How many of you box?

so you never threw a hook or a uppercut?

 

Yeh.

 

When I would watch supposedly "light hitters" before I boxed I would think that even I could take them because it looked like nothing was on them, but now I know that those punches from "light hitters" would knock me out real quick.

 

Such crude punches were beneath a man of my skills.

 

I box. Start a poll! It would be real interesting to see how many people on the board actually box.

It really makes you appreciate what it takes to get in the ring at such a high level, and just be amazed at how smart, fast, reflexive, or strong some of the greats are.

 

I'm about to join a gym.
Sparred once though and got my ass kicked.

 

That's because you have a glass jaw.

 

So you're a semi mobile punchbag for hire then

 

Boxed in my teens and early 20's. Also did some kickboxing/tkd. All amateur stuff but I enjoyed it. track, or athletics as some call it, was my "serious" sport which i ended up not enjoying. Still enjoy hitting the bag and rope jumping and road work. You can't beat the training regimen for boxing as far as staying in shape.

 

I used to.

 

****.

You ever box?

 

Yep:bbb I went to a private school at 6 years aof age & thats when i had my 1st pair of mitts put on as boxing was on the curriculum & Army Cadets in my teens, when i was a teenager every town here in the UK had the army cadets which was a wonderfull outlet/saviour for wayward young lads who's next step along life's journey was Borstal/Teen bang-up.

At 15 years of age i'am out firing rifles/machine guns & riding in tanks, taught me discipline/respect/temper control/self belief/team work/cook/iron/sew you name it you where taught it. I don't think these sort of associations exist here in the UK anymore what with the PC would we live in.

At 6 years of age i was paired up against the feller sat next to me in class his name was Rio Bennet & i just rammed out a straight right & down he went howling, i was hooked, it's instinctive, it can't be taught, it's in you, if it'd been me on the reiciving end maybe i would have taken up ice-skating in later life, but i doubt it, i struck 1st & piled in

I'll omit the occasions when i was dumped on my arse in my teens by some running dog ALI lookalike as that don't count as it was'nt fair

 

20-plus years.

Absolutely. Perfecting different types of jabs by studying old timers has been really useful to me. If you mix them up it makes it hard for your opponent to predict and stop them. Sometimes just the straight Liston slam is good. A corkscrew jab ala Sandy Saddler mixes it up nicely. Sometimes bringing from your hip in an upwards trejectory like Tommy Hearns can disconcert. But my favorite has to be that downwards chopping motion that Archie Moore had. Watch the films of it. It's beautiful. It works almost like a hatchet.

Watching Locche and Benitez has inspired me with my head movement. I took Henry Armstrong's advice (via a column I read on stamina) on leaning into an opponent and making him think you're attacking him when you're really resting. It's great for making them blow their stamina by teeing-off on your forearms and shoulders, which I have in Archie Moore crossarm defense when I wade in. It hurts their hands when they hit the points of your elbows and I've gotten good at aiming them at an oncoming fist.

Lastly, I've learned that good defense and stamina are often more intimidating than power. When some overzealous opponent swings haymakers and you make them miss repeatedly it can really intimidate, especially when you stay in the danger zone. But the scariest thing I've found so far is stamina. When you're all gassed-out and your opponent is fresh and starts swinging....look out. It can literally make you sick to your stomach and make you want to quit. That's why I'm always sure that I work on the wind. Of all the things I've learned from the greats that one has made the biggest difference. Thank you Harry Greb and Henry Armstrong.

More than I intended to write!atsch