A number of years ago a young lad from the borders had moved to Kilmarnock and walked into the North West ABC wanting to be a boxer . The BIG news was - he was a heavyweight !!! For Scotland ,that's rare . Anyway after a few months under our old experienced trainer he had learned how to throw a nice straight jab and I had sore hands and forearms with him banging right hands into the pads . We got him a fight on a show at Blantyre Miners Social Club . The boy was nervous but seemed up for it . We got into the ring and you could hear the anticipation of the crowd - A HEAVYWEIGHT FIGHT . The boy turned round to us with a really worried look on his face , and my first fears were that he's bottled it .
The trainer asked him what was wrong and he replied ' A canny stand up straight ' . I asked him if he'd hurt his back - ' Naw , ma heid's hitting the ceiling ' ( No ,my head is hitting the ceiling !!) .
His opponent ,to be kind , was a wee fat guy who probably started off as a middleweight . Now you can't throw a good jab from a crouch !
The two of them went at it swinging hooks all night and the crowd got their money's worth - and we got the win . Although I don't know how the judges scored the head shots because you couldn't see them for the cigarette smoke which had gathered around the roof .
Its good to reminisce ( is that how you spell it ?) isn't it ?
A tall story!!
Re: A tall story!!
Takes me back to my first amateur fight.
I was 22 and I had only ben Boxing for about three months but had done a bit here and there as a kid the usual I spose for most kids from the sort of area I great up in. Anyway I had done ok in the gym and as i was one of only a few senior boxers at the gym my trainer got me carded and ready to fight. Like i say i had only been doing it a few months and had gone from 17 and a half stone down to a more manageable 15st something. I dont really remember much about the build up to the fight (weigh in etc) but i remember standing outside the room busting for a wee and my trainer having to tale my gloves off for about the 3rd time so I could go. My name was called and i entered the ring full of confidence and buzzing as i was so excited about my first fight (legal anyway). All i remember from this point was standing casually chatting to my trainer who was quite surprised at how relaxed I was and i was relaxed well until the ring announcer called out my name "and in the blue corner from canterbury ABC Daaaaaan Woodgate" as soon as i heard this I went cold and the realisation of it all hit me I remember the exact words I said to myself "F*ck thats me!!!" I remember freezing and thinking to myself i didn't know what to do but ny then if was too late. The guy I fought was a similar weight but naturally a bigger guy and was a decent boxer to be fair. I just tried to hide the whole fight only punching when i felt I really needed to. I got an 8 count in the 3rd although i wasn't hurt at all and i lost the fight on points.
Now I imagine this experience for most would be enough to make them think twice about going back in the ring or even the gym but i walked out of that ring with my head held high. I was over the moon that I'd done it my trainer was happy as he thought i boxed ok (when I watched it back it waste as bad as i first thought) and i had found my new passion...... Boxing. I have always liked being centre of attention and this was my calling. I loved hearing people calling come on blue!!! It made me fall in move with something for the first time in my life and the rest as they say is history.
I was 22 and I had only ben Boxing for about three months but had done a bit here and there as a kid the usual I spose for most kids from the sort of area I great up in. Anyway I had done ok in the gym and as i was one of only a few senior boxers at the gym my trainer got me carded and ready to fight. Like i say i had only been doing it a few months and had gone from 17 and a half stone down to a more manageable 15st something. I dont really remember much about the build up to the fight (weigh in etc) but i remember standing outside the room busting for a wee and my trainer having to tale my gloves off for about the 3rd time so I could go. My name was called and i entered the ring full of confidence and buzzing as i was so excited about my first fight (legal anyway). All i remember from this point was standing casually chatting to my trainer who was quite surprised at how relaxed I was and i was relaxed well until the ring announcer called out my name "and in the blue corner from canterbury ABC Daaaaaan Woodgate" as soon as i heard this I went cold and the realisation of it all hit me I remember the exact words I said to myself "F*ck thats me!!!" I remember freezing and thinking to myself i didn't know what to do but ny then if was too late. The guy I fought was a similar weight but naturally a bigger guy and was a decent boxer to be fair. I just tried to hide the whole fight only punching when i felt I really needed to. I got an 8 count in the 3rd although i wasn't hurt at all and i lost the fight on points.
Now I imagine this experience for most would be enough to make them think twice about going back in the ring or even the gym but i walked out of that ring with my head held high. I was over the moon that I'd done it my trainer was happy as he thought i boxed ok (when I watched it back it waste as bad as i first thought) and i had found my new passion...... Boxing. I have always liked being centre of attention and this was my calling. I loved hearing people calling come on blue!!! It made me fall in move with something for the first time in my life and the rest as they say is history.
Re: A tall story!!
iftkwoody wrote:Takes me back to my first amateur fight.
I was 22 and I had only ben Boxing for about three months but had done a bit here and there as a kid the usual I spose for most kids from the sort of area I great up in. Anyway I had done ok in the gym and as i was one of only a few senior boxers at the gym my trainer got me carded and ready to fight. Like i say i had only been doing it a few months and had gone from 17 and a half stone down to a more manageable 15st something. I dont really remember much about the build up to the fight (weigh in etc) but i remember standing outside the room busting for a wee and my trainer having to tale my gloves off for about the 3rd time so I could go. My name was called and i entered the ring full of confidence and buzzing as i was so excited about my first fight (legal anyway). All i remember from this point was standing casually chatting to my trainer who was quite surprised at how relaxed I was and i was relaxed well until the ring announcer called out my name "and in the blue corner from canterbury ABC Daaaaaan Woodgate" as soon as i heard this I went cold and the realisation of it all hit me I remember the exact words I said to myself "F*ck thats me!!!" I remember freezing and thinking to myself i didn't know what to do but ny then if was too late. The guy I fought was a similar weight but naturally a bigger guy and was a decent boxer to be fair. I just tried to hide the whole fight only punching when i felt I really needed to. I got an 8 count in the 3rd although i wasn't hurt at all and i lost the fight on points.
Now I imagine this experience for most would be enough to make them think twice about going back in the ring or even the gym but i walked out of that ring with my head held high. I was over the moon that I'd done it my trainer was happy as he thought i boxed ok (when I watched it back it waste as bad as i first thought) and i had found my new passion...... Boxing. I have always liked being centre of attention and this was my calling. I loved hearing people calling come on blue!!! It made me fall in move with something for the first time in my life and the rest as they say is history.