Is Olympic Boxing Gold Losing it's Luster and Allure?

The Olympic boxing team has been another disappointment but I'll admit, I haven't been watching. Boxing?, that's not what's going on! That's also why I don't watch.

The scoring system has changed the face of international boxing into a game of tag, clinch, run, hold. Hey if you like watching that shit more power to you. Just don't call it boxing cause I sure the hell don't train my young fighters to fight that way nor do I have the desire to ever teach them such a twisted style of quasi fighting.

Young men should play grab ass with chics not young dudes... hey I'm a boxing coach... I'm not a boy scout leader fucking with funny shit like that.

So since I teach boxing, how will my young fighters ever make a run for Olympic gold? They won't and that's good because as you read in my blog archive the bullshit is too thick to succeed. I'll be damned to leave my fighters to a coach and system that teaches grab ass and run! All the work I instilled would be down the drain.

This leaves me to my point. Pro boxing is where the money is and yes it's still polluted with politics. However you have to fight to make money and draw. Money isn't handed to fighters wearing track shoes who slap. People don't pay their hard earned money to watch that garbage. So what happens to the amateur fighter who medals winning a gold or silver and expects... or his naive management expects will be the next great champ while drawing crazy crowds all the way?

Well, I have to tell you that shit ended with De La Hoya back in 92. Yeah Oscars story line of winning a gold for his deceased mother along with his looks and charisma more so paved the way for the attraction he was and still is. Really it was the way he fought along with that. Matched soft or not, he knocked his cannon fodder out as he fought with a PRO style.

Andre Ward who won the Gold in the last Olympics is just NOW starting to develop into a pro! He's been looking really good now and he may be a super star yet, but the transition has been painfully slooooow with that international style he develop in the amateurs.

With slow progress comes doubt in the investment that the management laid down. With that comes hesitation of future medal signings.

I have to ask, do you actually think that many of these managers and promoters are salivating at the current Olympic class? That's what I thought. The last class that showed much promise was the 96 class of Mayweather, Vargas, Tarver, Reid, Diaz,. All former world champs. All fought with a pro style. Although Mayrunner turned into a slap and track star before retiring.

The 76 and 84 class kicked ass, the 88 class was great too( but that's when the scoring changed), the 92 and 96 class gave us some pretty damn good fighters also despite the new scoring system.

So what happened to the 2004 and this years class? The proof is in the team trying to master the system and the promise of big money signing bonuses that come with winning a medal are gone due to that system of quasi fighting. What a shame and what a bunch of shit to call that boxing. At least the pro managers and promoters are boycotting that shit in their own way by closing their pocket books.

The best amateur prospects are starting to be the ones that leave early. Hell, pro managers are starting to look at the national and US champions only as a solid investment overlooking the Olympic and I don't blame them one bit.

Just don't fault the fighters, fault the system and don't call Olympic boxing boxing.

Nobody to blame but himself.

Raushee Warren should be moving on in the Olympics if it wasn't for his listening to the wrong voices. Raushee chose to listen to the voices from the crowd that were yelling for him to move instead of the instruction of his corner for him to score. Who's in charge anyway?

I don't feel sorry one bit for Raushee, even if you think you are ahead and the crowd thinks you are, you never take anything for granted and must seal the deal. He didn't. He lost and should have listened to his coaches pleas. Those are the voices that should be filling your ear amidst all the crazy cheering and yelling. That bothers me that the corner didn't have his attention.

This is Olympic boxing, we all now the scoring system is fucking bullshit, but if you're going to run, save it for the track and not the ring.

With Raushee's experience he should have known better. Bullshit scoring or not, go out punching not running. Obviously your chances of winning are better in a close fight.

Beaten Before Competing.

The USA Olympic boxing team has been off to a bad start even before the Olympics started. The typical bitching and moaning of the head coach has caused a rift in the team. I don't agree with appointing a head coach who has not trained the fighters who made the team. The coaches that got them there should work their corners.

