed successor but he succumbed to
alcohol and drug abuse and for years was tormented by a secret -
the sexual abuse he endured as an amateur boxer by a trusted coach.
As provocative and polarising in its own way as Ali's defining
rivalry with Joe Frazier, this is the story of The SuperFight, of
Marvin Hagler and Ray Leonard and a fierce fire that still burns.
Walter Smith was one of the most respected managers in British
football. This insightful biography casts a reflective and
analytical eye over his life and career, examining this shrewd
professional through the many highs and lows that he has
experienced as a player and manager. He enjoyed an illustrious
career in management at Rangers, joining the Souness revolution in
1987, winning nine successive league titles, a domestic treble in
the 1992-93 season and winning both the Scottish Cup and League Cup
three times. In 1998, Smith accepted a position in England with
Everton, where he was the manager until 2002, before being reunited
with Ferguson at Old Trafford in 2004. In December of that year,
Smith was appointed as Scotland manager and his effort subsequently
earned him the title of 'Scot of the Year' at the prestigious
Glenfiddich 'Spirit of Scotland' awards in 2006. Midway through the
qualifying rounds for Euro 2008, however, and with the Scots
leading their group, he controversially accepted an offer to return
to Ibrox in January 2007. Upon returning to Glasgow, Smith led
Rangers to the UEFA Cup Final and triumph in the Scottish Cup in
2008, a domestic League and Cup double in 2009 and another double -
this time in the domestic League and League Cup - in 2010. He
retired from management in 2011 and died in October 2021.
'People think they know him but unless you read this book you will
never know the REAL Alun Wyn Jones' - Warren Gatland 'One of the
greatest, and seemingly indestructible, players in history' - A
Daily Mail Book of the Year Belonging is the story about how the
boy from Mumbles became the most capped rugby union player of all
time. It is the story of what it takes to become a man who is seen
by many as one of the greatest ever Welsh players. What it takes to
go from sitting cross-legged on the hall floor at school watching
the 1997 Lions tour of South Africa, to being named the 2021 Lions
captain. But is it also about perthyn - belonging: playing for
Wales, working his way through the age grades and club rugby and
his regional side. How to earn the right to be there, and what it
feels like to make the sacrifices along the way. Feeling the
connection to players who have come before, and feeling the ties to
the millions in front rooms and pubs across the country, coast to
coast. Knowing that deep down you want to belong, as everyone does.
From playing on the rain-swept pitches of Swansea to making his
test debut against Argentina in Patagonia in 2006; from touring
with the Lions in 2009, 2013, 2017 and 2021 to dealing with loss
and creating a family - Belonging is the autobiography of one of
the most compelling figures in world rugby. Told with
characteristic honesty, this is his unique personal story of what
it takes and what it means to play for your country: what it means
to belong.
After fifteen years at the very pinnacle of test rugby, leading the
most successful squad in Welsh history, Dan Biggar tells his story.
‘When I reflect on it all, I can say without any doubt that I gave it
everything.’
Dan Biggar has never fitted the mould. Throughout his long and
decorated career, he has had to confront the critics, to silence the
cynics. His playing style has been described as brash, aggressive and
forthright, and it has earned him a reputation he has never been able
to shake. But to anyone who knows him off the pitch, he is one of the
most grounded ambassadors the game could ask for.
Honest and self-critical, Dan offers a rare insight into his personal
and professional life. He talks candidly of his place within rugby,
from the Premiership through to the Lions, and of the power dynamics
within Wales’ most successful squad ever. He also opens the changing
room doors and explores his relationships with past team mates, coaches
and managers, from Warren Gatland and Shaun Edwards to Alun Wyn Jones
and Wayne Pivac.
The Biggar Picture is the story of a man who has taken in the joy, the
graft and despair to become one of the sport’s most compelling figures
– and Wales’ most capped fly-half.
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Off Balance
(Paperback)
Dominique Moceanu; As told to Teri Williams
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R455
R385
Discovery Miles 3 850
Save R70 (15%)
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Ships in 10 - 15 working days
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In this searing and riveting "New York Times" bestseller, Olympic
gold medalist Dominique Moceanu reveals the dark underbelly of
Olympic gymnastics, the true price of success...and the shocking
secret about her past and her family that she only learned years
later.
At fourteen years old, Dominique Moceanu was the youngest member of
the 1996 US Women's Olympic Gymnastics team, the first and only
American women's team to take gold at the Olympics. Her pixyish
appearance and ferocious competitive drive quickly earned her the
status of media darling. But behind the fame, the flawless floor
routines, and the million-dollar smile, her life was a series of
challenges and hardships.
"Off Balance "vividly delineates each of the dominating characters
who contributed to Moceanu's rise to the top, from her stubborn
father and long-suffering mother to her mercurial coach, Bela
Karolyi. Here, Moceanu finally shares the haunting stories of
competition, her years of hiding injuries and pain out of fear of
retribution from her coaches, and how she hit rock bottom after a
public battle with her parents.
But medals, murder plots, drugs, and daring escapes aside (all of
which figure into Moceanu's incredible journey), the most unique
aspect of her life is the family secret that Moceanu discovers,
opening a new and unexpected chapter in her adult life. A
mysterious letter from a stranger reveals that she has a second
sister--born with a physical disability and given away at
birth--who has nonetheless followed in Moceanu's footsteps in an
astonishing way.
A multilayered memoir that transcends the world of sports, "Off
Balance "will touch anyone who has ever dared to dream of a better
life.
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Tissues
(Hardcover)
Daniel D Servant Mendes
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R1,053
Discovery Miles 10 530
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Ships in 12 - 17 working days
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