Green Gloves Boxing

I went to my first pro fight last week at a banquet hall in Queens. It’s exciting to know three of the fighters on the card and even better when every seat is a good one. Scotty Burrell (left) and makes it look easy to slip faced with a fast opponent.

As I sat there wearing my knee brace and catching up with many Gleason’s friends, I was bummed to be out of commission for a while and at the same time excited about about getting back to training soon. This sport is seriously addictive. If only I could afford to see it live more often.

I’ve been bumming and I’m only halfway through my one-month gym exile. I strained something in my knee shortly after my last fight and kept training until it was just too painful to walk up and down stairs. The toughest part is that I’ll miss what was to be my next fight, the annual masters show at Gleason’s starting tomorrow.

I miss boxing, I miss exercise in general, and I don’t know what to do with the additional time I have each day. I really hope this rest lets the knee heal so I can get back to it soon. Next amateur show in July??? I’m going stir crazy!!!

Getting some coaching between rounds

The April 30th fight was a one-point loss after 4 rounds, so I’m 0-2. There was a large crowd, but again I only heard the ref and my corner in my focused state. It was tough work and I was worn out, but don’t think I showed it!

About two weeks later, I finally saw a video of the entire fight. Being able to analyze my strengths and weaknesses as a viewer is a huge help. (I bent my knees well! I didn’t work with any angles, instead squaring off with my opponent aggressively.)  And the props from Gleason’s trainers who have seen me evolve as a boxer was more worthwhile than a win in my USA Boxing book.

Decision

This week has been tough. Conditioning, sparring, eating rigidly – and, oh yeah – doing well at my day job. I’ve been hungry and tired all week, but today I’m just pumped. And a little nervous. I woke up imagining how I’d move and counter-punch in the ring. Let’s just hope it works out that cleanly tonight! A few more hours until the moment of truth, the weigh-in. The process of making weight for me is a whole ‘nother story…

I got matched for a fight in 10 days! There’s a women’s boxing clinic at Gleason’s at the end of the month with an amateur show on the last day. With my first fight under my belt, I’m really excited about getting more experience. Nervous about losing enough weight for the Golden Gloves, I dropped steadily and healthfully, coming in 4 pounds under. Since then, I’ve been celebrating my achievement with a lack of discipline with dessert. I’m still in great condition and have stepped up the roadwork, but when I got on the scale at the gym yesterday, I was amazed at how high it slid.

So when in the middle of bag work when Angela came over to confirm that my opponent’s coach said yes to the match, I was happy and alarmed at the same time. As soon as Angela walked away, I told Belinda that I have some serious work to do. Get out the plastic. Ten days, ten pounds. And I’m hungry.

I’m at the office wishing I could be outside. First thing this morning, I made an appointment to get a physical in order to get my masters’ boxing license. I’m hoping to fight in the Gleason’s women’s show at the end of the month and have to get cleared by a doctor now that I’m over the hill. I don’t really believe that, but just think it’s funny that after my brief open amateur boxing career, I’ve moved to a new category.

After some intense training this weekend, I had planned to take today off. But then I went outside to get some lunch and longed to go running. I called my boyfriend and told him that I was conflicted between my intellectual persona and my athletic persona; I still want to be a professional athlete. He told me that I should. The weekend warrior thing isn’t enough for me, and I have to keep an eye out for ways to make it income-generating.

Yesterday was Sunday. The weather was beautiful and forced me to never sit still. When I met Belinda and the others at the gym, we prepared for our run: both bridges. This would be my first time, so I was really excited. We started over the Manhattan Bridge, through Chinatown, and came back over the Brooklyn Bridge. I put on my music, ran at my own pace, and ended with a sprint – it was fantastic! I’m not a great runner, and never plan to become a marathoner, but I can see how these runs have improved my stamina in the ring.

But the run was just the beginning. We did 30 minutes on the bag nonstop, with push-ups, jump-squats, and mountain climbers in between. I don’t mind them so much with gloves on; the padding on my knuckles is a nice touch. I was glistening with sweat, but that’s pretty standard for me. The sit-ups afterward seemed like fluff due to their low impact. Yeah, I guess I deserve a day off.

Golden Gloves semifinals

Last week was the book launch at Gleason’s for the memoir of Mischa Merz, a journalist and amateur boxer. The event started while I was finishing my workout and Bruce, the owner, teased that now I have to write a book. It was a random comment that got me thinking…

As I come up on my 35th birthday, I can no longer put off writing this. I spent the last six months training for the Golden Gloves and probably should have kept notes of my journey. Unfortunately, I was struggling with a stressful job and my training was my refuge. Now things have improved and I’m ready to explore how I became a fighter.

Golden Gloves video