Hollioake takes the hits and comes out swinging again

 The boxer in this story has a great attitude for participating in a very tough sport where there are losers in most fights or we would not see Floyd Mayweather winning 41 times against no losses and having won so many titles.


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 'In the clearing stands a boxer;
And a fighter by his trade;
And he carries the reminders;
Of ev'ry glove that laid him down;

Or cut him till he cried out;
In his anger and his shame;
I am leaving, I am leaving;
But the fighter still remains''

The Boxer, Paul Simon (1968)


Adam Hollioake, aged 41, is in the boxing ring throwing punches as a heavyweight prizefighter and is displaying the same aggression and determination he did as an England cricketer while he battles with his younger, fitter foe on the Gold Coast.
 
Adding insult to injury, Wood proves nimble enough on several occasions to sway his head and shuffle his feet ever so effortlessly to evade a volley of Hollioake haymakers loaded with intent.... 

Hollioake throws yet another near miss at Wood, who is also a novice. However, while the retired cricketer has some middle-aged padding around his midriff, Wood is ripped with a six-pack and is most probably blissfully ignorant of the blessing that is his youth.

 " … it was the fight I didn't want,'' Hollioake said, before adding with a laugh: ''It must've seemed like a Benny Hill skit; fat old dude plodding after skinny guy dancing around him.''

No fighter welcomes defeat, but Hollioake has learnt to appreciate the definition of real loss and it's not the unanimous decision the judges award in Wood's favour.

Last year he was declared bankrupt when his family's property development business went belly-up owing creditors $22 million.
 

   
 Always shows determination:  ''I give everything I can. My trainer understands my approach is to try and knock my opponent out. But, I'm competitive. I'd get angry if you were lucky enough to beat me at table tennis.''
 
Hollioake, whose financial demise was covered extensively in England, accepted some people in his position - a former international athlete who'd suffered a spectacular fall - would perhaps not do such things as compete as a pro boxer or cage fighter.

''I went into everything knowing if you play with fire you might get burnt. Fight and risk getting knocked out.''

''But I've accepted the cards that were dealt. I move on to the next venture, the next day. I learn from my losses. The guy who beat me - Shane - has become a mate, so rather than think I lost a fight, I'm happy to have gained a friend. By losing my money I've done things I would never have done, but I've also learnt no matter what, don't sit and mope about because you miss life by doing that.''

Bowed but not beaten ... Adam Hollioake at the punching bag.

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/sport/boxing/hollioake-takes-the-hits-and-comes-out-swinging-again-20121013-27jng.html#ixzz29FTUnBBm

Hollioake takes the hits and comes out swinging again