Onwards

This is long overdue, so I'm just going to hop right into it - here's the recap of my bout last Saturday in the regional finals of the Rocky Marciano tournament:

I woke up early, as thirsty and hungry as expected, but in great spirits. Between the trip in my trainer's car and getting settled at the venue's locker room, I spent the hours before weigh-in channeling my inner Buddha - at peace, relaxed and just treating it like any other Saturday in the gym. When the scalemaster finally showed up, I hopped in line and weighed a whopping 147. (I guess I should have fried some wings the night before instead of nibbling on a grilled chicken breast...) Needless to say, I got right to work putting that weight back on had my first Powerbar unwrapped before I even put my shirt back on.

I went back to the locker room and relaxed, reading my book (fittingly, a bio on Roberto Duran) and munching on bananas, cold spaghetti and another protein bar. Surprisingly, I wasn't anxious in the least. On the contrary, I was doing what I loved and I knew with certainty that I was ready, so I truly had nothing to fear.

I warmed up, stretched out, had one of my cornermen wrap my hands (everyone should have their hands wrapped by someone else at least once - the light, airy snugness on your knuckles, using gauze instead of linen... it's pugilistic pampering) and before I knew it, my name was being called.

After weeks of training, sacrifice and preparation, it was finally time to put it all together and win some hardware.

My opponent came out at the opening bell with guns blazing, winding up on his toes and lunging at me with power punches in bunches. He was a strong kid and landed a few solid shots, but never hurt me and set a pace I knew was unmaintainable. He clinched a lot and rough-housed, but was only the 2nd toughest fighter in the ring. The bell rang and I went back to my corner knowing I was behind on points, but held a huge advantage in skill, strategy and stamina.

As expected, the 2nd round swayed drastically in my favor and at times was nothing short of a clinic. My opponent wanted to brawl, throw bombs and tie up, but I kept my hands high and a steady diet of 1-2's in his face, and was never in range by the time he was ready to wind up and fire back. As the round progressed and his work (and success/land) rate decreased, he began clinching and holding more and more. He was trying to slow the fight down and keep it ugly, but it wasn't because that was his style - he was just that tired.

I came out for the 3rd round as fresh as I was in the 1st - not just because of adrenaline, but because I was in that good of shape and confident that I was going to blow my fatigued opponent away on the scorecards in the final 3 minutes. Unfortunately, he countered with his own secret weapon: more holding.

A lot more.

While the first half of the round was practically flawless for me, the 2nd half might as well have been a foxtrot lesson - my opponent wouldn't quit bear-hugging me and the ref pulled a vanishing act, never stepping it in to break us up and get him off me. While I still landed a few stiff, short uppercuts and squeezed in a few hooks and right hands, I was literally tied up for the entire 2nd half of the round.

When the final bell rang, my opponent didn't need to step in to embrace me - he already had me wrapped up, so he just relaxed, dropped his guard and said "great fight." I couldn't help but respond with a smirk "great fight dude...now quit holding me after the fight too."

I went back to my corner and took my gloves off, thoroughly satisfied with my performance and ready to have my hand raised in the middle of the ring.

But the end result? A split-decision victory for the bad guy.

And the margin on the deciding judge's scorecard? One point.

You can't make this up.

One point. I needed one more point for a draw, two for a victory. If the ref would have ran the fight differently (aka done his job at all and kept us boxing rather than sumo wrestling...) I know I would have erased that margin in seconds. So while I'm honestly not crying foul or conspiracy (how can I? all the holding affected my opponent too) I can't help but feel frustrated. The praise and assurances that I "should" have won are no consolation for not actually getting the W.

I could not have been more prepared for this fight. I could not have fought any smarter or stronger. I was in control. Strangers at ringside approached me and told me I won. If I had that minute+ of boxing (rather than snuggle time) during the final round, I have no doubts that it would have resulted in me being awarded a unanimous decision win.

Everything went right...except having the win on my record.

So I've spent the past week+ resting and clearing my head. My body needed the break, but for once my mind needed a little R&R outside the ring too. After all, you can't think about your next fight until you've moved on from your last. And while this was far from a negative experience, it admittedly took me a few days to look at it as a semi-positive bump in my boxing career.

So onwards I go. My batteries are re-charged and I've started to ease back into my full training routine. Tomorrow is my first sparring session since the bout and I feel like it will be the final step in burying my disappointment.

