They called him “Manos de Piedra”—Hands of Stone—and he was one of the greatest boxers of all time. Now Roberto Durán tells his unbelievable story: from the streets of Panama to being crowned one of the “Four Kings,” along with Hearns, Leonard, and Hagler, as he blazed a trail through the Golden Age of Boxing.Born into abject poverty, barely able to read or write, Durán quickly realized that his fists could both protect him on the streets and put food on the table. His reputation w...

They called him “Manos de Piedra”—Hands of Stone—and he was one of the greatest boxers of all time. Now Roberto Durán tells his unbelievable story: from the streets of Panama to being crowned one of the “Four Kings,” along with Hearns, Leonard, and Hagler, as he blazed a trail through the Golden Age of Boxing.Born into abject poverty, barely able to read or write, Durán quickly realized that his fists could both protect him on the streets and put food on the table. His reputation w...

ROBERTO DURAN is a sporting legend. Often called the greatest boxer of all time, he held world titles at four different weights and is the only professional in history to have fought in five different decades. His bouts with fellow greats like Sugar Ray Leonard, Thomas Hearns and Marvin Hagler have gone down in fistic folklore and his pro record of 104 wins, 69 by KO, in 120 fights puts him in an elite group of fighters. They called him Manos de Piedra: “Hands of Stone”.American jo...

The greatest relief pitcher of all time shares his extraordinary story of survival, love, and baseball.Mariano Rivera, the man who intimidated thousands of batters merely by opening a bullpen door, began his incredible journey as the son of a poor Panamanian fisherman. When first scouted by the Yankees, he didn't even own his own glove. He thought he might make a good mechanic. When discovered, he had never flown in an airplane, had never heard of Babe Ruth, spoke ...

Lionel Messi is one of the greatest soccer players of his generation. In fact, although still so young, he has been dubbed by many fellow professionals as "The Best Player to Ever Grace the Sport." Most fans are aware of his successes on the field, but in order to truly understand Lionel Messi, you must first understand where he came from. Lionel Messi: An Unauthorized Biography explores Messi's upbringing and details his breakthrough onto the world stage, all the way through his ...

Greatest Ever Boxing Workouts will KO all boxing/combat sport enthusiasts. Featuring a classic coterie of international boxing legends, this superb anthology is illustrated throughout by some of the best photos of them at work in the ring or training in the gym. Our celebrated present-day fighters and former champions range from the instantly recognisable Manny Pacquiao, Floyd Mayweather Jnr, Mike Tyson, Thomas Hearns and Roberto Duran to such respected international figures as Danny Willi...

Pelé—legendary footballer and humanitarian—explores the sport’s recent history and shares his most inspiring experiences, heartwarming stories, and hard-won wisdom.“I know in my heart that soccer was good to me, and great to the world....I saw, time and again, how the sport improved countless millions of lives, both on and off the field. For me, at least, that’s why soccer matters.”The world’s most popular sport goes by many names—soccer, football,...

FACE-OFF A jealous teammate can lead to danger on the ice.... When it comes to skating, Scott Harrison can't be beat. Still, he can't believe it when he's asked to play for the Golden Bears hockey team. But soon his excitement turns to doubt, then fear, when a resentful teammate ruins his confidence. Scott must confront his nemesis or give up his dream of playing hockey forever.

The Detroit Tigers, an umpire, a pitcher, and a mistake—one of the "classic, human, baseball stories" (Ken Burns, creator of the PBS mini-series Baseball).The perfect game is one of the rarest accomplishments in sports. In nearly four hundred thousand contests in over 130 years, it has happened only twenty times. On June 2, 2010, Armando Galarraga threw baseball's twenty-first. Except that's not how it entered the record books. That's because Jim Joyce, vo...

The Red Sox Hall of Famer and World Series MVP tells the story of his life and career in a sports memoir that "lives up to its 'no-holds-barred' billing" ( Washington Post).David "Big Papi" Ortiz is a baseball icon and one of the most popular figures ever to play the game. A star player with the Boston Red Sox for fifteen years, Ortiz helped to win three World Series, bringing back a storied franchise from "never wins" to "always wins." As he launched ball...

The inspiring and dramatic story of Big Papi, from growing up poor to becoming one of the most popular and successful players in Major League Baseball.Raised in the Dominican Republic, signed by the Seattle Mariners, and released by the Minnesota Twins, David Ortiz landed in baseball-crazy Boston, of all places. Generally regarded as an underachiever to that point in his career, Ortiz blossomed into one of the most feared and adored sluggers in baseball while alter...

Find out how Mark Cuban went from flat broke and sleeping on beer-stained floors to fighting with officials in his seat by the Mav's bench. The Mavericks owner turned out to be exactly what the team needed as it made its way to be the 2011 NBA champs: An owner who keeps things interesting and makes good on his promises.