Boxing is perhaps the most challenging sport of all. A boxer requires a
unique blend of speed, strength, and endurance.
In addition to these
qualities, he must stand up to the punishment inflicted by an equally
matched opponent. To withstand the inevitable pain and fatigue, the
boxer must possess a mind that is as tough as his body.
Boxing is not just about getting into shape and mastering the tools of
the sweet science. An equally important aspect of the fight game is
having the mental fortitude to succeed. Boxing is unique from other
sports, as a fighter must stand alone inside the ring. Even legendary
trainers such as Eddie Futch and Angelo Dundee would exit the ring
during rounds.
Regardless of your abilities, the time will come when you must battle
fatigue. You may be hurt or injured, yet forced to continue. Boxing is
not like other sports where you can look to the referee to call timeout.
Instead, you must fight until the bell rings. You have the option to
quit, but real fighters never will. Real boxers fight regardless of the
adversity faced inside the ring.
A strong mind can help during these difficult times. The mind is a
powerful tool that some never learn to control. For example, all boxers
understand the importance of running, watching their diet, and training
hard in the gym. Why then, are some fighters in amazing shape, while
others only mediocre? Why do some fighters have difficulties making
weight, while others weigh in perfectly every time? The answers to these
questions lie within the mental discipline of the fighter. It is easy
to cheat on your diet and easy to skip your roadwork. Unfortunately for
many, boxing is not an easy sport.
A day in the life of a fighter consists of an early wakeup, followed by a
morning session of running. Many fighters are up by 5:30 and running by
6 AM. While most people sleep soundly, boxers are out running the
streets. Roadwork often consists of hills, sprints, and torturous
intervals. The morning session is far from enjoyable, yet because of its
importance, a fighter commits himself to it. There will be days when
you are tired, perhaps you stayed up late, perhaps it is raining
outside, or the wind is blowing feverishly in the winter. Boxing is
different from other team sports, as many of the decisions must be made
on your own.
Your coach is not there at 5:30 in the morning, reminding you to wake up
and hit the roads. It is easy to hit the snooze button on your alarm
and drift back to the dream that was abruptly halted by the annoying
buzz.
What makes you decide to run, while others may choose to sleep? The
decision often comes from deep inside. The man who wakes to run, runs
not to look nice on the beach, rather he runs to inch himself closer to
victory. He may be preparing for a regional amateur tournament, perhaps
the nationals, or even a professional world title. At some point, you
must decide on your own, how bad you want to win.
There will always be fighters who sleep, and others who wake. There will
always be those who mess around at the gym, and those who train until
the lights go out. You will have days when you’d rather not train. On
your way to the gym, you consider driving past, yet you stop and turn
towards the gym parking lot. Mentally, you must be strong to succeed in
this sport. No one can make the decision for you to train. The decision
must be made at the individual level. The best trainers in the world are
only as good as the students they train. They can provide motivation
and advice, but ultimately, the decision still rests in the hands of the
fighter.
When you decide in your heart, that you want to succeed, your mind will
take over. You begin to make boxing your sole purpose in life. You have
to eat, sleep, and dream boxing to be the best. If you don’t, rest
assured that someone else will. This is not a sport you play. This is a
sport where you can get hurt. Boxing is a sport for warriors, those that
are strong both mentally and physically. We will all face fear and
doubt, but with dedicated training and experience, we learn to quell
these feelings.
Consider the wait in the locker room before the bout. You are often left
by yourself, while your trainer works with other fighters. You try to
envision the fight in your head. There are times when you doubt
yourself, even question your conditioning. Thoughts race through your
head, but you remain calm showing no visible expression. You must hide
your concern from the fighters around you. You shadow box to loosen the
tightness fashioned from your nerves. When fight time comes, these
thoughts quickly vanish. You rely on your training and fight your heart
out. Through experience, you learn to overcome the anxiety. You realize
that you are not alone, rather one of many who have faced such feelings.
The wait in the locker room is enough to break the average man. Most men
have never been involved in a fair one-on-one fight. Most have never
been punched in the face. For this reason, most cannot comprehend the
feeling of sitting and waiting to do battle with another man, whose soul
purpose is to knock you out. He has sweat and bled in the gym for one
reason, to hand you defeat. You must face this challenge alone. Your
friends and family can only watch from outside the ring.
The mind can play tricks on you. It may convince you to doubt yourself
and your training. For this reason, you must train the mind to work for
you, not against. The only way to achieve this state of mind is through
experience and hard work. Experience comes from actual competition. You
must fight and continue to learn.
If you lose, you must make the decision to get back up and fight. When a
boxer loses, many are quick to call him a bum or over the hill. These
people don’t realize that boxing is just like any other sport. It takes
time to learn and master the techniques. You must learn from your losses
and live to fight another day. No one can instill the mental toughness
and work ethic required to become a champion. You must dig down, deep
within and find these qualities on your own.
Train hard and believe in yourself. Through hard work, you will gain
confidence in your training. Boxing is a sport that does not involve
luck. Boxing is a sport that rewards those who work hard and overcome
obstacles.
Make the choice. Train like a champion and you can become a champion.
