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To a percentage of average people on the street, the sport of Professional Boxing is nothing more than the barbaric spectacle of two near brainless brutes taking turns knocking the stuffing out of each other in front of a bloodthirsty crowd.
In reality, Boxing is a far different endeavor.
Boxing is actually the most demanding sport, both physically and mentally, that an athlete can participate in. It requires tremendous amounts of disciple, endurance, strength and concentration.
The mere act of holding up one’s hands, encased in heavy, padded boxing gloves, and continuously moving for several rounds, even if no punches are thrown, makes for a physically and mentally exhausting exercise.
This would explain the exploding popularity of boxing fitness classes, in which the participants engage in training exercises, but never actually engage in the actual fighting.
Legitimate boxers have to train amazingly hard to get themselves in the kind of shape that will allow them to be competitive in a match, amateur of professional.
Traditionally, an aspiring boxer has to get up before dawn, put on heavy work boots and then hit the road, running several miles. Heavy sweat suits are worn and the boxer typically breaks up the running with sporadic outbursts of shadow boxing.
Then it’s off to a regular job, as only the very top fighters have the luxury of making enough money from the sport to be free of the 9 to 5 grind.
After work, it’s off to the boxing gym, where the aspirant will perform hours of specialized exercises under the watchful eye of a trainer, generally a highly experienced ex-fighter who guide the boxer to excellence in the “Sweet Science”.
Just how high a boxer can rise in the ranks depends on many factors, but for the vast majority of participants in the sport, it is the law of the jungle; survival of the fittest.
The stronger, quicker, best conditioned boxer will almost always win a match, even if his opponent is more skilled.
There are precious few shortcuts to gaining such advantages, only hard work and in the last decade or so, use of supplements, such as Creatine, which has gained in popularity among athletes who wish to quickly gain muscle mass.
There is also the matter of genes; some boxers have been blessed with an incredible combination of speed, power and fighting intelligence, such as Floyd Mayweather Jr, who comes from a lineage of boxers.
But, even Mayweather Jr had to hone those God given abilities in the gym from the age of 5 and the Light Middleweight Champion of the world is reputed to train harder than any other top level athlete on the planet.
Is Boxing really a “barbaric spectacle”?
If you think so, or are on the fence, head down to your local sports bar and try watching on TV the next time Floyd Mayweather Jr fights.
But be careful, you just may find yourself a fan of the sport.
