Here is an example of thriving in spite of a disease like M.S. It isn't for everybody...the great boxing trainer Freddie Roach clauims that being active in his Wildcard Boxing Gym helps him fight his Parkinson's disease.
I have been boxing for the last four years as a way to cope with my multiple sclerosis. I box three times a week in the summertime as a means to increase my endurance for the other sports I play. I enjoy swimming, boxing, horseback riding, cycling, and playing baseball to name just a few of the sports I enjoy. Boxing helps me to build more endurance to last longer at these sports, which is the reason I enjoy boxing.
There are numerous reasons that boxing is beneficial to anybody's health, but I'm going to give you the top five reasons I find boxing beneficial to me in my battle with multiple sclerosis.
Benefit number one
The first reason I ever picked up a pair of boxing gloves was a defense against stress. Stress in a multiple sclerosis patient like me is not good. Boxing gives me a way to release this stress in a healthy manner, and provides for a great exercise routine as well. I can put on a pair of boxing gloves and hit the bags. This allows me to take my stress out on an object instead of bottling it up inside.
I have seen the results of bottling stress up inside of myself, since my diagnosis of multiple sclerosis back in 2006. I lived at an apartment which a stressful environment for me, because of the noise level and I ended up in the hospital for observations. I had called the office several times because of a neighbor and hey did nothing about the problem. So I started to build up stress inside of myself, and I had ended up having a bad flare up. I was admitted to the hospital for what was thought to be a mini-stroke at the time. It ended up being a bad flare up from my stress level.
Benefit number two
The second benefit I get out of boxing is the friendships I have built through boxing at the local gym. I have built numerous friendships with both the men and women at the gym by taking up boxing. These guys are always asking me why I took up boxing with a condition like multiple sclerosis. I always tell them about the stress not be good for me, and that this is how I get rid of my stress level.
These are friends of mine that I not only train and spare with but that I also hangout with outside the gym. Before my diagnosis of multiple sclerosis I did not hangout much with my friends outside of work. Now that I have multiple sclerosis I'm finding myself more involved with other people in the community. This is one of the reason I enjoy boxing.
Benefit number three
I have been using boxing as a weight control mechanism as well. Boxing is a full body workout that will definitely help keep the weight off. Through all the time I spent in the hospital and fighting depression I had put on a little weight. I can say today that through boxing and hard work I have shredded those pounds off.
I have dropped to the lowest weight I have been at in several years through my boxing routine that I follow very strictly. I go to the gym to box every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for two hours at a time. This has been the reason I have been able to take those extra pounds off that my multiple sclerosis had put on me.
Benefit number four
I have used boxing to train myself in self-defense. Boxing is a good tool to use if you ever find yourself in a position that you need to fight back. I do not start fights, or even participate in them. I would only use my boxing skills to defend myself if I was ever faced with this need.
I know that I can fight back if the situation ever presented itself, but for people looking for a fight I just walk away. I'm glad I learned how to box, because I'm often times home by myself at night since my husband works graveyards. Knowing how to box has given me and my husband the peace of mind that I can protect myself if need be.
Benefit number five
I have learned many life lessons through boxing. The sport of boxing has taught me to give back to the community. This was a feat that was accomplished through the coaches giving me their time, and knowledge about the sport of boxing. The boxing coaches I have dealt with have been an inspiration to me since I first started boxing.
I have since given back to the community of Colorado Springs. I have helped out in fundraising events for organizations that raise education about multiple sclerosis. I have volunteered my time with other organization in the state of Colorado such as the YMCA, and the Boys and Girls Club of America. I educated others about the sport of boxing within these organizations so that they understand there are ways to get out of the street life.
I have been boxing for four years as a way to fight back against multiple sclerosis.
Brandon Rios failed to make weight today in advance of Saturday’s fight with Richard Abril. It’s the second time in two fights that Rios has lost his battle with the scale...
He lost his WBA lightweight title before a punch was thrown in his fight with John Murray at Madison Square Garden in December. "
James Toney ate his way from Junior Middleweight all the way to Heavyweight!!! Bob Arum said he never saw a person who could eat as much as James Toney.
BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. -- Manny Pacquiao and Timothy Bradley Jr. both realize almost every boxing fan wishes Floyd Mayweather Jr. had been standing next to Pacquiao at the Beverly Hills Hotel on Tuesday.
But when Pacquiao and Mayweather failed to make a deal for the fight everybody wants to see, Pacquiao moved down the list of contenders to make a fight he hopes his fans will enjoy.
Pacquiao and Bradley are getting an early start on the promotional circuit for their welterweight bout June 9 at the MGM Grand Garden in Las Vegas. Even while the Filipino congressman and his unbeaten opponent posed for photos and praised each other in the peach-colored ballroom at the historic Hollywood hideaway, Pacquiao and his camp realized Mayweather's absence looms over the proceedings.
Pressed for details about the breakdown in negotiations with Mayweather, Pacquiao said he was willing to fight for a 50-50 split of all revenue from what's likely to be the richest fight in boxing history. Pacquiao recounted his phone conversation with Mayweather several weeks ago, with negotiations falling apart afterward.
That $40 million might sound like a fortune, but a Pacquiao-Mayweather fight is expected to produce more than $150 million in pay-per-view proceeds alone. Mayweather's camp denies Mayweather made such an offer, but the verbal sniping likely won't let up next week when Mayweather begins promoting his May 5 bout against Miguel Cotto.
Pacquiao is making a brief trip stateside before heading back to the Philippines. After stops in Las Vegas and Hollywood for promotional shoots, he's taking a Nike corporate jet to New York for more publicity – and hopefully a meeting with Jeremy Lin before the Knicks' next game Wednesday night.
Success is not final, failure is not fatal. It is the courage to continue that counts," Winston Churchill said.
Arturo Gatti was found dead in his hotel room on Saturday, July 11, 2009.
boxrec.com
Arturo Gatti's determination and courage made him a once in a lifetime fighter. He was a very popular boxer that is greatly missed.
Why fans loved Arturo Gatti:
Gatti was humble
Gatti gave his all in each and every fight
Sports fans could relate to him
Gatti was fun to watch
Loren Robinson has watched and studied boxing for the past 12 years. He has written for boxing websites such as boxingnews24.com, eastsideboxing.com and pinoygreats.com. You can find more of his writing at the site www.lorenrobinson.com or you can follow him on Twitter, @BestWriter_InPA.
Sources http://www.brainyquote.com/ http://boxrec.com/
12 Life Lessons From America's Greatest Raconteur, Bert Sugar
This is a good personal story by a writer who knew Bert Sugar personally.
NEW YORK - JUNE 03: Bert Sugar on June 3, 2010 in New York City. (Image credit: Getty Images North America via @daylife)
Bert Sugar had died at 74
More than an iconic American sportswriter, complete with his trademark fedora and stogie, the author of 80-plus books and a member of the Boxing Hall of Fame, Bert was a world-class raconteur...
Fast with a name-dropping story or a groan-worthy pun – usually in some combination – you never forgot a night out with Bert, which is saying something given the imbibing it usually entailed.
On choosing a bar: “Never go to a bar that has a ‘happy hour.’ Nobody there ever is. Never go to a bar where the bartender has more problems than you. And never go to a bar where there is more than once bouncer – unless you’re expecting the trouble they are.”
On fashion at work: “As someone who dresses like Goodwill box just threw up on him, it’s difficult for me to tell anyone else how to dress. But if you choose a tie, add some color – think splashy, a la Nicole Miller. Not only will it give you that “casual” look, but if you eat like me, where your tie winds up as a diary of your meal, it will provide you with a way to camouflage any and all food stains.”
On fashion at play: “Here’s a tip: regulars do not go home and dress up; rather, they come as they are. That way, you’re only sullying one outfit a day.”
On pickup lines: “Straightforward and simple. Otherwise, the only thing you’ll go to bed with is a complimentary mint.”
On playing darts at a bar: “ Its only purpose is to serve as an accuracy test for sobriety.”
On marrying for money: “If you marry a woman who is a credit to her cards rather than one who likes to have sex only on days that have d’s in them, you may be disappointed. I know some who married for a cash prize only to beg for a refund.”
