Can't Do Two Things At The Same Time

Not long ago, someone in the gym asked me where some of the other kids were.  "They're probably in another activity.  I don't know why some people have signed up for multiple things going on at the same time," I said.  Tough, who like her sister Talky and her brother T1, are signed up for many activities gave me some explanation that didn't make a lot of sense nor cut any ice with me.

Is it that some parents don't keep up with their kids' schedules?  One of the reasons why I want to talk to parents before they sign their kids up for boxing is that I need to emphasize that training is a commitment.  If their kids like basketball, cheer leading or whatever else is going on better, then they need to devote their time to that.  I'm not going to be offended.  However, I don't want them in my class if the commitment is not there.  

Running in the gym for ten to fifteen minutes, then telling me, "I'm going to go do something else", has got to stop.  Kids standing around for 30 minutes waiting to spar, instead of training, then having to run off to another activity before any sparring happens -- that's got to stop.  Showing up the last five to ten minutes of class and wanting to stay around an extra 20 minutes (mostly to goof off), after they've spent time in the basketball gym, or in cheer leading practice, or in swimming, etc. -- that's got to stop.  None of the kids who do such things are going to learn how to box properly.

I keep worrying about some kid getting their head handed to them during a Chicago Park District boxing show.  I can hear the kid crying and whining, "I lost," and me trying to keep my voice even as I point out, "Enough training wasn't done in the gym."  Perhaps their parents and guardians, get an attitude with me because their kid got hurt.  It would probably be a parent or guardian who never met me beforehand, but just signed off on the registration form and sent it back with their kid to the field house.

There's a huge possibility that some of the parents put their kids in the boxing class because they saw it was free.  There is a cost for a lot of the other kids' programs, and a free one appeals to many.  I have made it clear that I don't expect all of the kids to show up every day.  They at least have to make up their minds to show up at least twice a week and stay in the gym for the full class.  But I'm not going to make it my problem that boxing doesn't have a ball to throw, hit, or kick.  I can't make it my issue that boxing is not dancing, MMA, or wrestling.  If the kids really want to be a part of it, they'll make the time for it.  Otherwise, the kids are wasting their time, and to be honest, wasting my time as well.

The Go-To Girl

While several of us waited on Alan to open the gym door on Wednesday, Leroy expressed a thought that I had heard several times before.  He said he needed to have more hours to train, but the Loyola Park gym doesn't offer enough of them.  That's one reason why Steve, the former coach, would say that people needed to do extra workouts outside of the gym.  But I can understand why guys like Leroy, who really want to compete, would want to have more time in a gym.

Jacob and Leroy sparred, and they were good matches for each other.  Jacob was really working his jab, and Leroy was answering punches very well.  Ray was giving extra instructions from the side. 

Alan told me to get ready because I had a line of women wanting to spar with me.  Abby and I sparred for one round and we went light.  She was pawing most of the time, and Alan encouraged her to put her punches all the way out.

Brandy and I sparred for three rounds and her punches seemed to be harder than the last time we were in the ring.  A few times I had my hands down, but I quickly remembered to put them back up once I was rocked with some hits.  I caught a right fist to my left eye, and several punches reached my mid-section.  I kept trying to deliver hooks, but Brandy was very good at backing up and avoiding most of them.  I got her with a jab, and her right eye blinked furiously.  "Are you okay?" Alan and I asked.  "It's just my contact moving around," she said.  Afterwards, Brandy said that it was very easy to telegraph my overhand right.  She dodged it each time.  I'm either going to practice and get it right or stop doing it altogether. 

Melinda sparred with Sarah, and she immediately threw hard punches.  Sarah returned the same, and Melinda became tired quickly.  Alan told Melinda, "If you start throwing bombs, Sarah has no choice but to defend herself and hit hard back."  Then he put Sarah in with Jacob.  Alan was saying that perhaps he should put Sarah in with guys more because of her punching power, and several others in the gym -- including me -- agreed.

