Boxing is Alive

For the most part, people have been arguing and criticizing the sport of boxing. It has been like that ever since. People say that, boxing is a dead sport, that the people who are related to boxing are a dying breed, but none of that matters now. I would agree to what James Toney, a former Middleweight Champion, said about the current state of boxing. Boxing is definitely alive. I believe that Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr. has helped the sport of boxing to its peak as of the moment. Boxing has become so relevant that people have been watching PPV in boxing compared to other combat sports. I believe that, fights related to Pacquiao or Mayweather, would inevitably have superior pay per view buys. This relives the days of Ali, Tyson, Chavez, Leonard, Duran, and a lot of other boxing greats who bring in the bacon, that anybody would pay a dollar to see them fight. Pacquiao and Mayweather have become a legend in boxing. They both bring the entertainment that no other sport brings. They bring excitement, drama, and a lot more. Because of superstars of this era, Boxing has paved its way into bringing it into the worlds consciousness. Boxing has come into one of those legendary golden ages, and I believe, at this moment, we are enjoying a part of greatness in this current golden age of boxing.

Honey of the Bee's

In the days of not doing as much boxing as I have wanted it, I felt lesser in spirit, in strength, in stamina, and in mental attitude. I didn't feel like boxing in a long time. Although that is the case, I still loved the sport as I continued to watch and patiently wait for upcoming fights internationally and locally. It took me some time to put myself back into fighting. It was morning when I started drinking honey. Miraculously, at night time, my warrior spirit went back. It seemed that I have more stamina than usual. I was surprised myself. I don't know if there is something about honey that put me back but I am grateful that I am. There is a secret about Honey that I am not able to solve yet. I have come to a conclusion that Honey is definitely the "warriors drink". It has become very special to me and has opened my consciousness from the benefits I got. On that night, I punched like never before.

Broken Fist

As the days of no boxing progressed, I felt a sense of urgency to replace something that I lost. I occupied myself into playing video games and surfing on the net. I felt physcally unfit and seemed to lose focus for a few days. Breaking my fist was as serious as killing my dreams. It was the two knuckle that hurt most of all. Applying even the lightest of pressure makes it hurt like hell. I give it a lot of time to heal. It took me close to one month until I could use my right hand to its full potential. Throughout the days, I felt desperate. I continued boxing using most of my left hand. My mind is so focused on fighting, I forget I have a broken hand. In a lot of occassions, I find myself throwing my right hand accidentally. I remembered on the progress of my fist. First, there was pain all throughout. Next, there was no pain but hurts even with the lightest pressure. Then, There was pain on the strongest pressure only(but I still can't box with it cause it hurts). Finally, its healed, but not completely. That is so far I have noticed. The dilemma taught me a lot of things in life. I learned to be sure, be smart, be safe, be patient, be independent, be focused, and a lot more. It is important to take calcium to support the healing of a broken bone and its ligaments. I took skim milk, cheese, whole wheat bread, and sea food.

Pacquiao-De la Hoya

The fight as regarded by many as the dream match. A fight that has become the fight of the year 2008. In my generation where computer games are essential parts of people's entertainment, It has been very clear that the fight against manny and oscar is usually seen in games. It is a fight that some thought would never happen. Don't look now, it's 2009, the fight already took place. It was a fight favoring De la Hoya in reach, height, speed, and power. Surely those aspects of Oscar is what made him the pound for pound king in the 90's. He was known as the spped that kills in boxing. Oscar's legendary career started as an amateur winning the Gold Medal in the Barcelona Olympics. Since then, he won 10 titles at six different divisions. He was the former junior lightweight, lightweight, 2 time junior welterweight, 2 time welterweight, 2 time junior middleweight, and middleweight champion of the world. His legendary career is historical. His opponent, Manny Pacquiao on the other hand is the current pound for pound king. He started his career as a flyweight(the second to the lowest division in boxing) and now has won the super bantamweight, super featherweight, and lightweight world titles. The fight was a historical bout, featuring speed against old age. Before the fight, Freddie Roach, Manny's coach and a former coach of Oscar, established that Oscar cannot pull the trigger as a result of Old age. A lot of betting establishents placed Oscar as the odd favorite against Manny. They gave importance to the idea that Oscar is just too big against Manny. In the fight, however, the young and quick Pacquiao dominated the great Oscar de la Hoya into quitting in his stool before the beginning of round 9. The physicalities of Oscar was evident, but it was clear from the beginning, that Pacquiao controlled the fight since the start of round 1. The bout was an important study in boxing history, as it showed that speed can be used to cut the physical advantages of an opponent. As Pacquiao won that fight, he has re-established himself as the worlds pound for pound king. He has been compared to the great Henry Armstrong, a fighter who has won three world championship belts at the same time. Pacquiao's move to welterweight was in the same level. This Historical bout will be remembered forever in the great pages of boxing history.

