BOXING

They call it the "sweet science".
Some guys do it just to train.
But if a man gets into the ring,
he can't be afraid of getting hit.
The more he trains,
the more he spars,
the better he gets.
It's simple.
What really makes a boxer feel good is fighting.
Yeah, I boxed with as many opponents as I could find.
Endurance is important,
but experience and fearlessness often win the day.
A boxer has to watch his diet.
He must eat a high protein, low carb diet.
No drinking, no smoking, and no late hours.
Some guys even forego sex before a bout.
The old timers told me "it weakens the legs".
Finness and good technique must be learned.
But a guy with the sheer will to win,
and a killer instinct often beats the more skillfull fighter.
There's no quit in a good boxer.
It's humiliating to be beat to a pulp in front of your Dad,
and your close friends.
But I'll tell you something...
When a referee pulls your hand up into the air for the first time,
there's nothing like it in the world.
It's the biggest "rush" I've ever experienced.
It was better than finishing my first marathon run.
The closer a bout came to me on the calendar, the more nervous I would get.
All I thought about was jabs, flurries and combinations.
I visualized what I would do to my opponent in the ring.
When I got in there, I blocked everything out except the business at hand.
No-one can teach a boxer how to have heart.
I'd like to think that I had a lot of "heart".
I won more bouts than I lost.
Boxing taught me a lot about life.
It taught me how to face my fears and made a better man out of me.
When I was young my boxing skills made me cocky.
I had to get beat down to learn some maturity and humility.
Today I see the "sweet science" as character development.
I get more from training young guys,
than I ever did from punching someone in the face.
I still hit the speed and heavy bags everyday.
I work on my balance and foot work.
I do a little sparing with my friend Tyrone.
He is an old timer like me who used to work out at Chicago's Windy City Gym.
I have pretty good wind for an old guy.
I'm still having fun at the age of 62.
This is God's gift to me.