I am Training at the Petronelli's Gym in Brockton, Ma

[BrocktonBlockbuster49]

ok so its been over a week since i been there. its awesome. kevin mcvride trains there, i see robbie simms all the time, goody petronellis there and he has actually been teaching me a few things here and there. its all old school, no bullshit. you come to train! i train hard, im so sore right now!

but its been a week so far and............

today i receieved some flattering news.......and i need some help from all u out there.


i been working with a bunch of trainers for the past week and doing a lot of work on my own, and today one of the "big time" trainers who was there(who had been anaylsizing me and some other guys for the past week) pulled me aside and started asking random questions about where i live, my family, etc. then he got to the point and said "how far do u wanna go"?? i said "i dont know, but as far as being a fighter and training, i will train as hard as i can andi will be the best possible fighter i can be." then he said "i think u have something" "u got quick hands", "im offering to train you, and ill beat the shit out of you but u will win golden gloves, and go on to bigger things".

this guy is a complete old school guy, no bullshit. its hard to get him to compliment you. with him pulling me aside like that i know he was serious and wasnt trying to play me for a sucker. the petronelli gym has a good rep.

also this other kid this guy trains right now, the kids nasty. hes a 17 year old kid who looks like hes gonna be the next mayweather. if i go with this guy, hes gonna obviousely make me into a fighter.

later on he took me over to this profesional(who was in the ring hitting the bags and he looked awesome) and said "if u let me train u, i will make u look like him in no time"



he had me hit the bags and i was doing good and as a southpaw he told me to throw a right hook(i never threw one before) and i whipped it around and it exploded off the mitt. he then stopped looked at me and said "thats a knockout punch".



by the way im a southpaw, but im mainly ambedrextris. i can fight both ways but im doing southpaw right now.








anyways, im going going to college in the fall. this guy doesnt want to train me for just one summer. he wants to train me train me. he said "i dont train guys who want to learn how to fight, i train fighters". so i dont know wut to do, i cant throw away my college career. i know i cant accept the offer, but it flatters me and makes me have dreams of becoming a champion!

[Expug]

The Petronellis are very respected. I think they are top shelf. Be honest and straightforward with the trainer about what you wanna get out of Boxing. They obviously feel that you have talent. Soon they are gonna test you in another way, after your first sparring match they are gonna want to see how you react. If you get busted up it doesnt matter . They are gonna want to see if you shake it off and come back the next day ready to work on what you did wrong. The charachter test is coming. Goody is known for that.

[BoxBuzz]

brockton good luck with your decision, pivotal point for you. Follow your gut on this one and then be at peace with it either way. Don't underestimate the importance of your obvious love for this sport. It didnt just find it's way into your matrix by accident.

[pundit]

Keep us posted

[Expug]

Wrestling and boxing maybe you can be the next Paul Berlenbach.

I have alot of respect for the Petronellis man. The Hagler - Petronelli story is a great one. Marvin was with them from day one. It was a perfect fit . Even when they were having a little trouble getting Marvin a shot. Hagler never thought about going with any of the song and dance men. He stayed with the Brockton crew. It says a great deal about them and him.

[Collins2000]

"he told me to throw a right hook(i never threw one before) and i whipped it around and it exploded off the mitt. he then stopped looked at me and said "thats a knockout punch". "




Forget college, Brocky. The boxing world is crying out for the next Jeff Pegues.

[BrocktonBlockbuster49]

"he told me to throw a right hook(i never threw one before) and i whipped it around and it exploded off the mitt. he then stopped looked at me and said "thats a knockout punch". "




Forget college, Brocky. The boxing world is crying out for the next Jeff Pegues.

lol im defintley not a power puncher and i never though i had a hard punch, my left is not hard, my jab is not hard. i simply have quick hands. however i guess i had a right hook weapon i never knew about. even when i threw it i could feel the power and thrust into the punch, its a weird feeling. i cant say where i got this punch from, cause everything else i throw is weak



also im not a heavyweight. im 5'10 150lb and my peak fighting/wrestling weight would be around 140

