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Tuesday – visit fight to Fitness Factory Cymru

After a lot of thinking about what tonight would be like, I was was off the mark. Anticipating a pummeling by well trained giants it turned out the be an excellent session. Either I am getting better about having less butterflies before a fight and just digging in and getting on with it, or I am getting more stupid... About 12 people turned up and after a long warm up that got rid of the pain in my rear, Steve pitched us against two of his best fighters - Jas said one of them was in a commonwealth boxing team. He also made us wear headguards that kept slipping over my eyes.The two guys we sparred with were totally professional.…

snowfore 20th May 2008
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Monday after a week off…

I’ve had a week off in Italy and hoped the break would help me to recover from very sore ribs and a damaged muscle in my backside (piriformis), but for most of the week I could not walk without a severe limp let alone even think about putting on my running shoes. Instead of getting better it got worse, particularly at night where it often kept me awake. Received a text message from Jason telling me that the sparring visit to Steve Robinson’s Gym would be on the Tuesday. He’d rearranged the visit on my behalf and I felt nowhere near fit but had to go.So tonight’s sparring was Richard and me. He thought we’d have a light easy session…

snowfore 19th May 2008
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Punishment

Welll today was a strange one. Just Jason and me and while I was warming up I very nearly left the gym owing to a the pain in my left buttock that had become progressively worse over the week causing me to limp, and a nagging sore throat. It was a kind of stabbing pain caused I think by lunging forward with the left foot one or two sparring sessions ago. It felt a bit better as I warmed up and Jason straight away put on his gloves and said he wanted to do some “light sparring” with me.What followed was 5 or 6 two minute rounds of pure punishment. Every time my right hand dropped (usually during a jab)…

snowfore 8th May 2008
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Thursday 1pm

after a gruelling meeting in Weston Super Mare with a man who had the ability to make time go backwards with his incessant off the subject tangents, I made it back to Cardiff in time for a 1pm session with Jason and Dave.Today we had a treat - two other members who used to box called Addy and Eddy. They both has some skill but were did not have the stamina and once they were tired they were easy targets. I still have a problem with my stance - especially against easy opponents where it's easy to wade in punching but a very bad habit against more experienced fighters. My mind went back to the other week where Ashley beat…

snowfore 1st May 2008
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Road Work

Stepping up the fitness in advance of our visit to the other gym we're doing fast road running - basically a circuit from the Trainstation2 over the Penarth Road Taff Bridge along the Taff Trail to the Grangetown bridge and back down Dumballs Road. It's about 2.5 miles and I did it in 14.43 minutes. Just me and Rich tonight and he did it in a bit over 18 mins.Sparring with Rich was great tonight and a real opportunity to try to put into practice my skills without the pressure of Dave or Ash trying to take my head off. I'm realising now the fitter you are, the easier it is to tire out your opponent and then move in…

snowfore 1st May 2008
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Monday 28

A great night in comparison to a week ago where I was comprehensively beaten up by Ash. For the first time in a while my rib pains had gone and I felt on top form. Straight into the ring and Dave right hooked me on my weakest rib winding me.Continuous sparring with Nick, Rich and Dave was excellent and I found a huge difference in keeping my distance although as Nick said I was still inclined to move into the danger zone which I know I do because I miss the action skirting around the edge.Half way through I could taste blood - my gum shield had a sharp edge and it had cut large chunks of skin from the…

snowfore 30th April 2008
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Beaten Up

Just Ashley and me tonight. I have been worrying about my ribs, the pain intensity seems to come and go however writing this the day after - having just done a 5k run I feel on good form... I don't know what went wrong tonight - sparring with Ashley was a disaster. I must have taken a 20 or so big blows to the head despite him saying he wouldn't hit me hard. I was worried about my ribs and as a result failed to stand up straight. He was different to fighting Dave - 6ft tall and over 16 stone for a start, but very very good at slipping my punches and (because I was in too close) coming…

snowfore 22nd April 2008
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Float like a butterfly sting like a bee…

Wednesday... just skill drills and fitness tonight with Rich and Ash. Excellent. A few posts ago I said I thought I was developing my own boxing style, but as frequently happens I feel I'm doing something ok and Jason says something that turns it all on its head.Tonight he pointed out that I was still not relaxed, and moved around the ring in a way that makes getting in and out to deliver punches slower and leaves me in range of my opponent. So we did two whole rounds with me dancing around the ring, leading with my left foot. Lightfooted, on the toes, dancing - be like Ali he said. You need to be fit, but the difference is…

snowfore 17th April 2008 1
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Monday Night

A great workout today - me, Nick, Rich and Dave so the biggest group for a while. Apparently Jas told Dave to calm down last week and not be so frenzied in his attacks. This is good news for my ribs!Straight into rounds of sparring, alternating with each person as an opponent. I felt slow and a bit uncoordinated but the other guys reckoned I'd come on a lot and was stronger. I guess I've thought alot about my tactics and watched a lot of videos since last training, so I knew what I wanted to do, but just became too puffed out to deliver. I did use for the first time in anger some hooks and uppercuts which give…

snowfore 15th April 2008
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Calzaghe vs Hopkins – 6 days to go

Joe Calzaghe6 Originally uploaded by jaxonphoto28 Just finished reading Joe's autobiography which I think lives up to its reputation of one of the most down to earth sporting autobiogs out there.He's in Vegas now training for his biggest fight on Saturday with Bernard Hopkins and I found some nice pics on flickr (see here)…

snowfore 13th April 2008
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9th April

Wednesday night - just Rich and I tonight. I haven't seen him for about 4 or 5 weeks as he's had some trouble with his mother but it was good to see him back. I nearly didn't come today as my left lower rib is still extremely painful even to take deep breaths, although after a warm up it is less so. My black eye from Dave's right hook last Friday turned yellow and is now almost gone. Also for the first time had hydrated myself properly over the day with isotonic electolyte and the difference in my alertness and stamina was noticable.Before he arrived I warmed up with some fast skipping and a few laps of the gym. Did…

snowfore 9th April 2008
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4th April

A Friday session at lunchtime with Dave. I arrived 15 minutes early to warm up properly, compared to Wednesday where we didn't I didn't feel completely focused.Dave turned up with Jason at 1 o'clock and after some skipping and stretches we began sparring. I asked if Dave could avoid my right hand ribs as they were still very sore and even deep breaths hurt.We did five rounds and it was the best yet. I was completely focused and whereas before I was just jabbing, getting too close and paying the price, today I could see everything I'd learned and practiced laid out in my mind like a menu. A couple of jabs got through Dave's often low guard and I…

snowfore 6th April 2008