The politics and structure of USA boxing is just such a joke and to think of them as elite?! Those days have loooong been gone. The powers that be are VERY over rated and under qualified. Think I'm full of shit? Sending a team to the Olympics with bitching and moaning of the questionable training methods of the head coach is guaranteeing disaster. The disaster appears to be taking shape.

This doesn't surprise me and neither does the news of the teams best boxer Gary Russel Jr. failing to make weight. What does surprise me and disgust me is the news of Russel being found unconscious from trying to make weight.

This is beyond ridiculous to happen at this level and at this time.

You all here me talk in disgust about the pro fighters who abuse their bodies making weight, well it's FAR worse in the amateurs. Fucking fat camps taking place before competing. If these coaches were competent at all they would know that draining a fighter to make weight all but eliminates their chances of winning a medal. But to have our best fighter do this?!

We never heard stories of Pernell Whitaker, Mark Breland, Meldrick Taylor torturing themselves to make weight during the Olympics. Those guys were highly skilled as they proved in the Olympics and the pros there after.

What the fuck ever happened to testing your skills against the best at your natural weight? Why is dropping down a weight class or two seen as such an advantage? How can putting the fighter through such a taxing experience be seen as an advantage of that fighter being stronger once making weight and seemingly regenerating?

Staying at the fighters true natural weight is the REAL advantage. That fighter is licking his chops at the news of the fighters he will be facing putting themselves through hell to make weight.

Our amateur program is whack in more ways than one and the bullshit news of our best fighter being found unconscious is all the proof you need.

I also heard of a Great Britain fighter not even trying to weight in cause he knew he was way off. FIGHT AT YOUR NATURAL WEIGHT!

If these coaches are truly confident that they are teaching their fighters the proper skills they would have their fighters stay at their natural weight as the skills and the well rested bodies of their fighters would be the true advantage.

Dropping down is such bullshit and has gotten way out of hand. Our USA Boxing program should be ashamed of themselves and should check themselves as to get true coaches with balls and knowledge of the human body that can take our team to the top.

I know this much, it isn't happening this Olympics. The politics of our program are embarrassing our Nation when all eyes are watching.

Magarito proves again what the most important ingredient is.

Last weekends fight between Miguel Cotto-Antonio Margarito lived up to all the hype and then some. It was another classic Puerto Rican vs Mexican war.

For the first five rounds Cotto was the better fighter. He was fighting a brilliant fight doing everything right except moving to his left. It looked like Cotto would win another big fight. He was snapping Margarito's head back and sideways YET Antonio KEPT coming.... Despite all the momentum Cotto built and the power shots landed Antonio kept the pressure on when other fighters would have packed it in.

Margarito might not have been as polished as Cotto coming in but he proved he was tougher and wanted it more. His heart and will over came Miguel taking the fight out of him. That is a very special fighter to do that. Heart, will and toughness were the special ingredients that made the not so skilled Carmen Basillio, Rocky Graziano, and Gene Fullmer champions.

Despite their lack of athleticism and skill they achieved what they wanted through shear will. Fights like Cotto-Margarito prove that you can never count a fighter out no matter how he looks early in the fight. It proved that a fighter like Margarito that who possess super human will is very dangerous to the end. This fight made you say wow and if you weren't a Margarito fan you are now or at lest have a lot of admiration for him.

I picked Cotto to win for the reasons he displayed early on. I'll admit, I took Margarito's toughness, heart and will for granted. He proved me and many wrong. Both fighters were in outstanding condition and that wasn't a factor in Cotto loosing. This was again a lesson on how will can change and crush a fighter when he appears to have all the physical advantages. It doesn't matter, we learned again, what's inside matters most.

Leaving the fight in the gym.

I've read how team Margarito's approach to training has changed for the better. In the past Margarito trained far too hard and brutal often leaving the fight in the gym. While still being victorious he didn't perform as he should have because of his early peaking. This is one of the biggest problems I see with fighters. In the past it was a question of not training enough, now the pendulum has swayed to over training.