Alan had his finger surgery the day before, so he had a cast on.   That made it difficult for him to help people suit up, so I was doing those duties.  It's going to be six weeks before his hand is back to normal.

Today, Pastor Roger asked if I had thought about being paid to coach boxing.  I'm often offered to coach individuals for free when asked.  Amateur boxing coaches do get paid, like the ones in the Chicago Park District system (Alan, George, Jack, Bill, etc.).  But I didn't think most who were not associated with a gym did.  "Why don't you coach both amateurs and professionals?" the pastor asked.  "I'd have to be licensed as a professional coach to work with pros," I said.  I told him I want to have one more fight, but I don't get as many fights as the guys do.  Pastor wondered if I could be a professional boxer, but I explained that the same health issues that keep me out of sanctioned amateur matches would also keep me from getting a professional boxing license. 

"What about doing MMA?" Pastor Roger inquired.  "I'm tough enough to take the knocks that I get in boxing, but I'm not sturdy enough for the take downs that happen in that sport.  If I was 20 years younger, I'd be all over that."

Why Things Are The Way They Are

Last night, Alan told me that Mary asked him why the numbers of people in the adult boxing program were down.  Over the past few weeks, there has been a noticeable drop off in people coming to the gym.  It seems to be that way in the youth boxing program, too.  I have my own theories.

1.  Boxing vs. MMA
Since the rise of mixed martial arts began a few years ago, boxing has been derided as "the sport that old people like".  MMA's fans are mostly younger, under the age of 35 years.  They cite that MMA matches are quicker and more exciting than boxing matches.  Indeed, boxing used to be on the same level as baseball, football, and basketball.  Matches were shown regularly on network television back in the day.  Now unless one has cable, one can't see boxing often, and even some of the cable outlets don't broadcast as many matches as they used to do.  Also, there doesn't seem to be as much of the confusion and underhandedness in MMA that has characterized professional boxing for the past decade or so.  When there are matches to be made in MMA, they are usually done.  People are still going 'round and 'round about a Mayweather-Pacquiao match that now looks to be dead in the water, among other boxing matches that should be made, but haven't been.  There are a lot of people who are frustrated with the state of boxing, and I can't blame them.

2.  People Are Uneducated About Boxing
As I've noted on this blog many times, too many people walk up in a boxing gym all hyped up without having done their homework.  Some think they know all there is to know about boxing since they've seen a few matches on HBO, Showtime and ESPN.  Too many think their street fighting skills will translate to the ring easily.  A lot of women in particular expect a boxing gym to operate like Women's Workout World or the East Bank Club, and are surprised to find that they don't work like that.  The lack of knowledge leads many to drop out of the sport before they get into it well enough.

3.  The Cost
I've wondered why boxing program fees vary across the Chicago Park District.  It appears that Loyola Park has one of the highest fees among the Park District gyms (but I could be wrong).  The average age of people who come into Loyola Park Boxing is around 25 years of age, and they are predominately male.  From what I've observed, most of the young men that have come through are struggling to make it.  They either are looking for jobs, working temporary gigs here and there or trying to stretch the short money they receive from the jobs they have.  Some have responsibilities, such as their own young children to take care of, or older parents/guardians whom they are trying to help out.  Quite a few are attending school, and that's another bill to deal with.  Forty dollars every two months or so is a lot of money to someone who's already on a tight budget.