I posted it right before my fight and I'm sticking with it now: "Forget past mistakes. Forget failures. Forget everything except what you're going to do now and do it."

Regional Finals

So I guess I should have posted this earlier, but in the same sitting as my last blog post I learned that the tournament organizers had adjusted the bout sheet and I was seeded to where I had a 1st round bye. So despite being as physically and mentally prepared as possible - including cutting my weight down - I did not fight last Saturday and will be fighting this coming Saturday, 9/19 in the regional finals in Pawtucket, RI.

While it's always nice to be given a shorter, more direct path to a championship, I must say that I'm a bit disappointed that I didn't fight last week. As mentioned above, I was truly peaked and ready to go. Instead, this week I feel a little banged up and sluggish. I feel like I'm having to rally my way to being fully prepared for Saturday, rather than simply riding a strong upswing like last week.

Don't get me wrong, I will be ready to fight and win Saturday. But, well, the extra week is proving to be as much of a nuisance as a convenience or blessing.

I did get to watch my opponent fight last week, and he is a strong kid and very talented boxer. I know what I need to do and am confident that if (when) I fight my fight and get him uncomfortable I can win this. Being able to strategize and visualize a victorious fight all week has been great.

So this week has been more of the same as last - tapering in the gym with shorter, more intense workouts, sharpening my mind, and dieting to keep my weight at the level I need. Tomorrow will be a vicious workout, and then Thursday and Friday will be (very) much-needed rest days.

Tomorrow also is my birthday. And I don't mind at all that I'll be spending it at the gym, wearing myself out with my training partners and chanting this mantra:

"Forget past mistakes. Forget failures. Forget everything except what you're going to do now and do it." - William Durant

And it's as simple as that. Let's do it.

Closing Camp

So last night was my last big workout before the bout Saturday - "camp" is officially closed and I need to switch gears and have my mental preparation catch up with my physical readiness.

Some doubts have started to set in, but I think it's more jitters than legit concerns. After all, I feel great, have been having a lot of success in the ring, and got a vote of confidence from the gym owner tonight that all I need to do now is relax, have fun, and replicate all this when it counts Saturday.

My only regret, actually, is moving around with a kid last night that's notorious for cranking up the intensity randomly in the laziest of sparring sessions. He's a pretty decent boxer though, so I decided to change it up and work 4 rounds with him. As expected, he sprinkled some bombs into his flurries throughout our "light," final workout - including 3 well after the final bell that earned groans from a few onlookers - catching me off guard a few times and marking me up a little. I'm not worried about the cosmetics so much as a little swelling and bleeding from my nose. Some wear and tear is nothing new, but I just hate not being 100000001% going into a fight, especially when it's the result of some shenanigans 96 hours before. Such is life in the ring I guess and I doubt I'm the only boxer sporting some pre-existing war wounds at the weigh-in. Besides, I definitely would have won on the scorecards if it was "official" last night, so the underlying message is that I'm ready to dish it as well as receive. But in the meanwhile, here's to clear airways and not looking any more of a mess leaving the ring Saturday as I do going into it.

Randoms:

- I keep thinking of a quote from Manny Pacquiao on an episode of Hatton-Pacquio 24/7 that was along the lines of: "Training is the hard part. If you train hard, then the fight is easy." Now obviously there are a million variations to this quote, like "The harder you train, the luckier you get" and "The more you sweat, the less you bleed." While all are valid (albeit a bit cliche) there was something about how Pac-Man said this that stuck out as being genuine and profound. Just something that's crossed my mind a few times the past few weeks...

- I weighed in at 153 before my workouts each of the last two days, and well under 150 after each. At the risk of jinxing myself, I don't think I'm going to have to gas myself too much to make weight Saturday at 9 a.m. Early dinner, no water, lots of sleep, no breakfast or fluids until I step off the scale...should be all set.

- Speaking of weight, my roommate made cookies last night. I made her hide them.

This is what it's all about. I put in my time, paid my dues, now I just need to piece it all together, clear my head and go win some hardware.

1 Week Out

So in exactly 1 week I'll be fighting in the Rocky Marciano Tournament of Champions and I can honestly say that I have done everything possible - both effort, mindset and results - to win this thing.

I sparred today with a kid who normally gives me a fair amount of problems - or rather, when I don't fight smart, he makes me eat some leather. He's pretty slick, all his punches are straight, and he seems to always be moving backwards, so the last thing I ever want to do is just go plodding in on a straight line. The past few months we've had some pretty competitive rounds, establishing a very noticeable trend that climaxed today.

