The gatti/ward inspiration train

pro boxing hasn't been good for a while. like, a long while.

sure, the pacquiao/marquez matchups have offered us a hint at what boxing could be, but in the end, they've been controversially disappointing. not since gatti/ward has a legitimate (and dramatic) storyline developed.

so, it's gatti/ward that i go back to. often. all three fights are on youtube in their entirety, and all three fights put tingles on the back of my neck.

but nothing does it like round 9 of their first matchup -- what ring magazine called "the round of the century".

as a long distance runner, i find great inspiration in people who soldier on through pain, in people who fight til the end and never give up. i like to think of myself as one of them -- that i'm a fighter, that even if you kick me when i'm down, i'll just keep getting back up and the only way you'll stop me is if you kill me.

Heart broken

been listening to owl city's latest album over and over again because i just can't get enough of its synthy pop melodic awesomeness.

though recently, one of the songs (called "galaxies") peaked my interest for a different reason: there's a lot of reference to "god" and shit. it wasn't until i really listened to the lyrics that i began to ask myself "is adam young a delusionoid?????"

off to the google machine i went and yep. sure enough, dude is a fucking delusionoid xtrian.

i cried.

a little.

oh well, happens to the best of them. albert pujols. evander holyfield.

can't fucking win them all. i still love the music, just like i still love baseball and boxing despite the saturation of crazy.

Box a motherfucker

in looking for a more enjoyable cross training activity to supplement my running than swimming and biking i stumbled upon a groupon for a 2 month membership to a boxing club in my neighborhood.

i have always been curious about boxing, wondering if i could handle something that rigorous, if i could keep up.

well, shit, i can run marathons now so i'm sure i'm fit enough to try.

so i did.

and let me tell ya... it fucking rocks.

i think it's better conditioning than running actually. it builds more endurance, more antidotes for pain. it's more miserable, it smells bloody awful and there's a motherfucker yelling in your face a lot. but at the end of the workout, you wanna hug your trainer for making you feel so bad. it's really quite unexplainable.

and just like with runners, i feel like the boxing community is a more amicable lot than most other clicks. everyone is so nice and so caring and so interested in one another's lives. it makes sense cuz you're doing things that are so awful that you reach out to your peers for support.

the other night before class, i went and watched my trainer spar with a guy who whooped his fucking ass. i mean, my trainer had a cut eye AND a cut lip, blood dripping down his face and he just kept going. never lost his poise. and this was practice. then, after he was done, he taught class for an hour like nothing was wrong.

it hurts so good.

i recommend it for ANYONE. fit or not. if you are fit you ain't seen nothin' yet til you try this and if you aren't fit, you stick with some boxing classes and your ass will get fit quick.

or die.

haha. just kidding you won't die.

probably.