4.  The Sparring Issue
If one plans to compete, sparring is essential.  When Steve was the coach, we'd often go to other Park District gyms to get in extra sparring practice.  The coaches and boxers from the other gyms would come up to Loyola Park in return.  This would happen a lot around the time fights were on the horizon, like the Chicago Golden Gloves tournament, for example.  That has not been the case since the gym re-opened under Alan's watch in late 2008.  The rules have tightened, and Mary does not want anyone in the gym who hasn't paid to be there.  I understand; it's a liability issue.  I don't dig people just showing up looking for a freebie workout, either, especially where security in the gym is concerned.  But a boxer and their coach is not going to pay a full term fee just to come to another field house occasionally to get some sparring in.  There should be a reciprocal agreement among Park District boxing gyms in terms of sparring.  The way to keep down conflicts and confusion is to always make sure that the field house manager is aware that a coach and their boxers know in advance that they are coming by to spar. Coaches shouldn't just make arrangements between themselves and leave the field house manager out of the loop. Boxers from one field house shouldn't just show up to another field house on their own. Their coach should be with them, so that both coaches can monitor the sparring that takes place.  Word gets around that there is good sparring to be had, then that may prompt some to want to sign up for boxing.

5.  The Audience Has Changed and Become Smaller
The last professional fight I went to, there were a lot of empty seats in the stadium.  If you saw it on cable, the cameras made it look like the crowd was bigger than it actually was.  Boxing, unfortunately, has become a niche sport over the past couple of decades.  I noticed that the spectators were largely Hispanic, and much of the advertising was geared toward that ethnic group.  Many Hispanics are still strong supporters of the sport, and there is a major Hispanic presence in boxing these days.  However, whites and African-Americans don't seem to be as enthusiastic about boxing like they used to be.

Giving A Knee

Now I am even more aware of being hit in my eyes.  I sparred with David last night, and got popped in my left eye.  On Monday night, Evangelina got me in my right eye.  Perhaps I will need quad-focals (I already wear tri-focals) after it's all over with.  Alan had told David "you can hit her" when I was in the ring, but when Erica got in with David next, Alan told him to take it easy.  "Why did you tell him to take it easy on her, but to beat me?" I laughed.  I also sparred with Jeannie, but very lightly.  I let her get more hits on me than I did on her. 

I need to call Barry because he has a DVD of all the fights that took place at the boxing show last Friday.  I'll pay for a copy, if that's the case.  I really need to look at my fight again.  Cynthia, a staff member at Loyola Park, told me that I had given Andrea a knee during our fight.  "You were fighting her like she had stolen your purse and you were doing MMA!" she laughed.  "I gave her a knee?" I said, shocked.  "I was hoping the referee didn't catch it," Cynthia continued.  If that happened like that, I glad he didn't see it, either.  That could have been either a point deduction or a disqualification.  It was not intentional, believe me! 

Ralphie had good news: his wife gave birth to a boy, whom they named Gabriel Rafael.  "I'm Rafael, my dad is Rafael. . .I decided to give that to him as his middle name," Ralphie smiled.  Mother and child are doing fine, as they say. 

Another Postponement

Twenty fights took place yesterday at the Golden Gloves.  John was not one of the fighters.  Like Carlos the other night, John's time to fight has been put off until next week.  He was hoping his match would be on the same day that Carlos has his, but their fights are on different days.  Carlos is scheduled for this upcoming Thursday.  If Pastor and Virginia are able to attend the Gloves then, they'll get to see him fight.

"Do you have a boyfriend?" Alan asked me.  "Not currently," I replied.  "You sure clean up well.  You could have been one of the ring girls," Alan grinned.  "I usually don't wear makeup often, but I figured I'd put some on tonight.  I'm surprised there are no ring girls here tonight," I smiled.  "They're probably saving them for the finals," Alan said.  Ring girls are unnecessary in my opinion.  The worst is when they appear at women's boxing matches.  There you have women in the ring taking care of serious business, then here come some half-dressed chicks parading around with signs.  It makes no sense.

I had been thinking about Antonio, the MMA fighter who used to come to Loyola Park to work on his boxing skills.  He was at the Gloves Saturday night; I didn't recognize him at first.  It was good to see him.  He's got a boxing match coming up in New York City soon.  He also has a MMA fight coming up soon here.  He trains at a gym up on Elston, which I will have to go and check out.  