On defending your date from advances: “Be advised, as an old Portuguese proverb holds: Girls and vineyards are hard to guard. So hold to your glass and your lass before you lose something else that rhymes.”
On cohabitating: “Anyone claims that living together is a 50-50 proposition doesn’t know the first thing about women. Or percentages.”
On etiquette at work: “Remember: a thank-you note can be thought of as a down payment on the next favor.”
On etiquette on dates: “Just as gentlemen prefer blondes, blondes prefer gentlemen.”
On greasing Maitre Ds: “I recommend something with a picture of Andrew Jackson on it. Then, after he says, “Thank you,” and you respond, “Don’t mention it,” you can be assured he won’t.”
On when to cut yourself off: “Drink only enough to make others interesting.” Bert Sugar once said that he’d rather be a good liver than have a good liver.
This article is used here to illustrate the seriousness of concussions in the ongoing attempt to educate the public about safety in sports or the lack there of.
The human brain is protected by the skull and floats in a heavy, gelatin like substance called cerebral spinal fluid.When the head suffers a severe impact, the brain moves toward the skull, causing the brain to compress, stretch, and possibly tear in some places.
Harsh, quick hits such as those sustained by boxers, football players and other athletes can stretch nerve cells and trigger small hemorrhages responsible for creating a tangled mess of brain proteins called tao.
Years or decades after hits to the head, tao can hamper the brain's ability to communicate with the body and cause cell death. Unlike broken limbs, dead brain cells cannot be restored.
The presence of tao is central to chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE, which can be diagnosed only after death. Since 2008, Boston University's Center for the Study of Traumatic Encephalopathy found significant tao and CTE in the brain tissue of 12 deceased NFL players, including former Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive lineman Tom McHale.
Tom McHale played nine seasons in the NFL, six with the Bucs from 1987 to 1992. He died of an overdose in 2008. NFL Response to Concussion Risk:
Midway through the 2009 season, the NFL adopted stricter guidelines for assessing players with concussions, including clearance from an independent neurologist before returning to the field. Also, the league began baseline brain-activity testing for all players drafted in 2010.
The NFL also dismantled its longtime committee on concussions, which was adamant in its criticism of research conducted at the University of North Carolina and Boston's CTE center. Leaders of the Mild Traumatic Brain Injury committee resigned last fall.
A new group, the NFL Head, Neck and Spine Medical committee, was announced in February.
High school athletes in Pinellas County are undergoing testing for concussions. A pilot program sponsored by the Morton Mease Foundation is helping manage brain injuries in teen athletes.
CLEARWATER -- Football players gathered in a quiet room at Clearwater High School on Thursday for their first test of the preseason. This challenge didn't involve anything more physical than pushing around a computer mouse, but someday it might save their lives on the field of play.
The players are the latest batch of student athletes at Clearwater and Seminole High schools to participate in a pilot program designed to tackle the problem of sports concussions.
The test is called ImPACT – Immediate Post-Concussion Assessment and Cognitive Testing. That's a mouthful even for athletes who haven't suffered concussions but backers say it's a real game changer when it comes to effective detection and treatment of sports concussions.
Essentially, student athletes take a 30-minute, computer exam that measures memory, impulse control and reaction time. The point is to create an individual baseline of mental abilities for every athlete. If one suffers a possible concussion, sports trainers or their doctors have them re-take the test to determine the severity of the brain injury.
Scott Anderson coordinates the sports medicine program for the Morton Plant Mease medical system, which supplies testing trainers to 10 schools in Pinellas County.
* * * * *
National studies have indicated 15 percent of all high school sports injuries involve concussions and as many as 41 percent of student athletes who suffered concussions returned to play too soon.
Tyson shows his softer side in a one-man show in Vegas about reliving his darkest moments—and how he faced down his stage fright.
Mike Tyson has avoided the waters of oblivion and remains one of the most recognizable figures on the planet.
Courtesy of SPI Entertainment Iron Mike always had a knack for transforming normal events into surreal happenings.
Now he is taking his penchant for theater to the theater.
