Coco wrote:I was always very nervous for fights, I think anyone that says they are not are liars
I obviously boxed at a far lower level, but the nerves killed me. I couldn't relax from about three days away from the fight and on the night itself I'd be hoping my opponent wouldn't make the weight etc so I didn't have to fight. Ironically once it was time to walk to the ring I was OK and just wanted to get it over and done with. Even when I won by KO though, the feeling afterwards was largely one of relief that the whole ordeal was over, rather than elation.
The one thing I really noticed having performed at a reasonably high level at Tae-Kwon do and then becoming a novice boxer was that in the former I was able to maintain composure throughout and really think about what I was doing during the bout, whereas in my first few boxing bouts I could barely remember anything about them afterwards - didn't really feel in self-control in terms of distancing, timing and controlling the tempo etc. It was all a blur.
As I was older, I was also self-aware enough to recognise this (as a kid you're so much more instinctive in all your actions), and it really frustrated me that I'd 'lost' that composure.
My overwhelming feeling was just that I'd started too late in the game to really have a go at getting anywhere, so that made it hard to stay motivated, particularly once I started on a full-time career.
Just think of the mileage you nearly couldda have