Boxing As Self Defense

About three years ago, a group of us from the gym were at a show fight that was held at a suburban country club.  Someone was talking about using boxing a self-defense method.  Another coach at the event said, "Oh, no, you don't want to rely on boxing for street fighting.  You'd rather use mixed martial arts for that."

Both mixed martial arts (MMA) and boxing have their advantages and disadvantages when it comes to defending against an opponent on the street.  One main disadvantage both fighting arts share is this:  if an opponent has a weapon, and you're not able to disarm them, the fight can become one-sided very quickly.  No amount of hand movements, fancy footwork or kicks are much of a match against bullets or blades. 

That is not to say that boxing is not a good thing to know.  Sometimes, having knowledge that a potential victim will hit back and knows how to make it hurt may cause a perpetrator to back down.  But one has to be careful.  Deciding to go the bullying route is not cool.  I remember my mother telling my younger siblings and I to fight back if other kids hit us.  "Hit them hard enough so that they won't do it again," she'd say.  But she'd add, "I'd better not hear about you bullying someone or I'll kick your ass."  In other words, don't start none just to prove how tough one is. 

There's a boxer I met years ago who bragged about beating down a guy who crossed his path.  Supposedly, he was sitting on a stoop when a guy allegedly made a pass at him.  Okay. . .I have heard many stories from guys who were propositioned by other guys.  It still doesn't justify gay-bashing.  The boxer could have politely said, "Naw, man, I don't swing that way," and went on about his business.  But nooo, like the late John Belushi used to say.  The boxer jumps on the guy and beats him to a pulp.  I remember the guy laughing as he was telling the story.  Not a good look.

That story points out another problem with using boxing, or any other fighting art, as self-defense.  The law has no problem with anyone fighting off a would-be attacker and escaping from them.  If I continue grinding someone who tried to snatch my purse into the sidewalk just to prove a point, I could find myself being slapped with assault charges.  They tried to hurt me, but I could get dunned for it, especially once it is learned that I know how to box.  Unfair, but very true.  A judge will ask, "Once you got them off of you, why did you go on to knock out their teeth and black their eyes?" 

In the case of the gay-bashing boxer, he wouldn't have been able to tell the cops anything like, "I felt my safety was in jeopardy!"  All the other guy did was say something to him that he didn't like.  He was lucky that no witnesses or cops were nearby, or that would have been a battery charge.  The judge would have went extra hard once he found out the guy knew how to box.

There was a movie called Undefeated starring Wesley Snipes. Snipes was a boxer doing a long stretch because he beat a guy to death who was playing around with his girl.  His sentence was made particularly harsh because the judge ruled that Snipes' character's hands were lethal weapons.  The movie was fictional, but the situation Snipes' character was not unusual.  Anyone who's in a fighting art should always pick their battles outside of the ring or the octagon very carefully.

The Guys Put In Work

Jamil sparred with Johnny last night. He was hit on the arm, and it kept hurting and wouldn't stop. I figured he might have over-extended a punch, as well. "Alternate between putting ice on it and putting heat on it," I told him. I hope it doesn't get worse.

Carlos, the workhorse, sparred with all of the guys including Ralphie, who is real slick in the ring. "You can spar with whoever is left," Alan told me. No other women showed up last night.

While I was watching Carlos and Ralphie, I felt a light tapping on my back. I turned around and looked down to see Carlos' little boy, Justin. "Tomorrow is the first day of school for me. I'm going to Kindergarten," he smiled. "You'll like Kindergarten," I smiled back. I can't remember my first day of Head Start, but I still remember the first day I was in Kindergarten. I met a girl, Clintonia, who had her head down on the desk. The teacher, Miss Sheffield, introduced us. "I don't like being here!" she told me. I was a little taken aback because I was excited to be there. I had been bugging Ma about wanting to go to school ever since I was two years old. Clintonia and I also attended first and second grade together. We're still friends today. She became a grade school teacher.