Tyson's one-man theatrical production, “Mike Tyson: Undisputed Truth” opens in Las Vegas on April 13 at the MGM Grand’s Hollywood Theater.
Tyson rehearsing some of the memories he will bring to the stage:
“Cus loved tough guys, and was always thinking about violence. In time, I knew he would kill for me and I felt the same for him.” Tyson laughed softly.
“That was the measure of love for me back then. He was the first person I ever trusted."
The strange duo would read books together like 'The Art of War' and 'Zen and the Art of Archery'.
Everything was about mastering the fighting arts knowing “the way you fight is the way you live.”s
One time Tyson told Cus, ''I’m a coward. I don’t have it in me to be like these guys. Look how many fights they had—all together something like 1,400. They would lose and come back. I can’t do that.'’ Cus responded, ‘You see, those fighters are so great they even intimidate you from the grave.
That is real intimidation—intimidation from the grave.’ ”
D’Amato coached about fear—how to bottle, control, and use it.
Together, they worked at the art of freezing opponents in terror.
Tyson before fights exuded a dark destructive energy. Many of the men he defeated could have been counted out long before they stepped through the ropes.
About taking a showbiz risk with his one man show:
“Cus used to say that to accomplish anything great you have to take risks. Everybody knows that, but then Cus would go on to say that the risk has to be of absolute, complete humiliation. It’s that fear of humiliation that makes you prepare, that gives you that edge.”
Iron Mike is a survivor of abject poverty, divorces, incarceration, suspension from boxing, hundreds of millions come and gone, addiction, the death of a child— he has been through it all and he is still stepping forward.
Writer:
Gordon Marino is a professor of philosophy at St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minn. He is also a boxing trainer who has written widely on the sweet science.
An often overlooked aspect in sports has been the long-term impact head injuries take on an athlete’s life. There is no shortage of notable athletes who were forced into early retirement due to recurrent concussions. Many of them face long-term physical difficulties and shorter life expectancies.
Head injuries are devastating. John Mackey, a top tight end for the Colts and the first president of the NFL Players Association after the NFL-AFL merger, suffered from frontal temporal dementia, and spent the conclusion of his life in an assisted living facility. Former Bears quarterback Jim McMahon suffers from short-term memory loss and believes that his problems are related to head injuries he sustained during his career. The NFL is currently facing multi-million dollar lawsuits filed by players who claim head trauma caused long-term damage.
Two of the most famous athletes in American historymay be able to pinpoint their physical declines to repeated head injuries.Muhammed Ali’s Parkinson’s disease is very likely a result of too many blows to the head during his boxing career. A 2010 report by
CNN suggested that New York Yankee legendLou Gehrig may have been fallen victim to Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), due to head injuries he incurred during a career in an era when players did not use batting helmets.
Understanding how head injuries impact athletes' long-term health is essential. We simply don't know the repercussions of head injuries sustained by adults and children who play sports. It is best to err on the side of caution when returning from concussions.
Heart Injuries
Generally, athletes are in remarkable physical shape and look and feel indestructible. Yet, there have been so many tragic examples of young athletes suffering from heart attacks and dying of heat stroke after being pushed too hard.
According to the National Center for Catastrophic Sport Injury Research at the University of North Carolina, dozens of football players have died from heatstroke since the mid 1990s. More than 30 of them were high school athletes. The old school mentality of "suck it up, you are fine," can be dangerous, especially for student athletes.
Sports organizations have a responsibility to safeguard the health of their players. Chief among them are head and heart injuries. Unlike sprains and breaks, we cannot always see what has happened, which makes the injuries that much more dangerous. he field?
Any athlete -- amateur or professional -- should have regular physicals that include head and heart tests.
Parents must be aware of the effects of head trauma and must take advantage of the latest advances in testing for concussions. They also must heed the advice of experts before allowing their children to compete again.
When it comes to brain injuries, it's always better to be safe than sorry.
A native of Newark, Jed Hughes is Vice Chair of Korn/Ferry and the leader of the executive search firm's Global Sports Practice.
Floyd Mayweather Jr. reigns supreme in the hit-and-don't-get-hit game.
