Sparring: Everyone watches & learns. Total focus while lessons are being taught.

There are no liars in the ring, only truth, as the truth is always revealed here.

I believe in one voice while conducting a sparring session. Too many voices drown out what really needs to be down, too many voices leads to a fighter not able to fully absorb the instruction at hand. Too many voices is chaos.

During a fight, a great corner is a non chaotic one, one voice, firm, excites, and calm instruction, all that matters is there is clear instruction not madness of many voices. The fighter must be able to pick up on their trainer’s voice from the crowd and outside noises during the fight.

The team learns to do this in the gym when their is one voice, two sets of eyes communicating with each other, but one voice with clear instruction.

Trainers don’t use it enough. That’s a huge mistake. Film study of great fighters can jump start growth in a fighter, motivate, and inspire a fighter to new heights in their development.

Mike Tyson was one of those fighters who used film study to mold his style.

At that time, the late Bill Cayton had the largest library of fight films available. He later sold it to ESPN and what you see on ESPN Classic, was once his.

Tyson had access to those films and would devour them. He is, one of the best living historians today because of that vast film study. Tyson can articulately break down fights and fighters beautifully well.

Why do you think Tyson wore no robe, socks, and black trunks into the ring? Who was he honoring? What fighter inspired him to be such a ruthless puncher & finisher?

Jack Dempsey.

Dempsey was a savage puncher & finisher. Youtube his famed fight with the Argentinian Giant – The Wild Bull of The Pampas Luis Firpo. Dempsey dropped Firpo 7 times in the firsr round! Dempsey was knocked clean out of the ring and was pushed back into the ring by sports writers and drops Firpo knocking him out in the 2nd. Argued as one of the best fights ever!

This motivated Mike. He mimicked Demsey’s savageness and raw aggression.

Look at what Dempsey wore in the wore in the ring. Black trunk, no robe, no socks.

Tyson studied all the greats, Dempsey, Marciano, Jack Johnson, Sonny Liston, Ezzard Charles, Archie Moore, etc. He studied boxing well out side his style as well.

Tyson was educated and motivated by these fight films he studied up in the lonely Catskill mountains of NY. Who he was in the ring was due as much to film study as it was to Cus D’Amato’s teaching style.

James Toney had a unique old school style that was in a league of it’s own during his prime of the early to mid 90′s. That style allowed him to have short term success at heavyweight beating Evander Holyfield, and John Ruiz for the heavyweight title he should have kept.

The late GREAT Bill Miller was a profound teacher. He understood boxing & understood what it would do for James’ development. They sat down together and broke old fight films down. To this day, Toney himself is a astute historian.

James dissected film of Ezzard Charles, Jersey Joe Walcott, Archie Moore, Sugar Ray Robinson, and more.

His unique old school style was born from these film study sessions. Miller taught James in the gym and out. He taught James what to look for and teach himself as he often rushed home after being inspired by how Ezzard Charles would roll with punches & practice it in front of the mirror.

James saw how the greats honed and took great pride in their crafty skills and he took pride in developing his one while testing them against the best.

Tyson took pride in being a savagely brutal finisher. Both born from film study.

Film study also serves as a learning & growth tool for we trainers.

It is priceless.

It is also hilarious to me on how I see how some of these quasi trainers taut themselves on facebook yet never even heard of the truly great practitioners such as Burley, Pep, Ike Williams, Joe Ganns, etc.

They only go back so far and little, reflecting their true training knowledge.

Look, boxing is in BIG trouble these days. There is a HUGE lack of quality trainers & real teachers.

Many trainers get into boxing not even knowing what it truly is.

I will never forget the time I was at a re certification clinic in Orlando Florida back in 2005. I was sitting there as the instructor asked the new coaches who where becoming certified for the first time to define boxing. All i heard was crickets!! They could NOT define it!

Boxing…. To hit & NOT be hit, to evade a punch yet be in POSITION to land a punch.

This is the art of boxing, the science.

If you can’t define it, stay the fuck out.

As far as some of these amateur coaches who tout that they are level 3 or 4 coaches through USA boxing, playing the political game.

Many of them can shove them certificates up their ass cause quite frankly, they stink as coaches & teachers.

They fail to learn outside the box of what USA boxing gives them. Many have never fought, (which isn’t a true must to be a good teacher, but it really does help), or have had mentors with tons of successful experience, OR do any film study.

The great fighters of the past have left us GREAT knowledge of the sweet science in their recorded historic fights & greatest moments. The knowledge is there! The science is there!

In my opinion, It is negligence for a trainer to ignore this. To only learn so much. To rest of a level of quasi boxing knowledge through certification.

They suffer and ultimately their fighters do.

Please comment below if you have any thoughts on this message.

Mistakenly forgotten & over shadowed by the Four Kings, Duran, Leonard, Hagler, & Hearns. Wilfredo was a phenom. Turning pro at 15 and becoming the youngest World Champion in boxing history at 17 years old!

He is also a 3 division champion winning titles at Junior welterweight, welterweight, & junior middle weight.

He was the youngest three-time World Champion ever at 22 years old!

He beat the great “Manos de Piedra” (Hands of Stone) Robert Duran lost a majority decision to “The Hit-man” Tommy Hearns while standing in front of Tommy’s lethal power & making him miss.