"You'll learn your colors, your numbers, and your letters," I told Justin. "I'll learn how to write my name," he said. "Do you know how to read?" I asked him. He shook his head. For a second, I thought that was odd that a five-year-old doesn't know how to read, but that's normal. Just because I knew how to read when I was three, doesn't mean every kid should know how that early.

Alan was already missing Matthew, whom he took to military school last week. He was assured by the people there that his son will be taken care of, but there was still the "empty nest" thing going on. From what he told me, the military school is very dedicated to building up young men.

"Looks like all of the guys are tired out," Alan grinned after Carlos and Ralphie came out of the ring. "That's okay. I'm not going to make them spar with me," I laughed. The coach talked to Carlos about getting a fight at Simons Park next Friday. "Isn't that Johnny Heard's gym?" Alan asked, and I nodded. Mr. Heard was a professional boxer. I was listening to an interview Heard gave back in 2004, around the time of the Golden Gloves Finals for that year. "Boxing is all about money these days. You don't see guys doing slipping, etc., they just want to get in there and knock each other's heads off," Heard told the reporter. That is true to an extent, even though there are still boxers who prize technique. That appears to be the main fault with MMA, where the competitors just want to take someone out as quick as possible.

Like Dad, Like Daughter, But Different Sport

Since 2001, I've met more and more people in the boxing world. I've made more friends and contacts. People recognize me from the boxing events that I'm always hanging around. I went from competing (or attempting to, anyway) to being a volunteer coach. I'm just like my late dad in that respect, but his favorite sport was football.

Dad played professional football briefly, before I was born. He played for a Canadian team, of which I couldn't tell you the name. I have to do research. There are pictures of Dad suited up on the field, ready to go. He never talked about it to me, but then there were a lot of things he never divulged about his younger life. I only found out about his playing career after he passed away almost five years ago. He might have been playing for a team in Canada because of the lack of opportunities for African-American football players in the USA at that time. I don't know why he gave it up. Perhaps he was injured.

Years later, Dad's third wife had a younger son who was on the football team. Both her younger son and myself were attending the same high school. I don't like football, so I paid little attention to the school's games. I only attended one football game, and at the time, I had been out of high school for several months. The game was being played at Soldier Field. Dad went all the way down to the playing area. He was used to doing that, because he did it a lot at the Chicago Bears' home games. Dad stomped back up to where we were sitting that day, cursing because the high school coaches wouldn't take his advice on how to run the plays of the game.

Dad was known to the Bears' players and coaches. He was a thirty-year season ticket holder. Despite Dad's gruffness, he possessed an air of charm that got him into places and around people that others couldn't. There are pictures of him hanging around the Bears' training camp, smiling with various people. He hung out with Walter Payton, Richard Dent, Gayle Sayers, and others.

He also liked baseball -- Dad was a Cubs' fan -- and golf, but football remained his first love as far as sports were concerned. I'm not big on team sports. You can be Mickey Mantle or Michael Jordan, but if the rest of the team is not pulling their weight, the star's efforts aren't worth much. But my love of boxing has enhanced my appreciate of the sports I followed before I got into boxing (professional wrestling, roller derby, ice skating), and lead me to be a fan of MMA and extreme sports (snowboarding, in-line skating, BMX riding).

Olympic Punches

The American boxing team hasn't been doing very well in the 2008 Olympics. Part of the problem is the scoring process. The same process was used at the World Boxing Championships back in October of last year. It seems to be highly restrictive. The referees were stopping the action for every and anything. It didn't make for a lot of exciting bouts.

I read where there is a push to have women's boxing at the next summer Olympics. They should have been included in this year's events, as far as I'm concerned. Seems like every time I have turned on the event, diving, swimming and volleyball have been featured (boxing is regulated to 2 or 3 in the morning). I have much respect for Michael Phelps, and the American women's volleyball players who won a gold medal last night (playing in the rain, at that), but it would be nice to see boxing, even if it has already happened, earlier than the wee hours of the morning.

