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I want to start by making it clear that this thread is just as much about holding myself accountable as it is about cataloging my journey.
At age 12, I was trained as a boxer in a gym that had low level fighters that relied on toughness and aggression and as a result most of my boxing skill would have to be described as self taught. I sparred alot against these hyper aggressive brawlers which as a kid who thought too much, viewed it as a challenge to avoid being hit.
Over the next 8 years it became easy to avoid getting hit completely. I'd "spar" with friends and the Texas State football team all the time, which people only agreed with given the condition I didn't hit back. But I was good enough and really nothing was more fun than showing people they couldn't hit me even if they tried. I know I wasn't doing this with people who fought like boxers, but each time I got a little better, my reflexes calmer. Through high school and college I must have done this thousands of times multiple people in a row, with the very rare person who wanted to try it with getting hit back, having to eat a single straight right in between all my bobbing and weaving. For me it was just fun. The average person wasn't a danger to me anyway on sheer physicality, I'm 6'2 and at the time was 200 lbs lean and muscular.
Here I am at 18:
I fought 15 amateur fights with a record of 13-2, my last being at a Fraternity sponored Fite Nite in San Marcos, Texas, I was 21 years old.
My 2 losses left me little in terms of actually testing myself to my limit. In both fights, the other guys were beaten and bloodied while I was completely undamaged.
My first loss came as a result of the dodge and bomb fighting style that I developed on my own over endless sparring. This fight was a 3 rounder. The guy was more experience but had developed a fighting style that presented no danger. His technique was to put nearly nothing on his punches and just land what he could. I responded to this by covering up high, letting hit my body with nothing shots- then uncorking a big shot on him.
Every time I hit him he staggered back, took a second then continued with his stunning pace of throwing endless punches with nothing on them. This continued in the same pattern for all 3 rounds, it was the bloodiest I've seen in an amateur fight till that point and I was unscathed save for a few scrape marks on my forearm. Anyway, it was an amateur fight so he won on points- I hadn't yet developed a killer instinct and it was what I needed to do instead of defending and potshotting to beat that guy.
My next loss came at the Fraternity sponsored 'Fite Nite' mentioned above. These guys were not fighters, had never even been in a boxing gym before. I didn't bother to train and I didn't need to, I spent all the time I was supposed to be in class in college actually playing basketball 6 hrs a day at the campus recreation center and of course continued feaux-sparring with anyone that was willing.
As it turned out I was fighting one of the guys from the Fraternity who was hosting the event. So I had it in my mind that I wanted to show off my elusiveness in the first round and I did. I stood right in front of the guy and made him miss everything. I didn't hit him, he never landed on me- I was just having fun with someone I knew wasn't at my skill level.
Then I go to my (sponsor provided)corner and their all pissed because I wasn't out there winging punches. My dad who had made the trip from across Texas to come see me then told me he saw all 3 Judges had scored round 1 as 10-1 rounds.
So I go out and let this kid have it. But he's not a boxer, and every time I land a few clean he turns away. The ref warns him about it, then gives him a standing 8 count for doing it. These are 1 minute rounds so I don't have much time to work with and right away get back to nailing this guy- Another standing 8 count ensues and the 1 minute round is over.
The crowd has been continuously booing since the first round as the guy on the microphone(Another member of the fraternity) has basically been shitting on me the whole time "This guy suckssssss," etc. The crowd had already turned on me by the second round and were furious when the real violence started.
I get back to my corner and this guy is laughing about what I just did. He says "If he turns around again you walk right behind him and pop him when he turns back."
Now round 3 starts and I start hitting him with everything I wanted to. He was done, scared, wanted no more, and was gassed. So you can imagine the crowd's reaction when I followed the advice of my corner. He turns away after eating a sloppy hook and walks away. I ball my fist and walk right behind the guy and basically cold cocked the shit out of him as soon as he started to turn his his head back around.
The crowd goes apeshit, there is about 5k in attendance and people were trying to climb over the rails their so drunk and angry. I remember that even though I was in a fight, all I could here was the shaking bass of that many people booing as loudly as they can.
The ref stepped in an gave another 8 count. After that he called a doctor that shined a light in his eye and said he was ok. The fight is started again and hit him with maybe 1 or 2 jabs before the time is over(completely wasted by the doctor Fiasco.)
I have never heard a crowd as loud as when they announced me the loser. To my shock, everyone was cheering and screaming their heads off that the other guy was given the decision.
9 years 3 kids and 100 lbs later, I still never stop thinking about boxing. I'll still spar anyone willing, but when you're a grown man very few are actually willing. I've studied boxing books and become an armchair expert and can still rip a speed bag.
It would be near impossible for me to back down to 200lbs, so I'll have to be fighting superheavyweights for this trip down memory lane. There is 2 boxing gym's I'l be visiting in austin texas that I'm hoping will let me spar right away- I'm already old and I want to fight again before im TOO old. The hope is to get hooked up with a fight as quicky as possible by one of these gym's.
Here is what I look like now, 6'2 300lbs, I can still move around extremely well for a guy my size and play basketball in city leagues regularly.
Anyway, I'm open to advice. My experience with boxing has been entirely amateur, my experience in the boxing gym has been with one poorly ran gym that trained brawlers rather than boxers.
What do I need to bring and what are real expectations to how quickly a gym will let me spar?
I've got head gear, handwraps, but I'm sure they won't let me spar in the 14oz gloves I have.
Also if you know anything about Richard Lord's Boxing Gym or South Austin Gym, I'd like to hear it.
