Yes I had my surgery in January and literally got cleared last week after a torturous recovery.
I turned it up because the coach there told me to throw combinations, his coach! His coach wasn't even upset at all about it either and apologized to me about him quitting, people know it is hard sparring. also with my technique my combinations simply don't come off slow, so when I want to work in a 5 punch combination, its going to look like that every time I can't lighten up the speed/mechanics of it, I threw one because thats what the coach asked for and he turned it up on me back.
The moment he tried to throw a 20 punch combination at me on the ropes, he is lucky I didn't try to starch him. And really, I didn't try to, no matter how much it looks like I may have. He was also saying "come on" and "thats alright" a few times during the round. This isn't my gym I'm going to, and I don't have a coach there - But I am looking for the best work around my size and experience, it would be great to me if the people in the gym would want to come in and whoop me, it is why I went, just match up experience and weight to a certain degree 125-155 depending on experience and try to whoop me, I've taken ass whooping from quite a few bigger experienced guys and it aint nothing - comes with the territory. Watch my Floyd Sr. padwork video and you'll see my eye is bruised and my lip is bruised, that is because an 11x national champion decided to beef with me my 2nd day in the gym & when I didn't want to spar I was thrown in there because I didn't want to look like a bitch, while I was being called a bitch, and got my ass whooped. I fought back my hardest though, and survived the 4 rounds they wanted me to do even tho I was gassed as a mf, but it comes with the territory. What I did to that guy is far far far from over the top I think.
I have 3 amateur fights maybe 60 sparring sessions in my life and only 14 months of active training total, these are open amateurs/pros I am boxing.
@Sinister knows how I started and sparring etiquette I was taught upon, I threw a combo, he answered back with aggression, so I threw another combo, and he acted back with extreme aggression. You can see I literally touch him with a lead hook and look at him like, dude, what are u doing.
I am never and never will be the type to say "lets work light" and then go hard, I just wouldn't. The coach literally said lets see someone go down on a body shot today. It was clear what the sparring intensity was going to be - and once again, on my life, I was going far below my usual intensity for that specific day because I wanted to get my technical skills back with my jab/feints and get a lot of rounds in, because I have been off for so long.
I was trained by Floyd Sr, and my coach would have had me knock him out mercilessly. No one would try to whoop me in the gym either - just the way I came up in the gym. Luckily, he was not there yelling in my ear to stop him/ko him.
Guy has more experience than me and about 25 lbs. Is he trying to take it light on me? Nope trying to ko me.
10 lbs heavier than me with much more experience as well, same thing.
That was when I had been boxing a couple months, had one fight, and sparred a 145 lb guy who has like 140 fights with like a 120-20 record or something crazy like that and regularly knocked people out in the gym, I didn't quit cry or complain. this is a tough game and it comes with the territory.
I should move my head more no doubt! Also the right hand I kept missing over the top, I was trying to feint the jab to the body and come up over top with it. I obviously ended up just going the route of throwing the jabs to the body to set up the right hand up top in round 2.
One last thought on the sparring thing - if you can't hang with me in sparring, do not get in there with me. Simple, solves this problem. The coach knows me knows my skillset & experience and still put him in there with me for hard sparring, hell he asked for it.
Actually, theres this 140lber there that I guess was talking tough about me last week after sparring ( I didn't box him he just watched ) and supposedly he wants to box me very bad next Tuesday, said he can drop me ect ect. I am and will stop him or knock him out if he goes in there with that mentality as well. He literally is asking for it - and believes he can do it, respect to that but you gotta be able to take that mentality back.
Thank you guys! Clearly there is a difference in how we came up in gyms & different sparring etiquette, ect. Even though I only have maybe 60 sparring sessions total, about 35-40 of them were in the "doghouse" where it was kill or be killed for peoples entertainment. Made me progress the way I did though.
