The Unbeatable Man

by Matt Furey

IN THE HEART OF THE COUNTRY STIRS A POWERFUL, NATIONAL WRESTLING PRESENCE PUTTING FORTH OLYMPIC CHAMPIONS AND INSPIRING YOUNG MAN IN THE NEW BOOK, THE UNBEATABLE MAN BY MATT FUREY. The book captures the heart of a champion very much like the famous Hoosiers story that molded young high school men to defy the odds and garner a national title. As a young man living in rural Iowa, Matt Furey was the punching bag for his four brothers. When one of his brothers challenged him, he stepped into the wrestling world, only to soar to new heights both as an athlete and as a person. Learning from his older brother s mistakes, Matt made it his mission to stay away from the partying and antics that many high school kids discover. An accomplished athlete in both swimming and wrestling, Matt became the celebrity from his small town on his quest for a state title in wrestling. In the wrestling world, Iowa has brought up many world champions. These great wrestlers before him motivated Matt. He spent hours reading and rereading their books. He went to summer camp where they taught. To be in their presence meant the world to him, as he plotted along his journey to win a state, then national title. In THE UNBEATABLE MAN, Matt documents his quest to compete in the state high school tournament and possibly go on to the nationals in his weight category. He shares with the reader his unwavering dedication to the sport and his ultimate goal, to go to University of Iowa and train with the greats in the sport of wrestling. Matt pens an exciting tale of how a young man in his late teens can stay on track, not be seduced by the new independence of high school festivities, girls and drugs to achieve a goal. These lessons have stayed with Matt and have aided him in his endeavors as a successful entrepreneur. In society when so many teens are faced with these crossroads in life, it is a valuable resource to help guide teens on the right track. Throughout the book, Matt speaks to the reader through his own experience. He explains his reasoning and motivation. When he accomplishes what he achieves, he sets a new goal to pursue. Even when he doesn t achieve a goal exactly the way he set out to get there, he begins working towards the next goal. THE UNBEATABLE MAN can direct many young high school age men struggling with their own crossroads and help them make the right decisions.

128 pages, Perfect Paperback

First published January 1, 2009

Reviews

[James Bier · Rating 2 out of 5]

Rating: ★★⯪☆☆ (2.5/5)

I first read The Unbeatable Man when I was seventeen. One of my closest friends, Justino, gave it to me for my birthday. He didn’t just hand it over. He wrote a message inside the book, telling me he believed in me and wanted me to push myself. That meant something. When someone sees your potential and chooses a book because they genuinely want you to grow, you don’t forget that.

I reread it in 2024 because I wanted to see how it felt now that I’m older and have gone through real struggle, real pain, and the honest work of trying to change myself. My impression stayed mostly the same.

The book is Matt Furey talking about his wrestling career and using those stories to push mental toughness. I respect discipline. I respect grit. I understand why this book hits hard for athletes. But the tone often feels more like a victory lap than a true exploration of growth or struggle. It spends more time telling you he did it rather than helping you realize you can.

Confidence is good. Owning your path is good. But there’s a difference between confidence and ego, and the writing slips into ego too often. It promotes toughness, but it avoids the vulnerability that usually shapes real discipline.

The writing is easy to read but repetitive. It cycles through the same lessons in slightly different wording. Some wrestling stories are genuinely interesting and give you a look into that world. But much of the book feels like short motivational bursts instead of something reflective or thoughtful.

I don’t need poetic writing. I just want depth and honesty. I want to feel like the author understands the uncomfortable parts of growth, not just the triumphs. This book focuses more on “push harder” instead of exploring what it actually feels like to struggle and still choose to keep going.

If someone is brand new to self improvement, this could be a good starting point. But for me, after years of real introspection, real change, real pain, and rebuilding my habits from scratch, the book didn’t offer much that I haven’t already lived through myself.

[Greg · Rating 5 out of 5]

My older brother gave me this book, I shelved it for a while. I had just finished a book on Mastery and this book seemed short enough that I could set my mind to it and finish it. I played soccer growing up so the author's stories of wrestling weren't exactly near and dear to me. However, I did understand competition and I did understand wanting to win. What I didn't understand was what other's have done in order to reach the highest level. I would say I had the love for my sport and I also had the IQ. What I didn't have then was the discipline to skip on the pizza and soda to truly meet my full potential. After reading this book, I was inspired to start a "biggest loser," competition at my gym and to get back into soccer. My efforts in both have been similar to my results in my past, I still have a hard time passing no the delicious foods in life. However, i think back to this book and it's highly motivating thinking just how committed Matt Furey was to his sport and through hard work met his aggressive goals with adversity at nearly every step.

Read this book if you feel like you need to understand better what the best are willing to do to prep for greatness.

[Betsy · Rating 4 out of 5]

My son had to read it for football which I thought was interesting since the boy is a wrestler and quit football to concentrate on wrestling. Good message. Probably not as interesting if you don't have a background in wrestling