And that trend, of course, is me being more boxer/less brawler and in the best shape of my life. Because today, after the 2nd round, my trainer called off the clinic I was putting on to spare the kid from the lopsided hurtin' I was going to continue to put on him in the 3rd.

I feel fast, strong and smart. I'm beating people to the punch, counterpunching with pop and just flat out-working, out-hustling, out-thinking and plain old out-boxing everyone I've moved around with lately. Bag work, mitts, plyos, everything just feels good. And this isn't me blowing my own horn so much as finally seeing the signs (feeling) that I'm peaking at the exact right time.

Since I only got in 2 rounds of sparring today, I immediately hit the bag circuit hard, rotating between the heavy, hook and uppercut bags for 8 rounds. I finished the day with 3 rounds of mitts, 20 minutes of plyos for my legs, 3 rounds of shadowboxing and abs. And my weight at the end of it all? 150.

Life in the ring is good.

Some random notes:

- Just clicked on a thread titled "It's International Bacon Day!" on the message board I always visit. The pics in it made me want to cry. I'm already itching for a burrito and now bacon...just...I need to stop writing about it and think about something other than food.

- Tomorrow will be my last day lifting before the fight. I plan on doing my "usual" upper body weight routine, but tacking on some additional miles to my road work. I intend on running every morning before work between now and fight night, regardless of the workout planned for that night. I want to keep my weight where it is now so I don't have to kill myself cutting down Friday night.

- Juan Manuel Marquez just drank his own pee on the 2nd episode of 24/7. PBF is acting strangely humble and has just gone a full hour without getting on my nerves. This makes no sense. Anyone else witnessing this madness?

- Cutting weight is hell. Don't know if I've mentioned that yet...

This is what it's all about, folks. Eyes on the prize...

10 days out

So I'm 10 days out from the big fight and everything still seems to be hitting on all cylinders. I feel great - my stamina's up, my gloves are popping, I'm fighting smart and I just feel fresh and ready. To bullet out some random musings...

- Samson had his hair, I have my high socks. Honest to goodness, I don't box as well wearing normal socks as I do when I wear my long ones pulled mid-way up my shins. Fashionable AND functional...somehow.

- I went 8 rounds total between 3 different sparring partners this Saturday and felt fantastic throughout. What's more, I stopped a kid with a body shot for the first time ever. (Ever meaning I've never done that before in all my days and rounds.) This is a definite indicator that things are progressing. I'd be a bit more impressed with myself if it was in an actual bout and against someone other than a rotating sparring partner from my gym, but, well, this is good stuff. So here's to repeating the kayo when it counts on the 12th.

- Confession: the best part about my marathon sparring session Saturday is the fact that I went out Friday night and admittedly partied entirely too hard. But rather than having a sluggish, frustrating-to-the-point-I'm-sick (hungover) workout, I had one of my best in recent memories. That's how I know I'm ready for this bout. And yes, I realize that Saturday was me using my "get out of jail free card" and I don't plan on boozing between now and fight night.

- My two favorite combos this month:

First, is a lead hook-2. I show the lead hook, tipping the punch a shade with my shoulder and throwing it a little wide. Whether it connects for points or not (ideally it does, but it's a set-up) I get my opponent to commit to it and step in with my back foot, blasting a straight right (my ham-muh) through the shoot. This has been working incredibly effectively as of late, especially after a series of jabs that gets them cheating on the straight, peppering punches.

My other favorite is a 1-2-step-through/step-over that leads to, well, whatever punches I want - usually a big right hand, but sometimes I'll wind-up and come through with a hook to the body. I've gotten really good at hiding this movement behind my right hand, stepping through (almost hopping) and pivoting quickly, staying tight so I can get my final punch/combo off quickly and trapping my opponent behind behind my trail leg. Why I didn't toy with my footwork months (hell, years) ago, I'll never know.

- I have to renew my fight passport before the 12th and just mailed off my application today. My trainer's not worried that it'll get there, be processed and returned all in time for the tourney, but I can't help but be anxious. It'd be just my luck to find out during weigh-in that my paperwork's not in order and I can't compete. Aw hell, did I just jinx myself?

- Not having to cut huge amounts of weight is sweet. And that's all I have to say about that.

More updates as they happen in the coming days. Getting pumped...

The beat goes on

I didn't mean for it to be 2 weeks (yet again) before another update, but luckily it's been business as usual inside the ring and out.