Inactivity

Through the course of my inactivity, I have learned a lot. I hadn't been able to post something here for a long time. It's break from school and I have a lot on my mind. My training turned from Gold to null. I have relentlessly hammered the heavy bag on a good night. I hit the bag like crazy, full of spirit, and power. I felt contented, full of energy, and strong. In the stroke of bad luck or simply carelessness, I broke my right knuckles on a hard concrete wall. I did not hit it lightly, because at the moment I had my momentum. Every punch I threw that night was that of haymakers. I was literally punishing the heavy bag as I relentlessly hammered it with tremendous force. It all come into an end as my right fist smashed into the wall. I fell down into the ground feeling the pain so intense with a grimace on my face. I felt like my boxing days are over. Somehow, my mind began to play tricks on me. I was thinking that, at the moment that I fell into the floor, it seemed like I was knocked down by an opponent. My mind began to count me to 10 as if I was knocked down in a fight. I began to stand up as the count reached eight, my warrior spirit is truly legendary. I began to use my left for a while, jabbing the heavy bag like I'm pushing the damn thing away from me. After a while I began to get spirited and continued pouring hard punches even with a broken right hand. Offcourse, I can feel the pain in my hand as I throw the punch, but the pain seemed nothing to me. I can say proudly that my spirit is what made me forget the pain and continue to go on. I stopped until I felt sleepy. I ended the day proud, and I will never forget that kind of feeling in my lifetime.

Disappointment

It's a huge disappointment as I, would have wanted to post videos in this blog. I took the video from my RAZR V3 cellphone. All converters failed on me when I tried to convert 3gp files to wmv. I tried online converters but to no avail. To all those programmers who ever reads this post, you should be damn working on finding a solution. If not, Motorola company should do something about this. This just sucks, and I don't usually say bad words on my posts until now, but it is a complete bulls***. The video that I would have posted shows me punishing the heavy bag. I was inspired because of the video that I saw in youtube about manny pacquiao vs. heavy bag video. If you're interested go to "http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i7dB_4yXPv4". Pacquiao just hammered the heavy bag. It was also the same thing I did in my supposed video. Anyway, try watching the video it surely is very interesting.

Khan-Barrera

This will be my first post or even comments regarding a boxing match. The recent Barrera-Khan fight has become a tremendous boost to boxing, giving way to a talented young fighter in Khan against an old legend in Barrera. Marco Antonio Barrera, without a doubt, is listed as one of the best boxers in the sport. Barrera is a future hall of famer with victories over Erik Morales, Rocky Juarez, and others. Barrera's notable losses were from Pound for Pound king Manny Pacquiao and Legendary Erik Morales. Khan, on the other hand, is seeking redemption over his first loss that made the young Briton kiss the canvass two times until he was inevitably counted out. Khan then emerged with easy victories in his last fights. The two fighting, is a background of age versus youth. After Khans' loss, he chose trainer Freddie Roach, one of the top trainers in the world and trainer of Manny Pacquiao. Pacquiao, who has defeated Barrera twice, is an incentive in the Khan Camp. Barrera unfortunately, had a cut after a fight and was in danger as his fight with Khan is drawing near. In the fight, Khan outsmarted the old champion. He used his tremendous handspeed and was just amazing to behold. Khan dominated all rounds until the referree stopped the fight due to the decision of the physician that Barrera had a dangerous cut. Khan won impressively, He won on the 5th round.