Wish me luck!
At age 12, I was trained as a boxer in a gym that had low level fighters that relied on toughness and aggression and as a result most of my boxing skill would have to be described as self taught. I sparred alot against these hyper aggressive brawlers which as a kid who thought too much, viewed it as a challenge to avoid being hit.
Over the next 8 years it became easy to avoid getting hit completely. I'd "spar" with friends and the Texas State football team all the time, which people only agreed with given the condition I didn't hit back. But I was good enough and really nothing was more fun than showing people they couldn't hit me even if they tried. I know I wasn't doing this with people who fought like boxers, but each time I got a little better, my reflexes calmer. Through high school and college I must have done this thousands of times multiple people in a row, with the very rare person who wanted to try it with getting hit back, having to eat a single straight right in between all my bobbing and weaving. For me it was just fun. The average person wasn't a danger to me anyway on sheer physicality, I'm 6'2 and at the time was 200 lbs lean and muscular.
Here I am at 18:
I fought 15 amateur fights with a record of 13-2, my last being at a Fraternity sponored Fite Nite in San Marcos, Texas, I was 21 years old.
My 2 losses left me little in terms of actually testing myself to my limit. In both fights, the other guys were beaten and bloodied while I was completely undamaged.
My first loss came as a result of the dodge and bomb fighting style that I developed on my own over endless sparring. This fight was a 3 rounder. The guy was more experience but had developed a fighting style that presented no danger. His technique was to put nearly nothing on his punches and just land what he could. I responded to this by covering up high, letting hit my body with nothing shots- then uncorking a big shot on him.
Every time I hit him he staggered back, took a second then continued with his stunning pace of throwing endless punches with nothing on them. This continued in the same pattern for all 3 rounds, it was the bloodiest I've seen in an amateur fight till that point and I was unscathed save for a few scrape marks on my forearm. Anyway, it was an amateur fight so he won on points- I hadn't yet developed a killer instinct and it was what I needed to do instead of defending and potshotting to beat that guy.
My next loss came at the Fraternity sponsored 'Fite Nite' mentioned above. These guys were not fighters, had never even been in a boxing gym before. I didn't bother to train and I didn't need to, I spent all the time I was supposed to be in class in college actually playing basketball 6 hrs a day at the campus recreation center and of course continued feaux-sparring with anyone that was willing.
As it turned out I was fighting one of the guys from the Fraternity who was hosting the event. So I had it in my mind that I wanted to show off my elusiveness in the first round and I did. I stood right in front of the guy and made him miss everything. I didn't hit him, he never landed on me- I was just having fun with someone I knew wasn't at my skill level.
Then I go to my (sponsor provided)corner and their all pissed because I wasn't out there winging punches. My dad who had made the trip from across Texas to come see me then told me he saw all 3 Judges had scored round 1 as 10-1 rounds.
So I go out and let this kid have it. But he's not a boxer, and every time I land a few clean he turns away. The ref warns him about it, then gives him a standing 8 count for doing it. These are 1 minute rounds so I don't have much time to work with and right away get back to nailing this guy- Another standing 8 count ensues and the 1 minute round is over.
The crowd has been continuously booing since the first round as the guy on the microphone(Another member of the fraternity) has basically been shitting on me the whole time "This guy suckssssss," etc. The crowd had already turned on me by the second round and were furious when the real violence started.
I get back to my corner and this guy is laughing about what I just did. He says "If he turns around again you walk right behind him and pop him when he turns back."
Now round 3 starts and I start hitting him with everything I wanted to. He was done, scared, wanted no more, and was gassed. So you can imagine the crowd's reaction when I followed the advice of my corner. He turns away after eating a sloppy hook and walks away. I ball my fist and walk right behind the guy and basically cold cocked the shit out of him as soon as he started to turn his his head back around.
The crowd goes apeshit, there is about 5k in attendance and people were trying to climb over the rails their so drunk and angry. I remember that even though I was in a fight, all I could here was the shaking bass of that many people booing as loudly as they can.
The ref stepped in an gave another 8 count. After that he called a doctor that shined a light in his eye and said he was ok. The fight is started again and hit him with maybe 1 or 2 jabs before the time is over(completely wasted by the doctor Fiasco.)
I have never heard a crowd as loud as when they announced me the loser. To my shock, everyone was cheering and screaming their heads off that the other guy was given the decision.
9 years 3 kids and 100 lbs later, I still never stop thinking about boxing. I'll still spar anyone willing, but when you're a grown man very few are actually willing. I've studied boxing books and become an armchair expert and can still rip a speed bag.
It would be near impossible for me to back down to 200lbs, so I'll have to be fighting superheavyweights for this trip down memory lane. There is 2 boxing gym's I'l be visiting in austin texas that I'm hoping will let me spar right away- I'm already old and I want to fight again before im TOO old. The hope is to get hooked up with a fight as quicky as possible by one of these gym's.
Here is what I look like now, 6'2 300lbs, I can still move around extremely well for a guy my size and play basketball in city leagues regularly.
Anyway, I'm open to advice. My experience with boxing has been entirely amateur, my experience in the boxing gym has been with one poorly ran gym that trained brawlers rather than boxers.
What do I need to bring and what are real expectations to how quickly a gym will let me spar?
I've got head gear, handwraps, but I'm sure they won't let me spar in the 14oz gloves I have.
Also if you know anything about Richard Lord's Boxing Gym or South Austin Gym, I'd like to hear it.
Wish me luck!
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