Stunned and Stopped

Alan asked me if I wanted to spar last night. "I don't know. I'm not feeling that well," I told him. My stomach was acting a little funny, probably because I hadn't eaten much yesterday. A check of the scale in my bathroom showed that I lost another ten pounds. A combination of always sparring and not eating a lot due to the recent heat may be the culprit. I'm glad for the weight loss, however; I still need to lose more.

Ieisha was there, but I later agreed to spar with Nicole. Nicole is similar in build to Katie (who didn't return for the summer session), with long arms and legs. Right away, I knew I had to be an inside fighter. "Don't hit me too hard. I'm not wearing a mouthpiece, and I haven't done this before," Nicole told me. "Have you ever fought with anyone at all?" I asked. "Just play fighting," she answered. "I'll go light," I said, as I adjusted her headgear. "Remember to keep your mouth closed," Alan told Nicole.

As soon as the bell rang, Nicole came out with a hard left jab. "Okay," I thought to myself, "I promised to go light." I proceeded to go to the body, and tapped some hooks to her sides. The hard punches kept coming, so I decided that I had to take some to get some in. Nicole put out both fists at one point, and Alan told her to use one hand at a time.

I stepped back to avoid one of her punches, but didn't get back far enough. WHAM! Nicole caught me full on the left side of my face with a right hook. I stopped cold in the middle of the ring. I was stunned. Alan watched me carefully. A few seconds later, the bell rang signaling the end of the round. Nicole decided one round was enough for her. "I want to get used to it, so I know what to expect. The next time, you can hit me a little harder," she told me. I took a round off and sat down. The side of my face was stinging.

Ieisha went a couple of rounds with Ralphie. He wore a mouthpiece, but no headgear. "Uh-oh," I thought to myself, remember how hard she had punched me during sparring. She caught him good several times. Leon and Carlos were commenting on how good her punches were. Alan smiled again and said, "She's lying. I know she's done this before!"

Leon and Michael sparred. Michael took a rough punch from Leon, but I couldn't tell which punch it was. I turned around in time to see Michael doubled over in the corner. It might have been a low blow or a punch to the gut.

When I got home, I checked my face for wear and tear. It was still stinging a bit, but I saw no cuts or bruises. I'm surprised it's not hurting today, but then sometimes, it takes me a couple of days to feel more pain. I escaped being totally knocked out again, but one of these days, I might not be so lucky.