Boxing has often been called the loneliest sport. This is true in many different ways. When a fighter is in the ring, he or she is alone. It is fully up to the boxer alone to make it through the rounds and survive. The coach and the team in the corner cannot do much after the bell rings. From that point on it is a fighter against another. While the purpose is not to hurt one another, getting hurt is a definitely possibility. Many fighters have died in the ring. The goal is to get as many points as possible but often the audience is hoping for a knockout. Boxing is, after all, entertainment and boxers are entertainers.
Training for boxing is also lonely and often as brutal as the fights themselves. The physical and psychological conditioning needed is unlike any other sport. Muhammad Ali once stated, “I hated every minute of training, but I said, don’t quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion.” Training hurts. It is painful and hard. Ali also said, “I don’t count my sit-ups; I only start counting when it starts hurting because they’re the only ones that count.” To last 15 rounds in the ring with the likes of Joe Frazier or George Foreman, he knew what it took.
Boxers don’t just punch with their hands. They punch with their entire bodies. Every muscle must be conditioned to deliver that ultimate power punch. To perfect each punch, the movement has to be repeated over and over again, perhaps a million times. The body of a fighter must be tuned to deliver speed and power. Hands and legs must move in a coordinated fashion like the dance of a ballerina. Every second counts because it only takes a split second to deliver, or receive, that winning punch. Boxing is so interesting because everything can change in a fight so suddenly. It is about technique, stamina, strength, and heart.
The best boxers learn how to face fear and use it to their advantage. They learn how to control their emotions inside and outside of the ring. Anger or fear can paralyze a fighter. There are boxers who excel in the gym. Their technique is perfect, and they are well conditioned. However, when they step into that ring, they freeze. Some boxers are excellent in sparring and appear to have what it takes. Yet, when the bell rings, they cannot fight. Fear takes over and the pressure of performing in the front of a live audience overwhelms them. Boxing is very psychological. If a fighter thinks that he or she can lose, a loss is almost inevitable. Champions must think like champions. To be the greatest one has to believe it. As Ali said, “I am the greatest, I said that even before I knew I was.”
Boxing is a sport that does not require expensive equipment and fancy facilities. It is accessible to all who dare to try it. Boxing is not a game, and it is not something you play. It is as primitive as a battle of the gladiators. However, it is also beautiful in its primal brutality. In an interesting way, it is quite civilized. It was, after all, once called the gentlemen’s sport.
