From Brighton to Madison Square Garden

I still don’t know whether I want to talk about my bout last week. I’ve heard nothing but compliments (“great fight, you looked good, he wanted nothing to do with you,”) assurances (“he was tall and stayed away, what more could you do?”) and verbal pats-on-the-butt (“hey, great fight, better that you had your ‘dang, he’s tall’ bout now instead of in the Golden Gloves”) from my gymmates, trainer and friends in attendance. But at the same time, I've never been more frustrated in the ring, nor grumbled more negativity (and expletives) immediately after. But then again, maybe it's good I - the one who has to learn from and build off this - am the only one with the chip on my shoulder.

The fight was basically a 30-second sequence cycling for 12 minutes, despite my very best efforts to break it. But alas, the kid had a 4-6 inch height advantage and made sure that this cycle would go on. And on. And on. Until the bell. My color commentary:

- I’d circle and move forward, he’d throw a stiff jab and step out.

- I’d stalk my way in, he’d throw another jab and step out.

- I’d lead with an overhand right (landing more often than not), move in, try to flurry with 1-2s and body shots, occasionally land some stiff shots, and have him tie me up.

- We’d step back, he’d jab and step out.

- Knowing I’d have a tough time circling in, I’d stand in front of him. He’d step in, jab and step back out.

- I’d circle, chase him, and deflect another jab…

It was very Rocky-esque. And unbelievably frustrating.

And by frustrating I mean infuriating.

Oh, and to quickly explain the Rocky comparison (they’ve been showing Rocky III and IV a lot lately and I, of course, have been watching) - I always felt like Rocky ate a lot of jabs; dozens each round for the first 8 rounds before he’d just walk through them and land 239 straight hooks and knock his opponent down. Which is kind of what I did. Only I wasn’t a bloody, battered mess. And I didn’t score a kayo. I just got jabbed…and irritated.

Anyway, my opponent wasn’t just tall, but fought tall. And smart. He kept his front leg out and straight, kept his head back, used his lord-knows-how-many inch reach advantage with a steady stream of jabs, and wasn’t scared to go in reverse at a moment’s notice. So kudos to him I guess, and a thank-you for teaching me a lesson in how to counter your stereotypical big, dumb, lanky boxer. I'm confident that, with some additional “tall-guy” preparation these next weeks, I won’t have the same problems getting inside and letting my hands go if I ever run into him or another kid that tall (and defensive) again.

Other recent developments:

- I jammed my thumb again during my bout, re-aggravating the most aggravating injury I’ve ever had. It sill flares up but is feeling better enough already that I’m not worried. Yet.

- I won’t outline the workouts, but I've been training hard and feeling very good since my bout. Given my thumb’s moodiness, I’m very timid with certain gloves and drills, but I’ve been getting my road work and cross-training in (usually the easiest workouts to neglect) and have been really pushing myself in the gym. I'm eyeing a December 12 bout and already training as if it’s my last. It's not, but the urgency and zeal is there - something I sometimes lack as I "go through the motions" of training.

- Went to NYC for the Calzaghe/Jones fight and a boozy weekend with my old roommate. I made 14,000 new Welsh friends, saw a living legend dominate a fight in the "Mecca of Boxing" and had an all-around phenomenal weekend. That, and I expensed the tickets, wahoo! Ah, boxing, bringing people together.

Speaking of great weekends, it’s becoming clear that my new job won’t hinder my training at all. AT ALL. Not only is my office located just a short walk from my gym, but my hours are pretty regular and “normal” and my co-workers are very supportive.

It’s my social life the past two weeks that’s caused the only hiccups in my regimen and given me a wee bit cause for concern that I’m building myself up but still not going to "truly" peak. My crazy weekend in NYC, Celtics and Bruins games, not wanting to ALWAYS tell friends and co-workers “nope, sorry, sparring in Brockton tonight, maybe some other time.” I guess boxing/play is a better imbalance to have then boxing/work, but, well, it’s still a problem.