[silkov]

"he told me to throw a right hook(i never threw one before) and i whipped it around and it exploded off the mitt. he then stopped looked at me and said "thats a knockout punch". "




Forget college, Brocky. The boxing world is crying out for the next Jeff Pegues.

lol im defintley not a power puncher and i never though i had a hard punch, my left is not hard, my jab is not hard. i simply have quick hands. however i guess i had a right hook weapon i never knew about. even when i threw it i could feel the power and thrust into the punch, its a weird feeling. i cant say where i got this punch from, cause everything else i throw is weak



also im not a heavyweight. im 5'10 150lb and my peak fighting/wrestling weight would be around 140

You can improve your punch through technique... also I cant remember how old you are but you may still be growing/developing physically. Seriously though if I was you I'd go for it and take the boxing as far as you can... you can always go to college when your a bit older.
To get a chance to be taken on by these guys they must really see something in you... these guys know what they're looking for... good luck!

[Ezzard]

you can always go to college when your a bit older.
To get a chance to be taken on by these guys they must really see something in you... these guys know what they're looking for... good luck!

Wise words...

Of course, it would also help in the long run if you want to be a boxing writer if you have fought and trained in such an illustrious gym and made all of the contacts you undoubtedly will.

[KOJOE90]

you can always go to college when your a bit older.
To get a chance to be taken on by these guys they must really see something in you... these guys know what they're looking for... good luck!

Wise words...

Of course, it would also help in the long run if you want to be a boxing writer if you have fought and trained in such an illustrious gym and made all of the contacts you undoubtedly will.

Also there are many different ways to study these days, part time, part year, evening classes, Internet etc etc etc.

Always have a back up plan.

[bennie]

How is Robbie? He was involved in so many wars...

[dempseyfire]

ok so its been over a week since i been there. its awesome. kevin mcvride trains there, i see robbie simms all the time, goody petronellis there and he has actually been teaching me a few things here and there. its all old school, no bullshit. you come to train! i train hard, im so sore right now!

but its been a week so far and............

today i receieved some flattering news.......and i need some help from all u out there.


i been working with a bunch of trainers for the past week and doing a lot of work on my own, and today one of the "big time" trainers who was there(who had been anaylsizing me and some other guys for the past week) pulled me aside and started asking random questions about where i live, my family, etc. then he got to the point and said "how far do u wanna go"?? i said "i dont know, but as far as being a fighter and training, i will train as hard as i can andi will be the best possible fighter i can be." then he said "i think u have something" "u got quick hands", "im offering to train you, and ill beat the shit out of you but u will win golden gloves, and go on to bigger things".

this guy is a complete old school guy, no bullshit. its hard to get him to compliment you. with him pulling me aside like that i know he was serious and wasnt trying to play me for a sucker. the petronelli gym has a good rep.

also this other kid this guy trains right now, the kids nasty. hes a 17 year old kid who looks like hes gonna be the next mayweather. if i go with this guy, hes gonna obviousely make me into a fighter.

later on he took me over to this profesional(who was in the ring hitting the bags and he looked awesome) and said "if u let me train u, i will make u look like him in no time"



he had me hit the bags and i was doing good and as a southpaw he told me to throw a right hook(i never threw one before) and i whipped it around and it exploded off the mitt. he then stopped looked at me and said "thats a knockout punch".



by the way im a southpaw, but im mainly ambedrextris. i can fight both ways but im doing southpaw right now.








anyways, im going going to college in the fall. this guy doesnt want to train me for just one summer. he wants to train me train me. he said "i dont train guys who want to learn how to fight, i train fighters". so i dont know wut to do, i cant throw away my college career. i know i cant accept the offer, but it flatters me and makes me have dreams of becoming a champion!

DO NOT GIVE UP SCHOOL TO BECOME A FIGHTER.

