How I (almost) KO'd a 4 Year Old
Several years ago, before I looked like Santa Claus, I spent considerable time with a young woman that had a 4 year old son. The first time he walked into my house he saw a framed poster of Johnny Tapia that I had on my wall and proclaimed that that was his favorite boxer. Couldn't name him, but that was his favorite.
So i showed him some Tapia tapes and he avowed that that was, in fact, his favorite fighter. At the time I had over 100 VCR tapes (this was long ago), many of them unlabelled but he managed to find, within 10 days or so, every Tapia fight I had on tape. (Since he couldn't read, I guess the lack of labels was irrelevant.) Pretty soon I went to the store and bought hi m a pair of "toy" gloves, cut a handwrap in half and got him started.
Now, this young man had serious trust issues. He didn't believe anything anybody told him (many youngsters in my old neighborhood have had upbringings that would lead them to distrust people)but he was real good at observing. We'd watch tapia fights over and over again, then we'd spar and I'd constantly tell him to do what his 'favorite fighter' did.(he's never call him "Johnny Tapia."In fact, he would insist that that was not his name.) pretty soon this tiny 4 year old was working his jab and throwing double hooks to the body.
Now, understand, I never taught him a fucking thing because he would not believe anything anybody told him. In fact he once said that he felt bad for me, because I tried so hard to be a good teacher while he already knew everything about boxing...and he did! we'd spar and I'd put 'punches' out there and make him work. If he just rushed me throwing punches, I'd slap him upside his head and push him down. If he came at me smart, staying lout of range then darting in, making moves, I'd let him hit me and act like it hurt. If he got carelss, I'd tap him so he'd know. Generally I'd put punches out there for him to work off, but sometimes I'd zip one by him, just to get him used to incoming fire.
One day we were 'sparring' and he got close- I was on my knees- and hit me flush on the tip of the nose with a screaming left hook (anybody that spends a minute around me will learn to throw a left hook) that i never saw coming. It hurt; to recover I started making it harder for him to get in and punch me. I'd let him in then turn him, or use my arms to push him away, and all the time I could see him thinking about what he could do to get in and hit me again.
About the time I decided to zip one past his head, he came up with a new strategy. His idea was to try a leaping, spinning, whirling type of kick, which put his head right in the path of my left hand. I really didn't expect him to be at that place at that time, but he took it at least as well as I took the punch to the nose.
Re: How I (almost) KO'd a 4 Year Old
Did you not follow up with a relentless barrage of punches that had him crying 'no mas'? Sounds as though you lack that killer instinct that all special fighters have. Mayweather would have laid that sucker out. ;D
Re: How I (almost) KO'd a 4 Year Old
i said "almost." Little fucker came back swinging.
Stopped me in the 3rd.
Re: How I (almost) KO'd a 4 Year Old
Quote:
Originally Posted by
greynotsoold
i said "almost." Little fucker came back swinging.
Stopped me in the 3rd.
were you down for 10 or did the ref wave it off?
Re: How I (almost) KO'd a 4 Year Old
Quote:
Originally Posted by
brocktonblockbust
Quote:
Originally Posted by
greynotsoold
i said "almost." Little fucker came back swinging.
Stopped me in the 3rd.
were you down for 10 or did the ref wave it off?
His mom came into the room and told him to stop hitting me.
Re: How I (almost) KO'd a 4 Year Old
be interested to know if he kept it up after you left as i'm guessing he'll be well into his teens now.
Youngblood enters stage left screaming "DADDY" ;D;D;D
Re: How I (almost) KO'd a 4 Year Old
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Saddo
be interested to know if he kept it up after you left as i'm guessing he'll be well into his teens now.
Youngblood enters stage left screaming "DADDY" ;D;D;D
His mother went to prison and he went to live with an aunt. Then his dad got out of prison and they moved away. His mother and I nearly re-connected but, when I went by the place where she was, the police were already there, so I didn't stop.
I heard that he, and his father and younger sister (a truly fearsome individual), became evangelical Christians. His mother wrote me that he thought that I'd probably give up on boxing without him.
By my count he is either 18 or just turned 19.
Last I heard, his mother was out again, had re-claimed her kids and they were all living in Ohio.
Re: How I (almost) KO'd a 4 Year Old
Fucking Facebook...just found his mom there.
Re: How I (almost) KO'd a 4 Year Old
Saddo, got lots of people to thank for making me the angry young ass kicking machine I am, tyvm. ;)
Aint Facebook great grey?
Re: How I (almost) KO'd a 4 Year Old
facebook LOL go get her mate... i believe the protocol is to simply like a photo of her ;D:cool:;D
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Youngblood
Aint Facebook great grey?
you won't believe how much that confused me at first :D
Re: How I (almost) KO'd a 4 Year Old
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Saddo
facebook LOL go get her mate... i believe the protocol is to simply like a photo of her ;D:cool:;D
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Youngblood
Aint Facebook great grey?
you won't believe how much that confused me at first :D
Alas, her facebook page update has her in a relationship with another female...the pictures of the two of them lead me to believe that, if they could spring for a video camera, they'd soon have a whole bunch of money. I 'liked' the photos, conceptually...
Re: How I (almost) KO'd a 4 Year Old
Quote:
Originally Posted by
greynotsoold
Alas, her facebook page update has her in a relationship with another female...the pictures of the two of them lead me to believe that, if they could spring for a video camera, they'd soon have a whole bunch of money. I 'liked' the photos, conceptually...
lol
it's a brave new world out there.
Re: How I (almost) KO'd a 4 Year Old
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Youngblood
Quote:
Originally Posted by
greynotsoold
Alas, her facebook page update has her in a relationship with another female...the pictures of the two of them lead me to believe that, if they could spring for a video camera, they'd soon have a whole bunch of money. I 'liked' the photos, conceptually...
lol
it's a brave new world out there.
You ain't kidding. If you are into hot, heavily tattooed chicks getting busy w/ one another, that's a place to start...
Re: How I (almost) KO'd a 4 Year Old
An update on the 4 year old that I nearly ko'd...He is just turned 18, a heroin addict trying to beat his addiction by shooting methamphetamine instead. I just learned that an hour ago and it broke my heart.
Re: How I (almost) KO'd a 4 Year Old
That's really tragic. I'm sorry to hear that, Joe.
I think I remember you telling us about how you'd make this little kid stand on top of cans, and he kept his balance and he could put power in his punches. It was really fun to hear about.
I hope his life gets clean, sad to hear about what happened.