All the talk about MMA vs. boxing is kind of silly right now, seeing how boxing is an Olympic sport. I like MMA, but I doubt that sport will ever be considered for inclusion in the Games. Boxing still has a nobility about it that MMA has yet to acquire.

New Dwindles While Old Increases

Steve had to stay home with Eli. The little guy had a bad reaction to some medicine. Plus, Ellen had an interview outside of the city. Steve thought it best not to leave their son with babysitters last night, which was a good idea.

Most times when Steve is out, someone shows up whom none of us have seen in awhile. Last night, our own 2007 Golden Gloves winner, Mort came in. Also, Big Jermaine showed up along with his buddy, Danny. I hadn't seen Danny since last winter, I think. He told me since the weather was cooling down, he'd be coming in the gym more often. Last, but not least, Antonio, a MMA fighter who also won a Golden Gloves trophy earlier this year, came in to train.

Antonio, Mort and I got into a discussion about food, which made me more aware that I should watch what I eat. I had grumbled on a diabetes forum earlier that day how I hated having to think about the condition every day and adjust my habits. The forum monitor suggested a couple of books for me to read, and added, "The books will explain what bad things can happen if you don't eat right!" Antonio explained that he likes to eat a lot of Korean food. "It's the best because it's so healthy. It's full of vegetables," he said. Both he and Mort agreed that eating White Castle hamburgers was dangerous. I admit that I like "sliders", but even I can't eat them every day. Once every few months, I'll get a strong craving for them.

Antonio told me that he has opened his own gym, which is located on North and Elston. In addition to MMA, he teaches other martial arts and boxing. I would like to go there and check it out.

Only two of the new people came in, and they were gone at least fourty-five minutes before class was over. The male half of the married couple (I still can't think of his name), and Arin worked out a little, but I didn't do a formal lesson with them. I would have worked with them if they asked for help with specific things, however.

When I got to the gym, I noticed that I left one of my new boxing shoes at home. I never check to see if I have everything in the bag before I leave the house. It's the umpteenth time I've discovered I'm missing something; it's annoying. Must be one of those "senior moments" people joke about. Luckily, I had an old pair of flat tennis shoes in my locker to wear.

I watched the first semi-final match of "The Contender" late the night before. I had taped it because I had gone to a women's fellowship meeting sponsored by my church earlier. I knew Jaidon was going to beat his opponent, but I didn't expect the beat down to be so sudden. He caught the guy with a right cross, and his opponent crumbled to the canvas. He made it up before the referee finished the count, but his legs were not under him. The fight was stopped. He'll fight whoever wins the second semi-final match: Sakio Bika or Sam Solliman. That's a hard fight to predict. Both of them are tough men.

Casino Fights

All of the fights held at Hollywood Casino out in Aurora, IL this past Friday night were exciting. That is, with the exception of Bovan's fight, which was the last one of the evening. Bovan learned at the last minute that he was on the card, so Steve, JJ and myself stopped to pick him up. We ran into Antonio on the way, and spoke with him for a few moments.

Bovan was paired with a big Nigerian guy. The first two rounds were snoozers, as neither man threw many punches nor significant ones. I heard Steve snap, "What are you trying to do, outslick him?" Finally, the two fighters showed some life in the last round, but that quickly turned into a lot of clinches. "Come on," Steve said, "knock him on his ass!" Bovan won, but barely, squeaking out a decision.

Steve and JJ's conditioning coach, Jerome, worked JJ's corner during his match. JJ fought a Russian guy who was very stiff in the way held himself. Near the end of the second round, JJ caught the guy with a right and knocked him to the canvas. Jerome jumped up and down, yelling, "That's what I'm talking about!" He was so carried away that he forgot that he was supposed to assist in the corner. Fortunately, Mike leap up on the apron to help Steve. JJ continued to dominate the Russian in the third round. The Russian's corner people waved a white towel to stop the match.

