My Rocky Moment

It saddens me that so many fighters feel entitled to a boxing career just because they lace up a pair of gloves. If you train two times a week and spar once every other month, please do not call yourself a fighter. Boxing is more than telling people that you're a fighter, when you don't put the "work". I have to admit, I had my "Rocky" moment back in the day. A "Rocky" moment is when you watch boxing on television and you really think that you can compete. In 1996 I walked into the boxing gym at the University of Buffalo and started to train to lose some weight. After watching some of the fighters spar, it looked like something that I could do. This was not the case, sad but true. I started to spar with guys half my size and some fat guys that came through the gym. I did well in those sparring sessions, so I decided to compete in a sanctioned fight. My first fight was against Jamel Barnes. At the time Jamel was an accomplished amateur light-heavyweight that was turning pro that year. I didn't find this out until they introduce him before our bout. Being the warrior that I am, I gave it the old college try. Needless to say, I lost that fight. I had to get pretty creative in my fight plan, so there was a lot of bull-rushing on my part. In my second fight, I tangled with "Gansta" Frankie Knuckles. He was a good amateur heavyweight that I thought I could honestly beat. WRONG!!! I trained a little harder for the fight, but not nearly enough to last three rounds. (side note: you shouldn't smoke Newports during training camp.) I sold about 50 tickets to the fight to my co-workers and they all showed up. I did well in the first 60 seconds of the fight, but then my breathing became compromised. I didn't catch my breath until I got home that night. I finished the fight and lost by decision. It was a humbling experience. I gained a new respect for "real" fighters. I must say, not at any time was I in danger of getting knocked out. Don't get it twisted, I wasn't hurt in either fight. When I got out of the ring, my "Rocky" moment was over.

If you intend to compete in ANY sport, there is a level of sacrifice that you should expect. Sacrifice comes in the form of pain, injuries, loss of a social life, free time, and the list goes on. Sports involve high risk for high returns. When I played football in high school and college, I put in the "work". I trained over the summer to be a better player in the fall. I ran by myself, weight trained, and respected my body as a teenager. Some of the greatest moments in my life came through sports. The emotional recall on my greatest sports moments are burned in my head. My final thought is that you have take take boxing seriously. It is not a game, your life could be on the line. 'Nuff said.