[Collins2000]

ok so its been over a week since i been there. its awesome. kevin mcvride trains there, i see robbie simms all the time, goody petronellis there and he has actually been teaching me a few things here and there. its all old school, no bullshit. you come to train! i train hard, im so sore right now!

but its been a week so far and............

today i receieved some flattering news.......and i need some help from all u out there.


i been working with a bunch of trainers for the past week and doing a lot of work on my own, and today one of the "big time" trainers who was there(who had been anaylsizing me and some other guys for the past week) pulled me aside and started asking random questions about where i live, my family, etc. then he got to the point and said "how far do u wanna go"?? i said "i dont know, but as far as being a fighter and training, i will train as hard as i can andi will be the best possible fighter i can be." then he said "i think u have something" "u got quick hands", "im offering to train you, and ill beat the shit out of you but u will win golden gloves, and go on to bigger things".

this guy is a complete old school guy, no bullshit. its hard to get him to compliment you. with him pulling me aside like that i know he was serious and wasnt trying to play me for a sucker. the petronelli gym has a good rep.

also this other kid this guy trains right now, the kids nasty. hes a 17 year old kid who looks like hes gonna be the next mayweather. if i go with this guy, hes gonna obviousely make me into a fighter.

later on he took me over to this profesional(who was in the ring hitting the bags and he looked awesome) and said "if u let me train u, i will make u look like him in no time"



he had me hit the bags and i was doing good and as a southpaw he told me to throw a right hook(i never threw one before) and i whipped it around and it exploded off the mitt. he then stopped looked at me and said "thats a knockout punch".



by the way im a southpaw, but im mainly ambedrextris. i can fight both ways but im doing southpaw right now.








anyways, im going going to college in the fall. this guy doesnt want to train me for just one summer. he wants to train me train me. he said "i dont train guys who want to learn how to fight, i train fighters". so i dont know wut to do, i cant throw away my college career. i know i cant accept the offer, but it flatters me and makes me have dreams of becoming a champion!

DO NOT GIVE UP SCHOOL TO BECOME A FIGHTER.

I second that.

If you really are a future star, Brocky, there is no reason why you can't go to a gym near your college is there? I mean, is this old bloke Yuda or someone? He's recognised you as a future start but no one else can see it?

How many 'champs' has he produced so far?

[BoxBuzz]

Collins you talkin bout Yuda Mann? Great trainer out of Lousiville? Legendary....

[Collins2000]

Collins you talkin bout Yuda Mann? Great trainer out of Lousiville? Legendary....

A typo, mate.

I meant to say Yoda, the legendary jedi trainer of Luke Skywalker et al.

I had visions of this tiny hideous troll talking to Brocky like Burgess Meredith in Rocky.

[Expug]

I chose boxing over a colleage education, Loyola university. Drove a bakery truck during the day trained in the evening. The boxing didnt pan out as well as I wanted. Very few pros make it big. The end result is I wear a hard hat to work every day now. Not to many people asking what Brian Higgins thinks about anything, its just Brian get the jackhammer out and take down this wall. Oh well , I like the guys I work with, big fight fans. You can take a little time out of school to box , but sometimes its not so easy just to jump right back into school. You might need money.

[jezzamundo]

Just out of interest Brockton, how old are you? My advice is to go ahead with college and be honest and let the guy know exactly where you stand.

I train at a gym where a few top amateurs regularly train and some pros train sometimes (in Australia). I just turned 22 and I haven't had an amateur fight yet, so I realise that there's no career in boxing for me, but I do want to go a little way in amateurs if I can.

PROS
- Punching power: I am a welterweight/middleweight and I have knocked down light heavies in sparring with both head and body shots. My one-punch power is excellent. I realise that this isn't exactly the point of sparring, but sometimes I find that I have to use my power just to survive a round, especially when I'm sparring light heavies.
- Punching accuracy
- Size/Reach: I am 6'1 with 77 inch reach which is rather big for my weight.
- Reflexes/using head movement to avoid punches.
- Tactics: I am generally good at identifying weaknesses in my sparring partners and capitalising on them.

