Rubin Carter was born in Clifton, New Jersey, 1 of 7 children. He was 11 when he stabbed a man and was sent to Jamesburg State Home for Boys. He escaped after 6 years and enlisted in the army, where he did well.
Rubin Carter began his boxing career in 1961. He and another man were convicted of murder in 1967. Written from prison, The Sixteen Round tells of Carter's struggles and triumphs and in the wake of publication, a number of celebrities took up his cause, with Bob Bylan writing his now classic, "Hurricane" in Carter's honour.