A Champion's Last Fight

Drink, drugs, depression, sex scandals, financial meltdowns, and serious health issues are just some of the fights British boxers have faced once they've quit the ring. A Champion's Last Fight examines just why and exactly how some of Britain's greatest boxers have self-destructed in retirement. It tells the stories of former world champions who have struggled in life away from the spotlights and the glare that comes with boxing success, delving into the post-boxing lives and tribulations of Benny Lynch, Randolph Turpin, Freddie Mills, Ken Buchanan, John Conteh, Alan Minter, Charlie Magri, Frank Bruno, Nigel Benn, Chris Eubank, Naseem Hamed, Scott Harrison, Herbie Hide, Joe Calzaghe, and Ricky Hatton. With interviews and new revelations, A Champion's Last Fight is an emotional journey through boxing history that examines the struggles many former champions experience after hanging up the gloves—and asks what, if anything, can be done to help the nation's boxing greats adjust to life away from the ring?

Nick Parkinson has been a journalist since 1998 and is the boxing reporter for the Daily Star Sunday and ESPN.co.uk. He has also reported on boxing and soccer for the Daily Mirror, Daily Star, the Sunday Times, Daily Mail, the Sun, and other newspapers across the world as well as international wire service Agence France Presse (AFP). He has filed from ringside on the biggest fights in Britain and Europe for most of his journalism career, and is the author of Boxing On This Day.