Final Thoughts:
Barrera is too old, he should consider retirement seriously and continue as a lawyer or a boxing commentator.
Khan is the big deal, it will just be a matter of time that he would get a world title.
Barrera had a bad cut before the fight that resulted into his poor performance over-all.

Picture: Khan's idea of beating the legendary Barrera

Boxing Weight Class Divisions

As a boxer, I know the divisions that surround the excitement beneath the fights that made history to humanity. It is not like people get in the ring and fight, there is a division. People of the same weight are applicable to fight. This then, makes boxing more organized and unbiased. People with heavier weights have enormous sizes with absolute power. People with lower weights tend to be quicker but may lack in reach. I am well-educated in the American Boxing System, and so, although kilos has been the weight unit here in the Philippines, I measure my weight through pounds. As of the moment I am 145 lbs. and that is close to the welterweight and light welterweight division. My fighting weight should be at least 135 to 130 lbs. which is super featherweight and lightweight. These are examples of weight divisions in boxing, so through my knowledge, I will list down the categories that I know of. Find your division!

Heavyweight- 180 lbs +
Super Middleweight- 165 lbs
Middleweight- 160 lbs
Super Welterweight- 154 lbs
Welterweight- 147 lbs
Light Welterweight- 140 lbs
Lightweight- 135 lbs
Super Featherweight- 130 lbs
Featherweight-125 lbs

I always keep an eye on divisions that are famous and closer to my weight division. Although it is still lacking, this is all I know. Hopefully your weight is around here. Most Filipinos stay on the flyweight division(Second to the lowest weight category in boxing which is Strawweight) because of their body structure. The only heavy Filipino boxer that I know of is Former World Champion Ceferino Garcia of the Middleweight division. It would be unusual for Filipinos to reach the heavyweight division.

Picture: Muhammad Ali of the Heavyweight division

Diet

We all hear it. It is the most underestimated word when it comes to simple talk. Some people think, that diets are the absolute experience from hell. Yes, there is truth in that sentence, diet is absolutely all about discipline and knowledge of what to eat. As an athlete, weight is an important aspect in one's performance. Weight will be composed of bone, muscle, and fat. Bone weight is disregarded in weight control, the important parts are the muscles and fat. Looking for your DBW(Desirable Body Weight) is one way of determining if you are physically fit. Surely, weight is easily understood through measurement, but the important part will be the composition of the weight. If it's all fat then that is very bad. Muscles must be at least slightly more than fat. For an athlete, muscles must comprise about 80% of body structure compared to fat. To achieve such, training is greatly advised. A Boxers diet must be full of carbohydrates and proteins. Fats should be taken the least. Carbohydrates gives us energy, Proteins repairs damaged tissues and builds muscles. Fats are the highest form of energy, it contains about 9 calories in its small form. Fats are the absolute trick of nature. Take in complex carbohydrates like yam. Take in lean meat for proteins. Refrain from eating chicken skins and fried foods for they contain fat. Forget sugar. One great mistake of dieters is starving themselves up. If you don't eat, your body will be put into starvation mode which likely increase the fat storing capabilities of the body. So, you are storing more fat than you lose. Crash diets are very dangerous and not to be done. So don't worry and eat, but don't turn every meal a buffet.

Training

To some people, workouts are absolutely a waste of time. Through my experience, I can say that training will be a waste of time if you're doing it wrong or you do not like the training. Training will be only effective once it is continued. Doing it once at a time is the real waste. That is my opinion at least. Doing it everyday makes your muscles stronger and makes your body at best condition. It is important also to not overdo, as our body always has its limitation. If you are just starting, do not put yourself in the most extreme workout immediately. Start with the basics and don't forget to stretch. In the past, there was a point where I started doing ab crunches. Doing 100 at least was absolutely painful, just to wake up with muscle pain the next day. I just pushed forward, and now, I am capable of doing 1000 crunches in one training per day. Muscle pain is no problem after your muscles will get used to the work. So it is better to start small and bigger days will come. It is also important to keep yourself motivated every time you train. Think of the results. It is important to know the muscle group you want to work on. Proper execution is also essential for effective workout. Don't forget to drink water. Water promotes metabolism and helps burn fat. Do not be excited on the results, it will happen after a month of training. Furthermore, training is healthy so as early as now, start working those muscles.