According to Bob Canobbio, owner and founder of CompuBox -- a computerized scoring system that counts every punch a boxer throws and lands -- Mayweather's average connect rate of 46 percent, compiled during his past nine fights (a "prime" designated by CompuBox), ranks as the best among current active fighters.
Afrizal, a former Pan Asia Boxing Association featherweight champion, was rushed to the hospital when he vomited one hour after a junior-lightweight bout.
The 30-year-old Afrizal was knocked down once during the 12-round bout against countryman Irvan Marbun, who won in a unanimous decision.
Yahoo Sports reported on the existence of an expletive-laced recording in which Gregg Williams, the Saints’ former defensive coordinator, exhorted his team to inflict physical damage on specific players in a playoff game against the San Francisco 49ers in January.
Williams, who has been barred from the league indefinitely, repeatedly spoke of hitting the opponents’ heads.
Williams pointed to his chin while telling his players to hit 49ers quarterback Alex Smith “right there,” saying: “Remember me. I got the first one. I got the first one. Go get it,” while rubbing his fingers together to indicate there would be cash paid for the hit.
He also said: “Every single one of you, before you get off the pile, affect the head. Early, affect the head. Continue, touch and hit the head.”
About 49ers running back Frank Gore, Williams said: “We’ve got to do everything in the world to make sure we kill Frank Gore’s head. We want him running sideways. We want his head sideways.”
Later, Williams talked about hits he wanted put on Kyle Williams, mentioning his history of concussions, and receiver Michael Crabtree, urging them to “take out” his knee ligament.
Williams did not appeal his suspension, although the revelation of the tape — which the N.F.L. may not have known about until a documentary filmmaker, Sean Pamphilon, released it — does not help his chances of reinstatement after the 2012 season. The St. Louis Rams hired Williams after he left the Saints.
Pamphilon was working on a project about Steve Gleason, a former Saints player who has A.L.S., commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease.
The recording also called to mind comments by two Giants players after the N.F.C. championship game, in which they noted that they knew Kyle Williams had sustained earlier concussions and they wanted to hit him because of it. That suggested that Giants players were at least briefed before the game on the injury history of their opponents.
A version of this article appeared in print on April 6, 2012, on page B15 of the New York edition with the headline:
The UCLA and NCAA are teaming up to take a close look at the growing problem of head injuries in college sports.
The UCLA Brain Injury Research Center will lead a national team of researchers in studying the long-term effects of sports-related concussions.
The NCAA is providing $400,000 for the study that will evaluate more than 1,000 male and female athletes who participate in contact and non-contact sports. The goal is to learn more about the cumulative effects of head injuries, which recent research indicates may lead to long-term brain degeneration.
Specialists in pediatric neurology, sports medicine, neuropsychology and neurosurgery will participate in the study.
It will use new technology in football helmets and mouth guards that can sense and measure head impacts.
"Cameron Dunkin saw in Kelly Pavlik a long, lean guy who did not appear all that athletic but was knocking opponents senseless. Nothing sells in boxing like a knockout puncher, and Dunkin knew almost immediately he was looking at a star in the making."
Kelly has been on a downhill slide including losing his tile and taking a humiliating beating at the hands of the old man, Bernard Hopkins. How much of his decline is due to alcohol? He spent time in rehabilitation for alcohol abuse and was the subject of many rumors about his drinking problem prior to that open admission of problems.
Comebacks are not easy in boxing and battling alcohol at the same time means Kelly has a difficult road ahead of him. Anyone brave enough to climb into a boxing ring should have plenty of heart to bring to bear on his drinking problem. He should take it easy and not be in too big a hurry to be back on top. Gain his strength back and erase the Hopkins fight from his mind with a few wins before seeking another title. It is up to his managers to take care of their fighter and to guard his health and not put him in too hard for a few fights.
Watching the amount of time needed to recover from concussions in professional hockey, it would be good for boxing officials to take a lessons and do what Teddy Atlas advocates for injured fighters - take better care of them! Just ask Freddy Roach about staying around too long in the hurting game of boxing. Should a body over seeing the sport create rules to protect fighters from themselves and their managers and take the license of a fighter who is seen to have taken too much punishment?
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