DEALING WITH THE ?FEAR FACTOR? IN THE RING & PRIOR
Las Vegas, NV-Being an ex-fighter I can tell you that there is no period as stressful as the time Diego Corrales and Jose Luis Castillo are enduring after they both made weight Friday afternoon at the Mandalay Bay, this prior to their Saturday night Showtime showdown. The next 28 hours can either make or break a fighter. You see this is the point in the boxing process where one might begin to doubt their own preparation.
NOTHING BUT MIND GAMES AFTER WEIGH IN
Depending on the fighter, he may have realized all of a sudden he should?ve ran more, not had sex with the wife two weeks prior, or stayed up late at night playing cards with your friends in training camp. All of this and more, it starts off as just a whisper. But as the second hand spins on the clock, so does your mind and the volume is off the hook. So you can?t listen to the B.S. from pugs that say their never scared or even think about losing.
TYSON NEVER AFRAID OF BUSTER DOUGLAS UNTIL, POW!
Because the reality is that fear, it is a big part of just being a fighter. If you?re not scared of losing, or the possibility of getting hurt, or at the very least being embarrassed, then you?re either lying, fighting a tomato can, or psychotic! And while your mind can be filled with nothing but positive thoughts 98.5 % of the time, the anxiety, the hormonal release brought about by knowing you?re about to fight, the handling this aspect of the boxing game can be tougher than your opponent.
ABOUT THE ONLY TIME I WASN?T SCARED
As for the ?fear factor,? the only time I wasn?t scared was when I fought Juan Rodriguez in the mid 1980?s. After beating two guys that beat Juan, and both with one-punch KO?s set up by the left hand underneath, I didn?t feel any fear. Especially after licking him like a stamp twice in gym fights. Needless to say, at the end of the night, Mr. Rodriquez was the upset victor. Refusing a rematch, Juan fought once more, got beat and quit.
DID EVERYTHING RIGHT FOR THE MATCH, EVERYTHING!
The physical preparation was there for this fight. I ran twice daily in addition to getting many rounds of good work over a five-week span. But this guy wasn?t in my league, as he?d never beat another Open Class fighter. You see the ?fear factor? that wasn?t a part of me for this fight, it instilled a level of overconfidence that didn?t hit me until you guessed it, when Juan did! At the end of the night, I knew that this was a contributing factor in being handily defeated.
LOOKING FOR THE CASTILLO-CORRALES PREVIEW?
Cliff “24-Karat” Rold put the Jose Luis Castillo-Diego Corrales fight in perspective this morning. Hit this link and see who “24 K” thinks wil win and why. http://www.ringtalk.com/news/view_article.asp?id=340&cat=4
