Admittedly, I did not follow Andre Ward very closely once he turned professional although I did see his bouts in the 2004 Olympics. So, when this book first came out, I wasn't too interested. But seeing it available for review more than a year after publication, I figured why not give it a try. And, man, am I glad I did! Here is my review of "Killing the Image."
Title/Author: “Killing the Image: A Champion’s Journey of Faith, Fighting and Forgiveness” by Andre Ward with Nick Chiles
Rating: 5 of 5 stars (excellent)
Review: In some ways, the story of
Olympic gold medalist and light heavyweight boxing champion Andre Ward reads
like the story of so many other boxers. Ward came from a broken home so his
trainer became like a father figure to him. He got caught up in street life by
selling drugs for quick cash. He became
a father as a teenager. It would seem
like all these circumstances would break him – or at least prevent him from having
a successful athletic career.
But his story is NOT like so many others. With a strong conviction of his faith, his
hard work in his training, his fulfillment of his duties as a father (and a
husband as he married the woman who bore his son when they were both teenagers)
and his undying love for both of his parents despite their troubles, he
achieved all that he wanted in the boxing ring. His journey to do so is a
fascinating tale, one that was very hard to put down.
What really jumped out at me compared to other sports
memoirs I have read (and those who follow my writing know that I have read
many) is his commitment to not only his family and to his faith, but to his
duties. He would never walk away from
any responsibility – at least not completely.
When he was dealing drugs, he would mention how in the back
of his mind that he was feeling guilty for skipping out on training and how it
made Virgil, his trainer and mentor, feel.
He always was thinking of others, even in the ring and when negotiating
contracts. He mentions that he (and many other boxers) will wish their opponents
well. Yes, they want to win, but they
don’t want harm to their opponents either.
When he was negotiating contract or switching agents, he would be concerned
with their welfare as well. From the
tone of the entire book, no matter the subject, it was clear that this was genuine
concern, not just something to include because it sounds good.
Currently, Ward is a licensed minister, which is the
perfect occupation for his post-boxing life.
Throughout the book, he not only refers to Scripture that guided him,
but he also conferred with his minister throughout his boxing career. It helped
that his minister was also a professional athlete as an offensive lineman in
the NFL. It is clear that Ward believes his faith played as much of a role in his
success as well as his family, trainers and ability.
The boxing and training sections of the book are also very
good. I especially enjoyed his recaps of
his Olympic experiences in 2004 and his two fights against the Russian light
heavyweight Sergey Kovalev. The drama
around those two fights outside the ring was just as compelling as the fighting
and Ward describes them both in excellent detail.
While this was a fairly short book at 224 pages, it was also
one that was very hard to put down and as a result I finished it quickly – and didn’t
want it to end. Ward was inducted into
the Boxing Hall of Fame and is just as grateful for that as he was for any
other accomplishment. His story is one
that readers will enjoy, especially if they are boxing fans.
I wish to thank Harper Horizon for providing an advance
review copy of the book. The opinions expressed in this review are strictly my
own.
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