fighters scared before a fight

In before this thread is littered with "PROFESSIONAL FIGHTERS CAN NEVER BE SCARED" despite the myriad of evidence to the contrary.

 

The D'Amato quote is spot on. I fought eight times (amateur) and was scared every time. Your opponent is some animal in your mind, and you completely downplay how hard you've been training yourself. Your opponent is just as scared as you. Once in the ring though, it's all gone. The audience is no longer there, all that matters is your opponent.

 

Golota?

 

i remember hearing george foreman saying for the first time in his life he was scared going in against frazier.

 

Perhaps it's because it gets less right before a fight IMO, the worst thing is not going from the dressing room into the crowd but the wait before that. When you actually go out there you know that no matter what way it goes, it will be over in a short while. In my case it was an amateur match so when you walk to the ring you know that 8 minutes later you'll be off the hook again.

 

It would surprise me if he blocks it out, he merely hides it. I was never visibly scared either, in fact one of my opponents after the fight said it freaked him out how calm I looked before. Inside I was shitting myself. Giving into fear doesn't change the fact that you're about to fight, so you might as well make the best of it. Or perhaps Roy doesn't like being scared alone.

 

"Of course I get scared. That other son of a ***** has two hands too!" (Alexis Arguello)

 

First time I fought I was scared of losing, nothing else.

 

You don't even think of a guy like Arguello ever being scared. Sure the other guy had two hands, but one of his was made out of granite.

Love the D'Amato quote also.

 

Great thread, The D'amato thing was quality.

 

Marciano used to get so relaxed before a fight he often fell asleep in the dressing room.

Most scared I ever saw a fighter was Bruno-Tyson.

 

I believe Ray Leonard said something to the effect of: "The day I step into the ring without fear is the day I don't give my opponent his due respects."

 

I use to wrestle in high school. Always had mixed emotions before a match especially tournaments and the championship matches. A lot of pressure from parents, coaches, school, and peers. A soon as the whistle blowed though everything went away and the only thing I focused on was the task at hand.

I like to think thats the way it was for most people.