What'd U come 2 appreciate first time U sparred?

John:

Is there any footage of significant KOs done by a heart shot around? I've yet to see one.

LEON

I don't remember how much I weighed at 14-15. My walk around weight when I was going to the gym everyday was 135. I've been inactive for two years, but my weight still remains the same.

I was joking over in the General when I said I was a minimumweight.

 

the guys that take huge shots and come back for more...

 

When you are properly conditioned you can take the heart and solar plexus shots abit better. They still hurt but you can recover quicker. And top class fighters are generally very well ocnditioned.

 

I've only ever taken 1 hard punch to the heart, and it stayed with me for 3 days. I had just gotten the timing down of this person's 1-2, and I was gonna get my left hook in after his jab and before his right hand. I was wrong. Instead of throwing his straight right towards my nose/eye, he nailed me square in the heart with it as my left hook was mid swing. Luckily I can take a pretty good shot and he never knew how bad it hurt me. If he would've hit me with another right hand or two to the heart I'd have been done. I felt some pain around the area he hit me in for the next 3 days.

 

When in doubt, jab out.

 

My first time putting on gloves was against my younger brother and since was a bunch of tough guys at school. The first time at the gym was against a pudgy MMA fighter. I wouldn't really any of those experiences because they were mostly successful expereinces, but I definitely was dealing with the timidity, horrible reactions like backing away with my chin up, etc. but again a lot of those guys didn't know crap so I ended up looking like a good boxer.

I've only gone against three good pro fighters which made me quickly see my faults, but they had to do more with little things I never realized even after watching the sport for so long.

The first good pro I fought against he would block or slip about every punch I had. I was a little bit taller so I was able to evade a lot of his puinches as well, but it made me realize how much I was winding up too much. I had already sparred a few rounds, and because I was missing so much I definitely got tired and lethargic. My arms filled up with too much blood and by the end of the round I lost my reaction time and got hit pretty hard that I decided to take a knee before I was for sure knocked out.

The second guy I learned I needed to focus on the guys chest so I can see his movements, I was kind of frozen and looking at his head. He was knocking guys down all day, but I found out I have a good chin, but I would have been KOed for sure if I stayed in any more rounds. I also learned that even if you want to do something you have to build up the reactions to it, like slipping punches, still can't slip that many punches.

Afterwards I took some classes with a good coach and learned some basics, like foot movement and built up some reactions to blocking punches. The next pro I boxed we matched up evenly and I blocked most of his punches, got to the inside, cornered him and was pretty dead on with most of my punches. The jab for distance/timing, reactions for blocking to get in and save me from punishment, the foot movement to get in and stay on balance with punches, conserving/being careful how and when I throw punches to keep my evergy level constant. All those were big ups from previous occasions.

 

My clinching ability because I gassed after the first minute

 

I was in NY Golden Gloves in 1957. I was just a 16 year old 118 pounder. I moved around in the ring with a top notch pro middleweight by the name of Hardy Smallwood. I remember how I couldn't get near him. He was so ellusive. I was so shocked that it was like i was throwing punches at the air. He took it real easy with me but i couldn't get near him. I was amazed.

 

I trained at the trinity club on Montaghue Street in Brooklyn. Angello Defendus and Paddy DeMarco , Carmello Costa, Hardy Smallwood were some of the pros there. I lost my 1st fight, 3 round decision. I was a sub-novice.

 

Sparred with my friend who was an amateur with about ten fights under his belt. We put the gloves on and I jumped at him with a left hook. He blocked it easily and jabbed me square in the nose at the same time.

Thats when I realized even a jab can do a lot of damage if you are moving in to it. Had blood all over my shoes from my nose by the time we were done sparring and it was all pretty much because of that one punch.

 

that i could knock out any ****er who stood in front of me...