Boxing fans are unlike other fans in this way: Most have never even tried the sport they cheer. Every soccer fan has kicked a ball. Every football or baseball fan has at least played catch. We've all shot hoops in gym class. But too many boxing fans have never wrapped their hands or worked a heavy bag.
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| Want to know more about boxing? Put on a pair of these and have at it. (Getty Images) |
Or maybe it is a problem. Until you've spent hours on a heavy bag, worked the mitts with a trainer or sparred, you are an unwitting outsider. You are a graduate with enough foreign-language credits to say you speak French, Spanish or German. You've regurgitated phrases to teachers, memorized verb conjugations and passed a proficiency test. But you've never actually spoken to anyone in the language.
And if a day ever comes that you have to converse with a native speaker, your own insecurity will probably undo you quicker than your accent does.
Remedy this in 2009. Join a boxing gym. You'll learn more about your favorite sport in an hour with the double-end bag than a week with ESPN Classic. Chances are good there's a gym closer than you think.
If you've got the money, sign up for classes or find a personal trainer. If you're like the rest of us, pick up a book -- Joe Frazier's Box Like the Pros is good as any -- buy some gloves and wraps and set to work with a heavy bag and mirror. If you've got any natural aptitude for punching, some knowledgeable person will approach you eventually. And if you've no natural aptitude, some good Samaritan will come even quicker.
Learn how to punch correctly. Learn balance. Use the speed bag. There are videos galore about it on YouTube. Know that no matter how well-coordinated you are, it's going to take about 25 rounds to figure it out. And no matter how uncoordinated you are it won't require more than 30.
Then spar. Wear a mouthpiece. Go light. Climb between the ropes with a purpose. Tell your partner what you want to work on. Learn other men's vulnerabilities. Learn a lot about your own. And embrace when you're through. It's a great way to make friends.
More than anything else, learn about fatigue. Boxing induces it in a reflexive way. The more you tire, the more you worry. The more you worry, the more you tire. There's just no way to replicate the feeling -- something like drowning -- you get the first time your shoulders burn too much to raise your hands while another man tries to strike you in the face. No video can give you expertise like that. It will likely exorcise words like "tomato can" and "heartless" from your vocabulary.
Sparring will also give you insights about prizefighters' unique form of courage. You'll find that being hit in the face is unpleasant, but not as bad as you thought. You'll see that in less than a minute you're not so afraid of being hit. The real nervousness comes when you get tired.
Exhaustion brings resignation. You find yourself relying on another man's mercy. And you'll find even decent men aren't as merciful as you thought.
Make it a point to attend prizefights in 2009. Your first trip to the fights needn't be at MGM Grand or Madison Square Garden. Make it a local card. Ringside seats aren't cheap, but the rest of a venue often is. At a smaller show the difference between $100 seats and $20 seats is generally about 10 feet.
There's always much more boxing happening off television than on. Go to BoxRec.com and search your state. You might be surprised.
