Arthur Biyarslanov's journey to competitive boxing has not been easy. As a small child he fled Chechnya with his family, dodging bullets and rocket fire and fording a freezing river. As a young Muslim refugee he faced hardships and hostility in his new homes in Azerbaijan and Toronto. Soccer became his refuge, and he learned two languages by playing the game with his new friends. In Toronto, he joined a league and quickly became their star player. A broken leg left him weakened and he turned to boxing to keep his strength up. Soon it became his new love. After many hours of hard work, he started to win his bouts. And by the age of twenty the "Chechen Wolf" was a champion amateur boxer, winning gold for Canada, his new homeland, at the 2015 Pan Am Games. That medal earned him a shot at the 2016 Summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro-the next round for this talented boxer and determined survivor.

 

This book is the winner of numerous awards. It was recognised in the Golden Oak Award category by the Ontario Library Association Forest of Reading Awards. It was recognised in the 15 Books for Young Readers during the Rio Olympic Games category by CBC Books. It also was recognised in the Best Books for Kids & Teens category by the Canadian Children's Book Centre Awards. It was recognised by the Stacked Books "Monthly Giving International Refugee Assistance Program" Selection. Also it was recognised by the Resource Links the Year's Best.

There are 112 pages in this book. This book was published 2016 by Pajama Press .

John Spray grew up in the Midwest and spent years as a successful amateur boxer, gym rat and boxing fanatic. He has been a Private Investigator in Toronto for forty years and is the owner and founder of Mantis Investigation. John also sponsors the annual John Spray Mystery Award for excellence in mystery writing for children.