Wilfredo fought brilliantly & elusively off the ropes. He was aggressive while being a defensive wizard. He possessed excellent power icing many. One being Maurice Hope whom he KO’d in the 12th round and was KO of the year in 1981.

During his prime, he trained off of cocaine, liquor, & women. His natural talent allowed him to dominate many, but not Sugar Ray Leonard who stopped him in the 15th round with 6 seconds left.

Oscar De La Hoya ran from Trinidad’s power. Wilfredo Benitez stayed in the pocket in front of fight ending power & slipped, dipped, weaved, rolled, turned, pivoted, and countered off that defense because he was in position. THAT is a fighter and that is boxing!

“El Radar” is the 5th King. He belongs in the 4 Kings remembrance. One of Puerto Ricos best!

Watch this phenom at his best.

Anyway, you a busy man so keep writing/training and know that I enjoy the boxing tutorials immensely. I’ve got time for a guy in Liverpool on YOUTUBE called”myboxingcoach”, and also a guy in Toronto who goes by name of TripleVVV on youtube and of course…yourself. Out of all the stuff on there….3 guys who seem to know what they’re talking about. A lot of garbage out there.
Have a great day Rob. Thank you for your time. I hope you realize that it inspires many when you come across videos like yours because I know the amount of time it takes to do it….and do it well.

Oh yeah….and Kenny Weldon…awesome too.
Gary

Thanks for the words Gary! Glad to hear my work is helping you. Kenny Weldon is very good yes.

Try 15 seconds on, 15 seconds off mixing between 1-2 punches and hooks.

Try 30 secs of 1-2 pounches followed by 30 sec of jump squats. Insane!

Please let me know if you need anything else or have any other questions. Thank you again for watching my youtube videos and supporting my work Gary.

Guillermo Rigondeaux totally shut out and dominated Nonito Donaire last Saturday night. Fuck what those judged scored it, it wasn’t that close. Rigondeaux shut Nonito down!

Here are some of my quick takes from the fight.

– Looking back on Rigondeaux-Donaire, I had Rigon winning 117-110, How can anyone give Donaaire more than two rounds int hat fight? Please enlighten me.

Rigon, took away and shut down what Donaire does best, he made Nonito fight his fight, Rigon was the ring general that night, running or boxing excessively, so what, he made Nonito look oridnary and one dimensional.

Donaire is still a very good fighter, but not against a master technician & defensive genius like Rigondeaux.

—- I was impressed with how Rogon traded with Nonito in the first round, IN THE POCKET and making Nonito miss while Rigon was under his heavy fire, once he fired right back with his own power that round, that set the tone for the fight, Nonito was hesitant with Rigon right in front of him, a boxing genius caused an aggressive power puncher to doubt himself and hesitate. Everything that Nonito did best and was known for was taken away.

—- People cheer Gatti-ward type fights which isn’t boxing, it’s brawling, then they boo geniuses like Whitaker & Rigondeaux for displaying what boxing really is about. Purist applaud, learn, take notes, and appreciate these performances.

You don’t have to lift weights to get strong. 18 yr old Bryant Robinson at a body weight of 138 lbs. pulling a sled loaded with six 45lb weight plates equaling 270lbs., while wearing two 10lb. ankle weights and an 80lb weight vest.

He also did fat grip chin ups with a 45lb plate hanging from him.

He is very strong for his weight, that is relative strength by definition.

Bryant can fight too, clever, smooth boxer, natural ability, rhythm/movement, fast accurate hands with power. About to unleash him at these national tournaments.

If you want to do great things in the ring, first do them in the gym.

When designing programs you must take into account the athlete’s/client’s current lifestyle. You can design the most well laid out program taking into account the athlete’s/client’s strengths & weaknesses, through an in-depth needs analysis. But overlooking how much sleep they are getting will make that well laid out program in theory, look foolish and totally inappropriate for the athletes readiness level in the real world of training.

Sleep/ rest erroneously is seldom considered when designing performance enhancing programs. Consider…You can’t out design a program that competes with 10,000 years of evolution.

Before artificial light was created, Our natural sleep cycle was when the sun set, to when it rose. Ideally we fall asleep around 10pm. At dusk, melatonin is naturally secreted by the pineal gland to help us wind down to fall asleep. NOT with artificial light, computer and TV screens though. Cortisol is raised & falling asleep is a challenge. Through catabolic hormonal release.

Consider, Between the hours of 10pm and
2am is when the majority of physical repairs take place with the release of repair hormones, growth hormones etc, to the muscles/body.

Between 2am and the time we awaken is when psychogenic (mental) repair takes place.

Fuck with that sleep cycle and you pay the price with musculoskeletal injuries, a dysfunctional personality, loss of focus, lack of natural energy, and other mental/physical issues that medications are often prescribed for to scratch the itch that lack of sleep causes.

Often times without the coach communicating with the athlete, and monitoring their readiness level for that day, they will think the athlete is lazy and make them work harder in conditioning or other training means based off their loss of performance in training. This obviously puts the athlete/client to greater risk of injury and down a deeper hole of over training.

Athletes often are made better through communication and prodding than mere program design modifications alone. It IS a combination of the both that the athlete reaches new heights and levels of performance. Real world coaching by definition.

It ALL begins with sleep & life style. Seeking elite performance, designing performance enhancing programs flows from tweaking lifestyle habits of sleep, nutrition, and recovery. Not the other way around. Now chew on that and let me know if you have any questions.

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