Pain Don't Hurt
Fighting Inside and Outside the Ring
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- 16,99 €
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- 16,99 €
Publisher Description
Pain Don’t Hurt is the no-holds-barred memoir from the only professional fighter in history to return to the ring after open-heart surgery, kickboxer Mark “Fightshark” Miller—an inspiring story of family, determination, and redemption.
In 2007, Mark Miller was a rising star in professional kickboxing, until a routine physical uncovered a serious condition that required open-heart surgery. The crisis helped to temporarily reunite his fractured family and made Miller more determined than ever to return to the kickboxing ring. But within a year, his parents and brother were all dead, and Miller’s fragile optimism imploded, sending him into a tailspin of drugs and alcohol.
Pain Don’t Hurt is a story of incredible tenacity, dedication, and hard work—how one fierce competitor overcame repeated obstacles to realize his dreams. Miller recounts stories ranging from his childhood spent in the Steelers locker room to the surprising life lessons he learned from other fighters to his triumphant return to fighting in a Moscow kickboxing ring. He talks sincerely about family and fatherhood—of the hard lessons about masculinity and violence learned from his father. He also offers an inspiring, exciting, and frank account of the fights—both in and out of the ring—that have shaped him.
A deeply personal account of guts, blood, and glory, Pain Don’t Hurt pays tribute to the never-say-die spirit embodied in a man who refuses to back down, no matter the odds.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In this gritty memoir, kickboxer and MMA fighter Mark Miller documents his struggle to make peace with the demons spawned by his tragic family history. Born with a congenital heart defect and Type 1 diabetes, Miller came to possess the talent and willpower to make a career as a professional fighter, despite having to endure open-heart surgery at age 31. Yet the shadows of an abusive upbringing drove his career into a ditch the following year after he lost his father, mother, and drug-addicted older brother, all in 2007. However, with the help of friends and a 12-step program, Miller was able to pull himself off the canvas. The reader can't help but root for Miller, but in many ways his memoir comes across as vague and rushed. He mentions his three children and the break-up of his marriage, but we learn almost nothing about his kids and ex-wife, or the reasons for their estrangement. His relationship with his nutritionist, and co-author, seems obviously romantic but goes equally unexplored. This is a shame because when Miller's focus tightens, such as in the comedy of errors leading to his comeback fight in Moscow, the prose is vibrant and clear.
