A Newb, in Every Respect

Getting smacked around by someone 20 years my senior was definitely not one of my proudest moments in life. Rather, it’s more like one of those events that I would normally choose to keep a secret, and hope would not result in a hefty therapy bill in the near future. In my defense, I had just recently taken up boxing, whereas my sparring partner has been boxing for a good six months. I distinctly remember getting in the ring, looking into my opponent’s eyes, and thinking ‘oh man, I know this is just a sparring session, but I really don’t want to hurt the guy’. Making matters worse, the my opponent told me all about how dejected he felt after getting beat in previous match. The last thing I wanted to do was make this guy feel even worse, being the young, strong, and strapping man that I was, of course.

The moment that the buzzer went off my ‘newbie-ness’ completely took over. My jabs were wild and lacked any sort of fighting form know to man. I punched without looking; I punched while turning my head away; at one point, I even managed to have my back completely towards my opponent. It was ridiculous, and pretty humiliating on my part. A boxer’s defensive stance, from what I was taught, is supposed to be your safe place and should be considered to be like a shell or cage. Mine was more like one of those run-down, dilapidated houses you see in horror films where people go to die. Needless to say, my opponent was fantastic. He danced around me like a ballroom dancer, while I was there doing something resembling a diseased, stationary twerk.

I did manage to get in a few shots, but that number paled in comparison to how many clean shots my opponent was able to land. However, once that final buzzer sounded, there was a distinct sense of camaraderie, acceptance, and brotherhood shared between me and my opponent. I believe it’s that same feeling that the movie Fight Club tries to capture, and that I want to highlight and chronicle throughout my experiences as a novice boxer. So long as my trainer refrains from anything similar to a ‘Project Mayhem’ scheme, I plan to post more on my various musings and experiences during my journey to become a better boxer.

Thanks again for reading. Free therapy is always appreciated.

Musings by Brian W., Gentleman and Amateur Boxer.