The Last Man Standing

When Barry Michael stepped into the ring to fight Lester Ellis for the International Boxing Federation World Super Featherweight Championship on 12 July 1985, it was a fight that the world of boxing had been looking forward to with an anticipation that few other Australian fights had ever inspired. Big money, big egos and big careers were on the line. It was not just going to be tough; it was going to be brutal. It was going to be personal. And it was going to make boxing history. This is Barry Michaels “ tell as much as I can without getting sued” autobiography, in which the former world champion lets us in and gives us an insider’ s look into the reality of the pro-fighter’ s world – from the day-to-day grind of training, to the way the sport is organized and run, to what actually goes on in the mind and body of a fighter before, during and after each fight – and all the moments in between. Only now can some of Australian boxing’ s highest moments, and darkest secrets be revealed.