As of today I'm officially registered for the Rocky Marciano tournament. I'll be fighting at 152 lbs. and my first bout is Saturday, September 12. The tournament is huge and the 1st round is going to be scattered across four different venues, so I'm still waiting to see my exact draw. Regardless, my trainer likes my chances to really make some noise and maybe take the whole thing (for serious) and I'm excited to fight for some hardware for the first time in 2009.

Speaking of bouts, my last one is almost an afterthought at this point, which isn't downplaying its size or outcome. For once in my life the other guy started off as the aggressor, constantly coming forward and throwing nothing but loopy power punches. And, for the first time in my life, I didn't immediately toe the line and bang with him, choosing instead to counterpunch, keep my jab in his face, build some distance with lead right hands and work some angles to outbox him until the 3rd round. By the last 2 minutes of the bout, he was tired and moving backwards, dropping his hands and allowing me to let my hands go, brawl a bit and score enough points to steal the fight. So I boxed a brawler. And it worked. Imagine that.

Since then I've been getting regular sparring in, which has been going equally well. I've been getting a lot of different looks from the wide array of skilled/sized boxers we have in the gym, so while my sparring partners aren't all tough S.O.B.'s like my last opponent, they're giving me the opportunity to continue to work on all aspects of my game. What's more, my trainer has continued working the focus mitts with me early and often, and then screaming while I'm sparring for some of the step-throughs, angles and combos we've been working on to really ingrain them in my muscle memory and make them second nature. I'm truly re-creating myself in the ring, and it's thanks to my work ethic finally getting the rounds and expert attention it's needed.

With the long workouts and increased sparring has come some aches and injuries, namely my nagging back acting up again and some soreness in my right hand. While my "ham-muh" hurting is new, my old-man's back is something I've learned to deal with, so I'll just have to listen to my body and keep on keepin' on as much as possible.

I'm going to be updating this more frequently the next 2 weeks as I gear up for this tourney. Big things ahead, people. Onwards I go...

On Track

Yeesh, just as I build some serious momentum in the ring I run off and forget this thing. Or not - I've just been devoting all my inner-Pacquiao into the gym, the road, the weights, the plyos, my opponent's dome... and, well, some stuff falls through the cracks.

But that's not to say there haven't been some good - scratch that, great - things going on though.

I had another absolute war of a sparring session last week with one of the gym's better competitive boxers. We got 6 long, aggressive rounds in (wore them on my face to work the next day too) and grabbed the attention of everyone working out in the building, including our defending national champ and the gym owner. Not only was there praise for our energy, but a lot of great feedback and pointers too.

This unsanctioned/unofficial/unplanned bout ended up snowballing into the owner and head trainer wanting to set-up regular 1-on-1's with me to wear me out on the focus mitts, yell at me ("instruct") during some bag work and just really fine-tune my game. Thus far it's been incredible and feels like the true missing link between me peaking and plateauing. So see, all I needed was a little attention and TLC to really start hitting on all cylinders...

And peaking I am. The momentum just keeps building and building and I just feel... awesome. I feel fast and strong and have some sort of reactor fueling me through some grueling workouts that, on paper, I don't get how I finish on the same tank of gas. But I do, and I do it with fervor and aggression, pushing myself at all times, wringing the sweat out of my shirts and feeling confident that my opponent can't possibly be working any harder than me. And with that comes a mental edge. And when physical prowess meets smarts and mental toughness, you have yourself one hard to manage 152 lb. farm boy.

And yes, you saw that right. Those who really know me might be aware that I've spent the majority of my amateur career fighting at 140 lbs. Well, no more. I'm too big, strong and active (read: bullish) in the ring to keep exhausting myself before the bell even rings. I've never, ever, ever EVER had issues gassing during fights, but I've been having a ridiculous amount of success lately embracing the bull rush and just outhustling, outworking and strong-arming my opponents, so we're going to shake things up and let keep some of this newly found/grown/built mass on my body. That, and my right hand is friggen' dynamite. Or as my trainer like to say in his sweet South Boston accent - it's a "ham-muh." So hooray beach muscles and food and decapitating straight rights and flurries in the corner and - most importantly - wins.

...of which I hope to tack on another tomorrow. I have a bout vs. an unknown opponent at a big show in Newton, MA tomorrow night and I'm ready for another training camp checkpoint. So for now, I need to eat a little more sushi and catch some shut-eye - I need to be well-rested to keep this freight train on track and rumbling along.