Ricky Hatton and many others do it as a way of just making weight. The victory on the scale is often more impressive than their victory in the ring. ( Provided they win at all. )

Recovery in boxing camps is often an after though or a sign of weakness or seen as not training hard enough. It's great to see that some teams have finally seen the light and are realizing that recovery and monitoring training intensity are often the missing ingredients to a brilliant and dominating performance in the ring.

Both Cotto and Magarito seem to be well prepared and ready to peak at fight night this Saturday night. I think there's going to be a helluva war this weekend in that ring!

Click here http://boxingperformance.com/ for easily applicable recovery methods.

Q/A: Boxing Strength Training Program Design.

Hey Rob,

Planning a solid strength and conditioning for the summer, here's an outline:

1 - de lower, core stability and rotation (bands, medicine ball)
2 - me upper, neck stability, flexion, extension
3 - gpp , restoration/recovery
4 - me lower, core flexion and extension, grip
5 - de upper, neck stability, flexion, extension
6 - upper power conditioning, sprints, grip
7 - strength endurance(burpees, slams, deck of cards, warrior challenges, bodyweight circuits), static stretching

What sort of recovery work do you do on that gpp day? What do you think of mobility drills stretches, activation, all that jazz? I have never looked into it. Injury prevention is obviously important to a boxer, rotator cuff work. What else should I do? Really this day is a good chance to cool my body down and get myself rested up, I want to make the most of it and add anything small that will help me in the long run.

This programme will probably go 3 weeks on, 1 week deload where volume in the weights and actual weight is halved, conditioning and other days will remain the same.

Thanks in advance,
Charis

You got a lot going on Charis. Too much in my opinion. Are you training to be a fighter with skill training on top of this? You're better doing less than too much. Try a 2-3 day strength training template. Add some plyometrics before the strength exercises on ME Upper and ME Lower.

I don't use a templet like this Charis. So for recovery we rest, get some deep tissue work done, soak in some mineral baths etc.

Mobility drills, activation exercises should be part of your program. Mobility is extremely important and overlooked. Focus on it to improve your performance and to stay healthy.

I would add some reverse wd chops and some reverse crunches also.

Charis, I have no idea what you need without knowing your weaknesses, needs/goals but I will say that prone cobras are great, forward ball rolls, face pulls, wall leans, are all very good to use.

To recover you have to manage your high training stressors, the high ones in life too.

Monitor your lifestyle habits as a solid strength/conditioning program will flow off of that. With poor habits you screw yourself. Sleep well, drink plenty of water, eat whole foods, limit stimulants.

Remember less is more. Focus on getting more done with less. You strength/conditioning program should focus on your needs and weaknesses, and supplement what you don't get from your skill training.

Click here http://boxingperformance.com/ for boxing performance strength/conditioning programs.

Manny is the man.

It's safe to say that Manny Paq. is the best p4p fighter today. He was more than impressive in the way he busted up Diaz. I'll admit, I doubted him going into the fight. I though he would be a bit slower and not carry the power as well with him.

Damn was I wrong, Manny proved many people wrong and enjoyed it whole heartedly. You don't see to many fighters smiling like Manny in the ring enjoying themselves like a kid at play as Manny does. The class that he shows after words is also rare.

The knock on Manny is that he relies on his left hand to much, although he showed a good right hook in the Diaz fight. So what, he has been getting the job done in exciting fights. He doesn't pop shot and run the whole fight. Talking shit at the press conference before and after the fight. The left hand he throws is hard, fast and gets the job done. That's all that matters and that's why he's so exciting to watch and a class act to listen to after words.

What Manny accomplishes in the ring stays in peoples minds, he doesn't need to make a bullshit public statement accusing certain parties of wrong doing. Shut the fuck up and get in the ring if you don't think you were appreciated enough.

There's more than enough talented fighters today like Manny Paq. letting their fists do the talking for their great achievements to allow any knowledgeable fan to miss you.

Manny is the man and I though he peaked. It appears the best is yet to come.