No Fighter is a BUM!

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By David “The Journeyman” Vaught

If you spend any time on online boxing forums you’ve undoubtedly read comments by boxing “fans” disparaging professional boxers. You will hear the word bum thrown around quite a bit and if a fighter gets knocked out, it’s as if his accomplishments up until that point mean nothing. I often wonder if the people making these comments have any idea what it takes to be a professional fighter. Do they know what the guy, who they’ve never heard of before, has gone through to get on the undercard of a televised fight? Boxers are a special breed of athlete.

They must have the endurance of a marathon runner, the balance of a tight rope walker, the will and determination to win, and on top of that, be willing to get punched in the face for a living! Muhammad Ali, for example, on a typical day in training camp, would begin his mornings with a six-mile run while wearing heavy boots. He would do physical training for three and a half hours in the afternoon, and take an hour walk in the evening. He was once quoted on the subject of his workouts, “I hated every minute of training, but I said, don’t quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion”.

Mike Tyson also followed a tough program. A three to five-mile run, ten to twelve rounds of sparring, sit ups, bag work, six more rounds of sparring…, an all-around grueling routine. Tyson once said, “Discipline, doing what you hate to do, but do it like you love it.” If you’ve ever done any boxing training, not fighting, just learned to throw a jab properly, or hit the heavy bag with the right hip and core snap to generate power with each punch, then you know what it takes out of you physically. It’s hard on your knees, your shoulders, your hands, and you hurt in places you didn’t even know could hurt. So, I think we’ve established how tough a boxer’s routine can be but being in shape isn’t enough. You must have raw natural talent too.

The ability to override your body’s instinct to flinch and close your eyes when you see a punch coming. The reflexes to read your opponent’s moves and counter them. Professional boxing takes a special kind of person, both physically and mentally. Even when they’ve put in the time and the work it takes to land that big fight, whether it’s the first time in front of a hometown crowd, or the opportunity to be in a televised fight, they still have their nerves to contend with.

So, if you see comments calling any fighter a bum or questioning their heart, tell them what it takes to step inside that ring. Let them know what these athletes have gone through for months prior to a professional bout. Remind them that these brave men and women literally risk their lives for our entertainment and that each and every one of them deserve our respect!

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