My Role-Model in Boxing

I watch and learn stories about boxing greats, I may even be an exceptional boxing historian. Never have I been more in tuned compared to any other matter. As I continue witnessing impressive boxing matches, I have then understood the ins and outs of the sport. I have also found great boxers who I can completely compare myself with. If there are boxers that may be comparable to my body physique and attitude towards the sport, I may likely say a few names. Roberto "Manos de Piedra-Hands of Stone" Duran, Juan "Baby Bull" Diaz, and Joe "Brown Bomber" Louis. Duran is the fighter similar to the way I throw a punch. He's knockout power is absolutely legendary. Louis is a fighter with power but he does not throw wild punches, he uses boxing. Louis, to me, is the complete guide to become a perfect boxer. Diaz on the other hand is the first among the three that I have known clearly, he somewhat represents the type of spirit that I have. My mentality is absolutely quite similar to Diaz. All praise to these excellent fighters, they, to me, share the same warrior mentality and the representation that I am.

Picture: Roberto Duran against Sugar Ray Leonard. I do not own this photo.

Best Spots

In coordination to my last post "Power in Punching", this post is made to educate people of the best spots to hit an opponent in boxing. I have learned this through habitual watching of boxing matches and through experience. As a boxer, it is necessary to know what are you trying to hit. With this, anyone could be successful in taking down opponents.

Best Spots for Hitting an Opponent:

Chin- perhaps, the weakest point in all boxers because it controls the head. The chin, if hit, acts as a lever to shake the brain. Shaking the brain causes a person to lose feeling in his legs. The brain controls the nervous system, taking out the control makes your opponent immobilized. Making the 10 count absolutely close to impossible to stand up.

Temple- I'm not talking about the structure where monks live, but the part of our head which is the closest to the brain. This causes the opponent to shake his brain like hitting the chin. This will cause opponent to be dazed. There are only some fighters with this weakness.

Lower left/Right body- The area consists of the internal organs which makes the process of our body completely at its limit. Hitting the area attacks the internal organs which will always cause severe pain. If you're looking for body shots to drop the opponent, this is the best area. This will also cause the legs to fail. The best shots for foot speed kind of opponents.

Power in Punching

I always wondered, as I watch television and play the DVD of boxing punchers like Mike Tyson, Joe Louis, Sonny Liston, Joe Frazier and etc., what is the secret for tremendous punching power. I was so eager in learning the deadly art until I completely fell and thought, "so it is really a gift...". In all way I was so determined in learning the actual methods in boxing like footwork and technique, but never have I been stopped, just to find that, It is genetic. I joined the sport because of my gift of power, and that is what started everything. So the secrets of Punching power is....

Genetics- Gifted or in your blood
Execution- How you deliver a punch
Weight- the more weight the more power
Muscle- muscles gives way to deliver the great force
Best Spots- find the best spots in hitting opponent

With all these in hand, perhaps, you could be the next Mike Tyson

Philippine Boxing Legends

It is absolutely an amazing accomplishment on what the Filipino boxers has to offer to the world. In a small country like the Philippines, an era of great boxers once again flourish. As a boxing afficionado in my country, I view the greatness of my countrymen, relatively second-nature. The people of the Philippines are courageous and creative in nature. I am proud of having those characteristics, which speaks clearly on my state of person. Thanks to the predecessors of our modern-day boxing heroes, the country is clear and without doubt, of the capabilities of our people. They also gave way to show the characteristics that give pride to each and everyone. Philippine Boxing Legends like Flash Elorde(the longest reigning featherweight champion), Pancho Villa(who had over 100 fights before he reached 23 years of age), Ceferino Garcia(World Middleweight Champion and the renowned inventor of the Bolo Punch), and our modern day Manny Pacquiao(perhaps the most famous asian fighter, 4 time champion in different weight categories). These fighters are the icon in the warrior characteristics that the Filipinos possess. The long line of great fighters, is the major proof of the continuing proud characteristics that the Filipinos hold.

