Why Fight?

During a recent conversation with my wife, something that was said has stuck in my mind and has been rattling around for the past few days....

As a little background, we had watched the Ali vs. Frazier fight (1964) on TV, and my wife had subsequently talked with her mom on the telephone regarding the fight. My wife had said to me that her dad had been a big boxing fan, and she seemed to recall that her mom had been one as well.

Apparently, however, during the conversation, her mom had told her that she had ever only watched one fight, and had never been able to watch another. Her reason was that she found the thought and the sight of two men beating on one another for money to be spiritually, emotionally, morally, and ethically upsetting to her.

My wife related this conversation to me as we sat in the local movie theatre waiting for the show to start. All through the movie, my thoughts kept returning to this issue, and the opinion and view that it expressed about boxing, and, by extension, about boxers.

Having been a fighter myself, and having a fairly accurate understanding of the 'insider's view' of boxing, I was actually quite shocked to hear this point of view. Granted, there is an 'inside' world of boxing, comprised of fighters and trainers, and an 'outside' view, comprised of everyone else. They don't often understand what we are about, because they are not really a part of our world. We, on the other hand, are a part of the other world, though we are often somewhat separated from it due to our chosen pursuit. We push ourselves, train ourselves, and commit ourselves to our sport to such a great degree that in many cases other facets of our lives suffer to some extent.

I blurted out, "But... it isn't about the money! It's never about the money to the vast majority of boxers! She's got it all wrong!" And, quite simply, this is true, in my opinion.

Of course the big names in boxing earn millions, and everybody knows this, and, naturally, the possibility of earning that kind of money is of course a great attraction to every boxer who ever fancies himself a future world class champion. The money isn't really why we choose to become involved in this sport. Not at all.
The simple truth of the matter, however, is that among the many thousands of boxers, very, very few ever earn anywhere near that kind of money, and most earn nothing, or not even enough to pay for their training and equipment. The heart of boxing isn't money, it is heart, plain and simple. We love to box!

Not many people actually step up and learn to box. Many fancy themselves to be boxers, even though they have never stepped into a ring. Some feel that they could be better boxers than most boxers, and, quite possibly, with the proper training, and a great deal of work and sweat, they could be... but they never do. It is a very, very difficult thing to 'toe the line' and stand face to face with another tough, fit, and skillful boxer and put yourself to the test. For those that do, the world is a very different place. Respect has a completely different meaning. There is no bullshit in the ring, for one thing. You can deliver, or you can't. You win... or you lose. It takes a special type of person to put the gloves on and fight over and over. Boxing isn't a pursuit for everyone. You have to want it, and it has to be in your blood.

When I watch folks who are not fighters watching boxing, I am always surprised at the beliefs and opinions that they express. They make suggestions to one fighter or another by yelling at the screen, usually, on how best to defeat the opponent; "Why doesn't he just duck and cover, and then hit 'im with a body/head hook combination?? That's what I would do!" It looks easy when you aren't in the middle of it. Simple! Just do this or that, and then such and such will happen. No problem! I think most fighters would respond, "easier said than done...". Basically, that foot to foot-and-half that you have to cover directly in front of your opponent is quite possibly the longest distance you will ever have to travel. Its a simple matter to watch a fight from the comfort of your couch and come up with remarkably sound strategy, and quite another to put that plan into action under the intense pressure that a tough, skillful opponent will put you under. Everybody has a plan... until they get hit!

There are countless movies, television shows, and books about boxing, and you can learn quite a bit about the world that boxers live in by watching and reading. About as much as you can learn about the taste of an orange, if you've never tasted one. You can articulate that an orange is sweet, juicy, tangy, zesty, etc., but, until you've tasted one, you don't know what an orange tastes like. Period. Perhaps if someone fed one to you after watching the movies and reading the books you would be able to identify this new fruit as an orange... but, until you actually experience it yourself, you really only have a somewhat distant approximation. The point that I'm making is that unless you have put the gloves on, sweated, grunted, bled, and felt the nervousness, fear, anticipation, agony, pride, pain and love that boxing incites in its practitioners, you just don't really understand what its all about.

Respect is a big part of it. You want to earn the respect of your fellow boxers, and you do! You learn to respect yourself, and your abilities, and you learn to respect others. You learn to respect the rules and the traditions. You learn that in order to be respected, you have to give respect wherever it is due.

Cameraderie and Espirit are also a huge part of the draw... you struggle and go through hell together, you face the same difficulties and misery, and share the failures and the triumphs with others... and it makes you close. Closer than many folks are able to understand.

To this day, when I meet someone and somehow come to learn that they are, or were, fighters... regardless of their skill level or record, I feel a bond with that individual. It doesn't matter whether they are male or female, black, white, hispanic, gay, middle eastern, asian, rich, poor, or ugly. They are special. They are a boxer. Just like me. They have walked the same road, and have faced many of the same challenges, if not more... and they understand certain parts of me in ways that nobody else ever will.

I'm not a terrible boxer, or a fantastic one. I can hold my own. I have nothing to be ashamed about, and nothing to brag about. But I have plenty to be quietly proud of. I worked my ass off, I improved myself, both in spirit and in body, and I faced my fears and conquered them. I learned how to win, and I learned how to lose. Mostly, I learned that hard work gets results, and that you have to risk something in order to get something. I learned also that life has a flavor and poignancy when you put yourself on the line that it lacks when you keep your head down and never test yourself. Lastly, I learned that the most difficult opponent I will ever face, is myself. And that, folks, is what it is all about.