I always think of big george foreman in his second career and I wonder how is this fat old man going 12 rounds with the then heavyweight champion Holyfield in a high paced fight without visibly tiring or gassing too bad? Hell the prime Foreman had no stanima to begin with so how the hell does stanima improve with age, weight and a 10 year hiatus from the sport?! I'm sure George must of trained very very hard to achieve this level of fitness but what really stuck out was his composure. How relaxed he was fighting the young guns in the prime of their careers. Relaxed but not lazy. Big George's game plan wasnt a secret find an opening and knock you out while pushing you back consistently also he comes back with a beautiful but deadly jab that was absent in his first career, and on top of that he elects to stand in his corner intbetween rounds! He has stated before that his stamina problems in the past were from nervous energy. How do you stay relaxed but also aggressive, agile and alert? Foreman wasnt a James Toney type that could slip punches in his sleep. James Toney can be horribily out of shape but last for the 12 rounds because of his composure it seems but George was a puncher with limited defense who stalked you. Stylistically its amazing to me that he could remain so relaxed while fighting his type of fight. I am not frantic or really tight in the ring or in sparring but as an amateur after three, three minute rounds in a bout its exhausting! in sparring stamina is not a big problem for me so I could go six rounds in the gym and not be nearly as winded than in a real fight. Why is this? Is it nervous energy/adrenolyn rush in a real competition compared to the gym? I feel like if I relax too much i'll get outworked but if I get all nervous i'll gas in two rounds. Seems like a challenge finding the balance especially in a high pace amateur fight. any advice/input sorry for the long post
that is a good observation on those two boxers and I think you have identified the causes and the solution in finding a balance. maybe it's psychological in sparring in the gym the environment allows you to relax more but in a ring you feel more pressure and more adrenalin. i'm quite sure it's psychological because when boxers get older and still perform i think it's not because they get physically better but they are able to use the mind to somehow compensate, this probably comes with lots of practice and experience. it's very hard to stay relaxed while boxing that's for sure.
I fight a lot better when I'm relaxed, hard to do so when your opponent is convincing you to do otherwise.
I believe you are on the right track, there is no real pressure to look good, in a fight your butt is on the line. Look at Floyd Mayweather, he is totally relaxed in the ring he see's everything and maintains his cool under fire always looking for openings. I dont know if it's tunnelvision or what Floyd maintains the air of a good football quarterback, who has his mind on his receiver, shutting out the 300pd lineman rushing in to cripple him. I believe this is one aspect of boxing that really needs to be stressed. The mental aspects of the game.
Its like once you climb up the 3 steps in a real bout its totally different atmosphere. Floyd Mayweather does remain very calm. Look at his fight with ortiz, Ortiz was putting on pressure like crazy bullying him on the ropes throwing with bad intentions and mayweather was cool as the otherside of the pillow. Good call
Good thread. Nervous energy is an awful stamina killer. I've seen fighters like Jermain Taylor and Ricky Hatton gas out from nerves. Dempsey is right: Floyd's most under-appreciated skill might be his ability to always be relaxed. Look how he ate Mosley's best shots, stayed calm, stayed in the pocket and ended up winning the round.
