On Scoring a Knock Down

9 July 2009

On Scoring a Knock Down

Last time out, I blogged about how I won a not-so-eventful match.

I was little too careful about getting countered, so I have to tame the warrior in me to be a little less wild. I won.

The next sparring match after that win, I've forgotten how I won. I was so focused on correcting "not-so-eventful" side of the fight and threw everything else in the trash bin. I charged in, like a wild raging bull on a sole purpose, seek and-destroy. I forgot my boxing essentially.

My head wasn't moving while coming in. Worse, my hands are not protecting my open head. I was caught coming in with a lot of hooks to the head.

I was countered a lot. I was hit a lot. I was missing a lot and I was beaten badly. Yes, I might have still caught him a few times.. But more often, I'm the one taking punishments.

That unfortunate night, I can hardly sleep. I knew what went wrong, I just can't figure why I did throw my boxing away? The boxing style that won me the last time.

I might have just found my answer on my last sparring match. I hunted my opponent (my trainer, sparring partner and coach all in one) like a hungry tiger. No more like the unreasonable wild bull, but a hungry and calculated tiger.

I moved my head while coming in. My hands were held high for defense. My upper body mimics Ippo Makounochi of the Japanese Anime, KnockOut. Well, not as bold and not as smooth though as Ippo would.

 
I pursued my opponent, hunting him down.. throwing jabs to calculate the distance, and then throw my right bombs (straight right to the head).

After a few combinations, I would step back to avoid counters and then I'm at him again. I was closing the distance more so than I have ever done with my coach. I was so excited, a little bit relaxed and nervous at the same time.

He was so close to me like one punch from him would catch me. The tension was too high, but I have confidence in my own power and skills. Well, not very skilled yet but I knew I had more power in my punches and I knew I could take his punches.

The first round ended.

I've hit him a couple times.

As expected, he was on his counter-punching mode.

I was carefully on the attack so I did not get countered a lot this time around.

Being so close to a punching opponent is the most exciting seconds of my day that sparring day. Adrenaline rushes in my body, the excitement builds up, I could feel the intensity if the match on the highest level. I hunted him like the tiger I have in me, and I did not back down. It was a very action-packed round and I feel so relaxed, confident and so eager to exchange.

I was making his style less effective by not rushing in carelessly. I have the longer reach, so I can box him from the outside. But that's just not my style and it's less exciting. So most of the time, I would attack him with jabs and straights, and once I get inside, I'll throw the short uppercuts to the body. There was one body shot, a right uppercut that him in the rib-cage. It was the best body shot of my young boxing career.

Then came round 3.

I was breathing a little heavier now. I could not pursue him as hard as the first two rounds. He's dancing away, still waiting to counter, still looking for my mistakes. I was following him, trying to engage.

As he rotates and slide to my left side, My reflex kicked in and I threw a right hand to his forehead. I caught him flush and HE WENT DOWN like a Marco Antonio Barrera in his first encounter with the Pac Monster.

He lost his balance as he goes backwards all the way to the ropes butt-first on the canvas with both his hands touching the canvas for support and balance.

I was victorious at that single moment. It was like everything I worked so hard for had bear its fruit -- a sweet one-punch knock down.

He got up, said I just caught him off-balanced and we continued to spar.

At round 4, visibly wanting to take revenge from the knock down embarrassment, he connected with a strong left-hand to my mouth (his left-handed by the way).

It was a solid punch as I felt the thud right through my skull.

I was alright, it's part of the game, let's fight.

But before all that, he made sure if I was OK.

He checked the upper lips and it was bruised but not bloodied.

Ok ka lang? He asked.

I said, Yes. SO we touched gloves and resumed.

What a fight it was. Action-packed, brawl, movements, drama. Everything I dreamed of a quality fight was all there. I wished I could present a video here.

After the fourth, which I believe I lost, we still had two rounds to go.

From the second half of the second round, I was breathing heavily due to the heavy exchanges of punches. So unsurprsingly, I was so tired by the start of the 5th round.

The last two rounds were very uneventful.

I just go by the motions, left jab, right straight, dance away.

He tried to land the left-straight again.

But this time, I timed it perfectly with a right straight counter.

The sparring ends. I was ecstatic. I'm very happy.

This is the fight that should be one of the most memorable of my fighting career.

Yeah. I know what happened the last time I won.

I became over confident and attacked wildly without caution.

I know how it hurts to lose in that particular fight.

I want to make sure that I still train as hard, if not harder, for the next battle.

I now know, that to satisfy my boxing thirst, I have to combine both my inner ferocity and the boxing skills that my trainer and coach teaches me. (Boxer-Puncher style!)

I'll be happy to fight again like I did tonight. I'm so very happy and proud. Yey!