Then on the eve of triumph, one fight away from becoming the Middleweight Champion of the World, he lost everything. In 1966, he was put on trial for murder even though he had no motive, didn’t match the killers descriptions, was cleared of being the attacker by two of the victims and passed a lie detector test.
He was convicted and sentenced to life. For 20 years Rubin remained in the New Jersey prison system, fighting for his freedom and struggling to clear his name. He wrote a book about his imprisonment – The 16th Round: From Number One Contender to Number 45472. A copy of his book was mailed to Bob Dylan who visited him in prison and wrote a song entitled, “Hurricane” about his case.
On November 7, 1985, after many years of trying, Rubin’s conviction was overturned. The judge stated the trial had been “based on racism rather than reason and concealment rather than disclosure.”
He is one of the world’s most powerful and inspirational speakers who shares his thoughts and perspectives on life. His incredible story teaches you about the power of personal worth and about overcoming your fears.
Of his experience he notes, “I’ve learned that bitterness only consumes; somehow, some way, you have to get over it. You have to beat it.”
Today Rubin serves as Executive Director of the Toronto-based Association in Defence of the Wrongly Convicted, a group dedicated to championing the cases of prisoners who have been wrongly imprisoned.
To honour this champion fighter, more than 20 years after his chance to claim the World Title, the World Boxing Council awarded Rubin the WBC World Championship Belt.
Rubin’s tale is so riveting that Hollywood has decided to produce a
movie based on this incredible life story. The movie “Hurricane”
is directed by Norman Jewison and Rubin is portrayed by Denzel Washington.
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