By Tate Papworth
A former professional boxer has traded the gloves for the pen.
St Albans man Ivan Rukavina has released a biography on his remarkable career.
My Fighting Life chronicles Rukavina’s life from arriving in Australia as a migrant from Croatia, to discovering his passion for boxing and the ups and downs that come with life.
“I’d had a lot of interest from people in my story, so I decided to put it down in a book,” he said. “I had about 150 amateur fights and won about 125 before turning professional.”
Rukavina said turning professional was the highlight of his career but it was short-lived after a freak accident.
“I broke my shoulder skiing, which really set me back. I attempted to come back, had three fights in New Zealand, but then broke my wrist in a car accident.
“In all I had about 17 fights. I won nine, but I was never knocked out, so there’s only one I’m prepared to admit I lost.”
He said his greatest achievement came as an amateur. “I won the King’s Cup for Australia in Thailand, that’s probably my biggest achievement in the sport.
“I also trained for the Seoul Olympics, but injury got me and I missed selection.”
While proud of his achievements, Rukavina said it was a challenge to put it all into words.
My Fighting Life will hit the shelves later this year.