I met a woman named Kristen, who was with Paul, another guy who fought and won that night. She asked about sparring opportunities at Loyola Park. Steve told her there were a few women, including me. Kristen remarked that she had a hard time finding matches. Steve indicated that it was hard for me to get them, too. "Because of my age. . .and diabetes," I told her. "You could always go pro," she smiled. A light bulb went off in my head. Another way to pick up some extra cash, I thought. But seeing how I am 45 years old, and haven't had any amateur fights, that would be a neat trick to pull off. Besides, if the USA Amateur Boxing Association doesn't allow those with diabetes and high blood pressure to compete, I would assume the same restriction are in the pro ranks.

We stopped at a gas station so Steve could fill up and get directions back to the highway. A woman came up to the car claiming that she was working for a company that was testing a new cologne. Allegedly, the cologne was something new by Armani. Yeah, right. . .it was after 9:00 PM, and they're hanging at a gas station selling what was probably no-name cologne that might have been hot goods. Uh-huh. JJ used some of his winnings to buy a bottle. Bovan had gotten out of the car to get something to eat. When he came back, the woman was joined by her partner, a guy who had tried to convince me and Steve to buy the cologne. The woman was impressed by Bovan's build. He's a solid built guy. I shook his hand earlier when we picked him up; nice strong grip. The woman wanted him to flex his muscles. He hesitated for a moment, but then obliged her. She was impressed.

On way back to Chicago, both Bovan and JJ stated that they didn't want Steve to ever stop any matches of theirs. Steve explained that if he saw that they were getting extremely hurt, he would have no choice but to step in and call it off. "You could get brain damage, etc.," Steve said. Bovan declared, "If anybody ever did that to me, I'd fight them. I mean, I wouldn't fight you because I know you, but I'd never let you work my corner again." "That's fine," Steve said, with no trace of irritation. Bovan is a professional MMA fighter; he boxes mainly for extra fight practice.

Bovan revealed something that I didn't know. There's not a clear amateur path in MMA as there is in boxing. "You can go pro faster there, instead of like boxing, where it takes years," he said. He has had a chance to spar with and be around some MMA superstars, such as Tim "The Maniac" Silva, for example. Bovan believes MMA will overtake boxing. Steve disagreed, stating he thinks there is room for both.

Boxing Vs. MMA and Coaching

I went to Mike's condo on Saturday night to watch a match between Sugar Shane Mosley and Luis Collazo. Two of Mike's buddies, Nate and Bill were there; none of the guys from the gym came by. We watched several MMA matches including the inagural ones that Showtime aired. Bill commented as we watched the Mosley-Collazo match that it was sort of a come down after the excitement of the MMA bouts.

Well, yes and no, in my opinion. MMA fighters generate a lot of heat with their kicks, takedowns and grappling, but boxing has the better bang for its buck. MMA bouts have longer rounds of five minutes, and only three or four rounds are done. Everything can be over by a submission or knockout in the first round. A fighter can be knocked down and out in the first seconds of the first round in boxing, too, but it doesn't happen all the time. MMA fans get cheated out of good fights a lot, while boxing fans get their money's worth when two great fighters go the distance. It seems that fighters have to be just about dead before referees will stop a match in MMA. Refs and coaches appear to look out more for their fighters in order to keep real damage from being done.

For example. . .Frank Shamrock jammed his opponent, one of the famous Gracie family, in the back of the head twice with his knee before the referee stepped in. Gracie had a concussion and couldn't go on. The fight was aborted unnecessarily, and after a big build up, fans were left hanging. The best MMA bout of the night took place between two women, the first MMA match with females that had been aired on TV. Those women were tough; that could have gone on more than three rounds.

Steve told me Friday night that there was a coach's clinic in Harvey, IL the following morning. If I had known about it earlier in the week, I would not have scheduled a church gospel concert rehearsal Saturday. I'll have to ask him how he finds out about the clinics, so I can put the next one in my calendar.