Come On, Tell Us How You Really Feel!

Whoa!

I was startled to read this article quoting World Boxing Council president José Sulaimán expressing his distaste for mixed martial arts. Here are three choice quotes from Mr. Sulaimán.

• "I oppose 100 percent this ultimate fighting. It has taken boxing to the era of the caveman and the Roman circus."
• "These are not ancient times. This fighting is fed to those fans who like aggression, blood and illegality. They are not boxing fans. Boxing fans have class."
• "There should be more control over these [MMA] fights, they should not be accepted. They are intended crimes accepted by bloody people who love this savage fighting."
  

Yeow. Savage? Aggression? Blood? Illegality? That's some pretty strong language to describe MMA. He could have just said he didn't like it. He didn't have to say it was "savage." On the other hand, at least Sulaimán doensn't leave us guessing about his opinion.

I have mixed feelings about mixed martial arts. I think MMA is fine as long as it's kept safe and the fighters aren't exploited by people out to take advantage of them. It's not my first choice of sport, but I would like to learn some good grappling and ground-fighting techniques to complement my skills as a boxer.

As for taking "boxing to the era of the caveman and the Roman circus," I respectfully disagree. Mr. Sulaimán is certainly entitled to his opinion, an opinion that is based on a hell of a lot more experience and knowledge about the sport than I have. Even so, boxing certainly had its share of problems long before MMA began its ascent as a popular sport. Ironically, Sulaimán himself has been instrumental in resolving some of those problems. Of course, he has his critics and one can certainly debate whether some of the changes he has effected are truly reforms. Nevertheless, the problems existed before and independently of MMA.

Regardless of whether one likes MMA or dislikes it, I don't think it's fair to blame boxing's problems on the newer sport. During the last year, I've read countless articles and debates about how MMA was going to eclipse boxing, while various enthusiastic fans predicted gleefully that boxing would simply fade into oblivion. I haven't seen that happen, and I don't think it will happen. MMA's organizations are experiencing difficulties, just as boxing's organizations have. Each sport needs to clean up its own house and there is no reason for blame; both of them can coexist without a problem, in my not-so-humble opinion.

Thursday Training

Roadwork:  60 minutes
Stairs:  15 flights

Midweek Training Update

Not a lot to report.  I'm still trying to find the best times to get to the gym.  I may stick with mornings, but it's hard to get any sparring then.  No worries; I'll figure it out.  Here's the update for the last two days.

Tuesday
1 hour 18 minutes of roadwork (in the rain!)
5 flights of stairs

Wednesday
36 minutes of roadwork (clear, sunny day)
10 flights of stairs

Monday Update

Roadwork: 36 minutes
Stairs: 5 flights

I'm leaving some room for improvement.

Sunday's Training

Today was a good day.  I managed 44 minutes of roadwork.  I have also started adding climbing stairs as part of my training.  I did 20 flights today.  That will increase.

Post-move Training: Friday and Saturday

I got through my move. Yippee!  Now it's back to something resembling a normal training schedule.  Here's the recap for Friday and Saturday.

Friday
60 minutes of roadwork
3 rounds of shadowboxing
3 rounds on the heavy bag
2 rounds of stretching
1 round of abs/sit-ups

Saturday
60 minutes of roadwork on a great, sunny day

Wednesday's Roadwork

1 hour and 30 minutes today.  Yeah, I know it's not sport-specific training, but it's what I can do now as I enter the last week of preparing for my move.  I am trying to keep at least a general level of fitness going, since it's hard to make the time to get to the gym.

My schedule won't always be this crazy--at least I hope it won't!  I look forward to getting back in a regular gym routine after I get into my new place next week.

New Boxing Blog Online: jonos big fight

During my blog-surfing, I came across an interesting blog called jonos big fight. It's published by a Malaysian fellow, named Jono, who has just started training for a boxing event to be held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on November 28, 2008 (which just happens to be my birthday).

I've added Jono's blog to my blogroll (under the "Boxing Blogs" heading). I'll be following his training and hoping his bout goes well. Good luck, Jono, and feel free to visit us here sometime.

Tuesday's Roadwork

Did 1 hour and 2 minutes today.  Very sunny and clear day.

Not Much to Report

I haven't blogged a lot lately because there just is not a lot to report on the boxing front. I have been consumed with getting ready for my move and trying to keep my law practice going and keeping up with my writing gigs. I've also spent a considerable amount of time helping my parents to get ready for their upcoming move. Training has been less frequent and less intense than I would like, but I know that's a temporary situation that I'll get past soon.

A man named Glen, one of the readers of this blog, who lives in the greater Chicago area, invited me to box with him in a local bout on September 25. Ordinarily, I would jump at the chance, but I have too many distractions right now to add a boxing match to the mix. My training isn't where it needs to be for such an event and there is no way I am going to box unless I am in fine physical and mental shape for it. I have no interest in getting injured or injuring anyone else. I also want to be a worthy opponent. It's a shame because, at least on paper, Glen and I seem to be very well matched.

I had to decline the invitation for this particular match. However, in the spirit of good sportsmanship, I've been reaching out to a few boxers and coaches here and trying to help Glen find an opponent. Also, I told him that I would be very interested in doing a bout in the future, if we are as evenly matched as we seem to be. If I could sensibly squeeze it in, when Glen has his bout, I'd love to be the guy in the opposite corner of the ring. That won't happen this time, but perhaps in the near future we can arrange something. In any event, good luck, Glen, and let us know how it goes!

Rainy Monday Roadwork

19 minutes today, dodging the raindrops.

Two More Boxing Blogs

I recently spotted two more boxing blogs written by guys who seem kind of like me.  Here they are.

Earning a Nickname

Toe to Toe

I've enjoyed reading them so far, so I'm hoping these guys will update their blogs fairly regularly so I can follow their training and adventures.

Hat tip to my friend, Marc, who publishes My Boxing Blog.  I found these new blogs on Marc's site.  Thanks, Marc!

"He's One of Us!": Robert Anasi Reflects on a Prison Sparring Session

As I say to my buddy Mark, whom I'll hopefully eventually face in the ring (once his ankle heels from an injury), "You're our kind of guy."  On his blog, Robert Anasi recounts an experience when he was welcomed with a variation of this expression: "He's one of us!"

Way to go, Robert!  Your story reminds me of an experience I had and blogged about, "Pledging the Fistic Fraternity."

Weekend Roadwork

There's not a lot to report. After last week's work-and-move craziness, I needed to have a lot of down time over the long Labor Day weekend. I did 1 hour on Saturday and 43 minutes on Sunday. I took Monday off.

Friday's Morning Training

Friday's training was brief, but I resisted the temptation to skip it entirely. I went to my parents' closing on their new condo later in the day, so the morning was pretty hectic, but I'm glad I got to the gym. The recap is brief:

• one hour of roadwork (I did this later in the day)
• 6 rounds of shadowboxing
• 1 round of stretching

I also talked briefly with Chad and asked him about learning some grappling and ground-fighting techniques. I will still always be a boxer first, but I'd like to expand my skills and learn some things that are outside my ken. He suggested that I talk with Robbie, so I'll do that this week and see what I can arrange.

First, Some Good News

My mom is out of the hospital and back at home, recovering well.  In the interest of her privacy, I won't go into the details of her condition, but I am glad she is doing well and on the mend.  It's a great relief.  Also, she has been out of the hospital since August 21, but I've been so darned busy I haven't updated the blog in a while.