I'm just back from my evening session of training and sparring and what a difference a few days makes. It's been 2 days since the last gym session and it's incredible what a little rest can do. Instead of the drubbing that I got earlier in the week and the fatigue I felt in the gym for the subsequent sessions, today I felt good. The pre-fighting circuit training felt good. For once the sit ups, the press ups, the squats, and the running didn't make me collapse in a heap of sweat and (almost) tears. The ring work then went well and I sparred a round with Zack that really built my confidence. I'm still convinced he could have taken me out at his will but I moved well, I jabbed well and most important of all I didn't fear his attacks in any way. A second round sparring with Tony was far less controlled and felt like a bar fight but, even though he caught me a couple of times, nothing worried me.
As I had written about in my previous blog this game is really all about how your mind works. The part that is brutal and physical can be taught and can come with hard work in the gym, but this isn't the most important part. It's all about how strong you feel in your head. Any doubts that creep in raise a level of fear that does nothing more than make you slower, less aggressive and more vulnerable. I learnt this the hard way earlier in the week and have learned well from that lesson.
This week Zack also told me who I'd be fighting. Gone is the German (not sure where but I like to think he heard about my skills and bottled it.....WHAT?, that's probably what happened!). Instead I'll be fighting an Australian bloke called Ben. Here's what I know about him. He's very fit, he's about 4 inches shorter than me and he's been training for about 3 months more than me. So, there goes the "everyone equal" premise of this type of boxing, but I'm not going to let than worry me. He'll go for my body and try and get close which means my Jab is going to be key, and the fact that he's super fit means I'll have to work on my endurance. I've got 4 weeks until fight night and now I know what I have to focus on.
I trust Zack and I trust that he wouldn't put me in a position where I may get hurt but I'd be lying if I didn't say I'd prefer to be fighting an 80kg midget with one leg that I can just beat up in front of the 1000 people in June. I'm also convinced that would make much better entertainment...imagine he could bite my knees while I punch the top of his head. I could keep a glove on his head while swinging my leg like a pendulum into his groin as his punches fall about a foot before my body. He could run at me and slide between my legs before headbutting me on the arse......now tell me that isn't entertainment!!!!
OK, time for bed now. It's nearly 10pm and the alarm will ring at 5.15am for another session of sweat and Ben prep!
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