Just an FYI:
My first amateure boxing was VS a guy that had 12 fights already.
I won.
My first semi-pro boxing match was VS a guy with 5 fights.
I won.
I also lost when I had fights under my belt against a guy that was having his first fight.
Just an FYI:
My first amateure boxing was VS a guy that had 12 fights already.
I won.
My first semi-pro boxing match was VS a guy with 5 fights.
I won.
I also lost when I had fights under my belt against a guy that was having his first fight.
Psalms 144:1
Praise be my Lord my Rock,
He trains my hands for war, my fingers for battle !
Eh, beggars can't be choosers ay times.
Rather fight a guy with 20 fights that sucks than I guy with 3 fights that's a natural
I know what you mean though.
If I had been told I probably would have been more nervous ( if that was possible).
Hey, in my first Kyokushin competition as a BB I drew a 3rd dan that was 30lbs heavier and close to 6ft, luck of the draw.
Psalms 144:1
Praise be my Lord my Rock,
He trains my hands for war, my fingers for battle !
The amateur MMA scene today is at a completely different level than it was 10-15 years ago.
I know guys personally who racked up "MMA" wins 8 to 10 years ago fighting cops in the ring, tough guys at bars..... that's completely different than college-level kids/athletes devoting themselves to MMA as their sport of choice. Training scientifically and religiously.
Yes and no. In bigger shows, the fighters are recruited from gyms, so everyone trains.
In smaller shows, they have open calls and it's luck of the draw. You can get a Div II wrestler or a guy who never trained a day in his life. That's why it's important to have a good relationship with the matchmakers..
Last edited by MasterKiller; 09-23-2011 at 12:52 PM.
I'm not even arguing that I lost or that it wasn't fair. I'm saying the guy wasn't a six month newbie as implied.
I'm not ashamed of losing. Everybody loses fights sometime. The only time I feel shame is when I lose and afterwards I think I could have fought harder.... those fights suck.
Last edited by Ray Pina; 09-23-2011 at 12:52 PM.
http://www.MixedMartialArts.com/f/E0.../John-Salgado/
Just to make it clear. Scroll down. Ross's man fought 2/18/06, 6/10/06 and then me on 9/02/06.
St. Cloud outmatched me, period. That guy was good and tough and won the whole tournament..... and yes, he did cut like 20lbs.
I learned a lot from those first very fights. It took like 4 or 5 fights just to get the routine down, get comfortable. Know what to expect.
Honestly, if your teacher had gone with you in those early fights, he might have intervened.
I have pulled fighters at the weigh-ins if I see a bad match up. Sometimes the matchmakers will work with you, sometimes not.
For instance, in Oklahoma, the boxing commission allows a 10-lb weight difference in amateur fights.
We agreed to a 155 fight for a student's first fight.
He cut from 160 to 155.
His opponent cut from 185 to 165.
Technically, they were allowed to fight. But I pulled my guy because the size advantage was just too much. So, the matchmaker gave us another guy he had in reserve, who was much closer in size.
Ray, take this as you will:
Fighters don't make excuses for losing.
Period.
Psalms 144:1
Praise be my Lord my Rock,
He trains my hands for war, my fingers for battle !
If there was one fight that I felt legit robbed it was my last one in NJ before I moved. I lost a 3 round decision to Eric Koller, who unfortunately died in a motorbike accident a couple months later. Class act. His coaches were cool and offered to corner for me in future events and to visit in Pa to train.
But the point..... he had 3 coaches in his corner and a few other teammates fighting. The entire fight you can hear his girlfriend screaming "Come on Eric. Come on Eric." His team mates and their family to.
Silence on my end because there was no one there.
I give Eric credit because he didn't have much boxing experience and I fed him some good shots. He did take me down over and over but could not submit. Could not strike and they'd stand us up.
By round three he was bloody. It ended, well you can see the last round for yourself on my video. Him in turtle, me on top striking and trying to work a choke I didn't know how to apply at the time
I'm sure if I had more bodied, that decision would have went my way.... and thus I learned the lesson everyone learns: don't leave it to the judges.
I lost one more decision after that in PR and haven't since. Either I get submitted or I get a TKO stoppage. But it's all part of the game. Part of the learning experience. That's why I so appreciate being in a "gym" as apposed to a kwoon. I have team mates. I have coaches. It's a different vibe.
Sure, now I'm training "for sport." It's true. But I've never been better technically, physically or mentally. I know my lowly place in the sport but I enjoy it.
Not making any excuses. As I said, I totally credit guys who I admit outclassed me.
Also pointing out that there's many factors that go into a fight. And when you're new and not involved with the promoter, league leader, etc. .... there's a downside.
Fists are the great equalizer. And on the days I lost, they weren't enough. Again, I don't have shame about that. It was part of the learning curve.
I lost many football games too. Lost a state championship my junior year. Losing is part of competition. .... there's a reason for a loss. The job then is to find it and correct it.
My problems then were lack of conditioning, BJJ and an understanding of the process. Not uncommon for a newbie.
I aint a newbie now though.
Dude in the grand scheme of things, unless one becomes a champion, it don't mean squat and is nothing but ancient history and anecdotal stuf***e.
Truly.
If you have made peace with the fact that you are no better or worse than anyone else that has every stepped into a ring (and it doesn't sound like you have), then you'd realize how little all this means.
Psalms 144:1
Praise be my Lord my Rock,
He trains my hands for war, my fingers for battle !