Boxer Stance

In boxing, there are a lot of stances and ways a boxer would fight. First of, there is the Orthdox stance. The orthodox stance is particularly a righty, with his left leg and hand forward. Fighters like Muhammad Ali, Erik Morales, and Sugar Ray Robinson are a few examples who use such stance. Typically, Right-handed is the most common stance in boxing, because most people are right-handed. The other stance, is the Southpaw stance. The southpaw stance is opposite to the orthodox, with right foot and hand forward. Fighters like Manny Pacquiao uses the southpaw stance. It is perhaps, common in most parts of Asia. I as a fighter am a righty and therefore should be an orthodox fighter. Although, in the past, I was a southpaw with my best punch forward landing first. I am not the only the fighter to use such ways, other boxers had also used it and used it with greatness, like Oscar de la Hoya. But then, I knew the flaws of such stance and then turned orthodox. I am then a converted southpaw, like a lot of fighters, one is Mike Tyson. Changing stances seemed a bit awkward but I've learned to develop it. It is also an incentive in my part, I then, can change stances at any point and would use it greatly to my advantage. I am a natural southpaw with a mastered orthodox.

The Boxer Me

I, perhaps, am one of the complex people to ever love science. All science, I love it, until I stumbled into some interesting stuff that would one way or another change my life. Ever heard of the known two words "Sweet Science"? That is right! I love boxing. In my country, boxing has been a famous sport because of the rise of Filipino Boxers in our generation. Boxing has been one of the pride of the Philippine Islands. It is historical, Philippines is one of the countries with a long line of great fighters. It is perhaps, understandable that the sport is more likely for commoners and their main goal is to earn money. In that sense, I as a middle class person do not require to even be boxer. I may have continued becoming a caring nurse. My desire for fighting is what makes me love it. I somehow have this innate spirit of a warrior. Boxing has become my habit. Whenever I would throw punches, My body is electrocuted like I would be so excited, to the point that, I release adrenaline everytime. My sport is definitely boxing, not basketball or soccer. I was in high school when I watched Manny Pacquiao. He gave me an inspiration and made me proud as a Filipino. It was that time that I started to watch boxing matches. I even thought, why just now?, if I knew boxing at an early age I would be contented as a person. It was until I was put on a martial arts gym that I realized my full potential... I discovered my punching power. After that day, I never returned to that gym. I got absorbed into boxing like never before. I watch boxing frequent times than any other person. Now, I watch boxing everyday as a habit. I train like a boxer and eat like a boxer. I control my weight. It's just pure adrenaline that makes me into this. By taking a punch and giving a punch in a brawl-like sequence, my spirit is overflowed and I can say that I am, a boxing addict. My natural love for it is what makes this sport so important to me.

Scientific Me

Ever since I was a kid, I loved science in all forms. I would say that physics is nonetheless my signature science. As a physicist I have begun learning ideas that would eventually help the people. I believe in the future, I may be able to discover facts of life that may lead to change. I have so far, learned and thought out maybe more than 3 theories all centralizing in world creation and energy functions. Unfortunately, I do not wish to share it until the right moment. One intriguing part of my theories regards the perhaps actual stopping of time itself. Nonetheless, these are all theories and speculations that are to be judged and perhaps I would have the pleasure of proving it.

The First Step

It's my first time to start blogging and my fingers are itching for a story to tell. As a person, I have built up my experience and am confident in sharing ideas that are relevant in our period in this era. Truly, technological advancement is astonishing. With this, my ideas will be shared and may be heard.

What is this blog about?

As you might have seen. I titled this blog as Tornado. The name is a clear picture and representation of myself. I am deadly, vicious, and relentless.(Only in Boxing, that is) That is almost the kind of thing that absolutely fits the kind of person that I am.

The name on the blog address signifies my real name. It sounds American but I'm absolutely Filipino, and I'm very proud of my heritage. "Rush Joe" - Urish Peter Jain. Rush Joe is my other name and it speaks a lot of my character.