CONS
- Already 22
- Stamina
- Blocking/Defense
- Slow hand speed: having sparred with the state amateur welterweight champ, I never landed cleanly in 3 rounds.

Basically I can be very competitive and dangerous against ordinary fighters, but I realise that if I fought against someone really good they would capitalise on my weaknesses and take me to pieces.

[Collins2000]

I chose boxing over a colleage education, Loyola university. Drove a bakery truck during the day trained in the evening. The boxing didnt pan out as well as I wanted. Very few pros make it big. The end result is I wear a hard hat to work every day now. Not to many people asking what Brian Higgins thinks about anything, its just Brian get the jackhammer out and take down this wall. Oh well , I like the guys I work with, big fight fans. You can take a little time out of school to box , but sometimes its not so easy just to jump right back into school. You might need money.

expug, I don't think I have ever addressed you before though I have read many of your comments with interest.

I believe pro boxing is like a pyramid with 95% of the money going to the 5% of the fighters at the relatively small apex of the pyramid. There are very few pro boxers who don't have to hold down another job and even those lads who don't have to work as well are potentially only a loss or two or an injury away from falling back into the pack. And once you are out of the top echelon it's a business (not a sport) that is relentless in consuming those who don't have the ability or means to get out.

To my way of thinking, it's far more safe to get an education first. Something to fall back on.

Brocky, try it as a sport. At 19 you are gonna be a little way behind the 8 ball as you've never pulled on the gloves before. Sure, some exceptional fighters have started late, but for fekks sake, use your noggin while it is still in one piece.

[silkov]

It depends what you really want out of life... if you really have a strong dream to be a boxer and especially a pro boxer then you have to be willing to take risks and sacrifices, which might mean your college career, at least for a while. You could try and have the best of both worlds and carry on the college and try and do the boxing as well but the likelyhood is that then you won't be able to take the boxing as far as you could if you were 100% focusing on that.
Its a question only you can answer for yourself really, my main advise would be to choose one over the other so that what ever you do you can concentrate on it 100%...

[Expug]

I chose boxing over a colleage education, Loyola university. Drove a bakery truck during the day trained in the evening. The boxing didnt pan out as well as I wanted. Very few pros make it big. The end result is I wear a hard hat to work every day now. Not to many people asking what Brian Higgins thinks about anything, its just Brian get the jackhammer out and take down this wall. Oh well , I like the guys I work with, big fight fans. You can take a little time out of school to box , but sometimes its not so easy just to jump right back into school. You might need money.

expug, I don't think I have ever addressed you before though I have read many of your comments with interest.

I believe pro boxing is like a pyramid with 95% of the money going to the 5% of the fighters at the relatively small apex of the pyramid. There are very few pro boxers who don't have to hold down another job and even those lads who don't have to work as well are potentially only a loss or two or an injury away from falling back into the pack. And once you are out of the top echelon it's a business (not a sport) that is relentless in consuming those who don't have the ability or means to get out.

To my way of thinking, it's far more safe to get an education first. Something to fall back on.

Brocky, try it as a sport. At 19 you are gonna be a little way behind the 8 ball as you've never pulled on the gloves before. Sure, some exceptional fighters have started late, but for fekks sake, use your noggin while it is still in one piece.

You are right Collins 2000, I think young fighters starting out are going to have to supplement there boxing income with a job unless they have money people behind there career. It helps a great deal if the fighter is given an apartment to live in and a little salary for food and bills and such that enables him to train full time. I think the fighter needs to have an excellent amateur background to instill confidence in people to invest in his career. Otherwise its work during the day and train in the eve. Silkov is correct also ,its best to be able to concentrate on one thing or another in the boxing vs. school debate . 19 is a little late to start because so many kids start so much younger. I would suggest at least a couple dozen amateur fights before turning pro. Not just for the fight experience but also to attract investors.

[KOJOE90]

BrocktonBlockbuster49

Any chance of taking some photographs of the gym and/or the fighters training and then posting them on here?