But at the same time, maybe I’m just searching for problems. It wasn’t my cardio or strength or speed or stamina that frustrated me in my bout last week, it was my size and strategy – only one of which I can help. And next time, regardless of my career and hobbies, I’m training to be more than ready, so no matter how tall he is or how dumb I fight, I'm going to knock his head off.

Quick hits

Wowee, I'm starting to neglect this thing. Balancing my job, lifestyle and (most importantly) training is tough enough as is, let alone trying to whittle out some time to make a worthwhile post on here. I think I'll try incorporating some posts with a little different format - some "quick hitters" that have bulleted thoughts, links and updates to bridge the gap between opportunities to write more.

- This has been a very inconsistent and frustrating week as far as boxing goes. Just as I felt like I had truly found a rhythm with my schedule, routines and training partners, I run into a week like this where I only made it out to Allston twice, and kept finding myself completely spent at the end of the workday before I even worked out. I must add that the two "boxing workouts" were very solid and encouraging, I lifted/ran/cross-trained two additional days, and am about to head out for some sparring as soon as I'm done with this post. Throw in the Celtics game I went to on Wednesday (played knockout on the court at halftime, too) and I guess you could say I did the best that I could with my schedule. But still - while I didn't lose any ground, I definitely didn't make any progress, either.

- Did some light work in the ring with a kid on Monday. I had a big reach advantage and moved well enough that in between rounds he had to ask "just how long you been boxing?" (Sorry, I just love "sneaking up" on people like this until I've gotten enough exposure and established myself at the gym to where everyone knows how comfortable I am inside the squared circle.) I was very (VERY) happy with my jab and stamina. I'm going to move forward with this a bit as I re-adjust my game: lots of lateral movement and angles, keep my jab in their face, use my hooks and straight rights only when I've set them up or see an opportunity to throw them while countering. I used to be a mix of a brawler and a "puncher" but I'm seeing an opportunity to re-define myself as a little more of a boxer.

- I pride myself on the fact that I never leave the gym with anything left in the tank, but I've become aware that during the process of wearing myself out, my intensity fluctuates. I feel like sometimes I'll just be "going through the motions" on a bag, instead of moving in and out with the speed and ferocity of a bout. To rephrase: I need to make sure that I am optimizing my workouts for competitive boxing and not merely getting in boxing shape. I'm by no means loafing, but I think I'm still looking for that happy medium of pacing myself throughout the (brutal) workouts to where I know that I am working the right muscles/skills the right amount for the entire workout. I have faith that over time and a couple of bouts this will work itself out.

- I think my diet is working itself out nicely, too. I have yet to implement a strict regimen, but I've always eaten very healthy, and the past month has been no exception. I've started making huge pots of beans and rice, eating it for a meal, and then storing the leftovers at work for healthy snacks/meals throughout the week. I'm eating lots of whole grain cereals, oatmeal, canned fruits and veggies, fish, sushi, chicken, turkey, hummus, pasta, and yogurt with fresh fruit. One thing I know I'll eventually have to watch: the amount of pasta I'm eating. My favorite lunch spot is an Italian eatery near my office (Viga). It's super cheap and delicious, but, well, it adds up to a lot of carbs at the end of the week that I ordinarily would not be consuming. When I need to start cutting weight in the near future, I know this will be one of the first places that becomes off-limits.

- I remember watching the first Pacquiao/Marquez fight live. It was an incredible fight, and I wish their rematch wasn't on PPV so I could watch it, but such is life. This is a much-anticipated fight, and both of these guys look to be in tremendous shape. I think Freddie Roach has supplemented Pac-Man's style enough that his strength advantage will be too much for Marquez again. For what it's worth, I see Pacquiao winning by a comfortable margin in a 12-round slugfest.

- I can only hope that the legends in this awesome ESPN.com article weren't the last great generation of boxers, and that some of the current superstars are as highly-regarded as these guys still are 25 years later.