[zojo]

AS a teacher and school administrator, I am sure you know what I am going to say. School first, fight later. If you are still on the wrestling team, I am sure your conditioning there will only make the trainers back in Boston even more happy.

OK, you have had one week in the gym...and enjoyed it. But you have also completed 25% of your college education. I am assuming with the old "drunken posts" you would write a few months ago you are enjoying your time at Springfield too.

Brock (I forget your real name), Have you discussed this with your academic advisor yet?

I do not want to get into much detail on here (feel free to PM me), but when my sister went to Springfield about a decade ago she had some personal struggles to deal with. The community at Springfield College was GREAT to her. They even let her graduate by completing her degree at another university closer to home to be with her family.

Can you go back to school later? Yes. But you never know what could happen. Could you complete your degree online? I don't know what Springfield's policy is. Check into it.

I love sports and know how important they were to my education (Think of Springfield's motto: Mind, Body, Spirit). I complete agree with that! However, remember not to make a major decision based upon one week of your life.

Last question: Would you ask a woman to marry you after knowing her for just one week?

[bill.lockhart]

Brock

If you enjoy it, great... but don't give up your education for it.
Pro boxing is a different world altogether. You have to reach the very top
to make any decent coin, & if you don't & the overwhelming odds are you won't, it's fat city.
Try the amateurs, fight in the Golden Gloves... forget about the rest of it. Don't let them sell you a bill of goods.

[dempseyfire]

I chose boxing over a colleage education, Loyola university. Drove a bakery truck during the day trained in the evening. The boxing didnt pan out as well as I wanted. Very few pros make it big. The end result is I wear a hard hat to work every day now. Not to many people asking what Brian Higgins thinks about anything, its just Brian get the jackhammer out and take down this wall. Oh well , I like the guys I work with, big fight fans. You can take a little time out of school to box , but sometimes its not so easy just to jump right back into school. You might need money.

expug, I don't think I have ever addressed you before though I have read many of your comments with interest.

I believe pro boxing is like a pyramid with 95% of the money going to the 5% of the fighters at the relatively small apex of the pyramid. There are very few pro boxers who don't have to hold down another job and even those lads who don't have to work as well are potentially only a loss or two or an injury away from falling back into the pack. And once you are out of the top echelon it's a business (not a sport) that is relentless in consuming those who don't have the ability or means to get out.

To my way of thinking, it's far more safe to get an education first. Something to fall back on.

Brocky, try it as a sport. At 19 you are gonna be a little way behind the 8 ball as you've never pulled on the gloves before. Sure, some exceptional fighters have started late, but for fekks sake, use your noggin while it is still in one piece.

I would say it's really more like 3% of fighters. Hell, half of the guys on HBO have to do something part-time to supplement their income.

Boxing is a great sport, but the only way you would become great at such an advanced start is either to have no other viable option (not your case) or possess ELITE athletic ability (and no offense but via your description it seems like something you don't have as well). When I say elite I mean excelling in athletics so that you'd be able to make a division 1 sport team, like Kenny Norton.

Don't forget to dream, but a boxing career in this day and age, unless it's something you grew up with through the amateur program, is just not the way to go.

[BoxBuzz]

It's all about values. We have been taught to beleive that the education system is where we will find our real value in life, I'm not in total agreement with this but I agree on a portion of it. You have to have discipline in life whether through the education system, the military system (which has education at it's heart) or your own serious focus on discipline. It's typically much easier to get it from a "system". So if you know you are not a "self starter" in life then by all means follow a plan that can help you become relevant and successfull. For most that will be a good education. But there are other ways. Going after a dream is long shot but some win. Odds though are not with that type of action plan.

I think another important thing to remember about boxing is typically the best of the best in boxing have been forced there because they could find no other path to get out of circumstances they did not like. Few made it a life choice by looking at the many good things in life on there table and saying to themselves...."I think I'll choose boxing as the way to get what I want in life. " The Soviet fighters might be the closest examples and they were somewhat "selected" rather than doing the selecting, if I have all my facts straight.

I'm sure you can find the exception this rule, but it only makes my point.