Please click the link below for an interview with Zuzana Kucerova, competing at the upcoming IFS White Collar Boxing Hong Kong on 4th September, 2010.
http://news.efinancialcareers.sg/Guest_ITEM/newsItemId-27848
Please click the link below for an exclusive interview with Bilal al-Ali, title contender for the upcoming IFS White Collar Boxing, Hong Kong to be held on 4th September, 2010.
http://news.efinancialcareers.hk/News_ITEM/newsItemId-27520
The fight continues to edge closer with only 19 days until the big night. Training has been particularly taxing over the past week as more focus has been spent on getting comfortable in the ring. It is pretty easy to learn in a sport like boxing, all it takes is a fist to the side of the head or the face to let you know that you are doing something wrong. As I become more familiar with boxing, I have come to realise that it is a combination of a lot of different aspects of other sports:
- Fencing (the agility and sharpness)
- Golf/Tennis (the technique and hand eye coordination required to throw a punch is similar to that of swinging a club or racquet)
- Rugby (the contact)
- Running (the cardio endurance and leg strength)
Inside the camp, speaking to my other training partners, it appears that as we lift the intensity of replicating ‘fight scenarios’ increasingly more of us are picking up niggling injuries such as elbow soreness (for one of the particular older lads), and sprained/dislocated fingers. Its all part of the game and speaking to a coach who is an ex professional boxer he was telling me that its very rare for anyone to step into the ring 100% fit especially if you have been training hard. Makes sense I guess….
Finally, it appears that this week we should find out who we will be facing in the ring come 4 September. So keep an eye out for the fight posters on the Vanda website.
Have a great week.
Yours in the Ring,
AW
P.S. Total word count: 267
Time has flown by as I realised today there is less than one month until the fight. You can feel the mood is a bit different around most of the guys at training, its as if you can almost feel the tension. At Monday night’s training we received a visit from Andy from Vanda Promotions who flew in from Singapore to give us a bit of a rundown of what to expect on the run into the fight on September 4th.
A few weeks ago we had the photo and video shoots which were accompanied by interviews. I must admit it’s a pretty strange feeling having to stand in front of a few cameras and answer questions about something that you have not experienced before. I was glad to get it out of the way. It will be interesting to see how the videos turn out on the night, as some of us said to each other after the shoot, “I really hope I didn’t make a d#%k of myself!”
On a personal front, things are going well, a few minor niggles from the training and sparring but I will be good to go. At the moment I am trying to focus more on getting in quality ring time to get me comfortable with seeing fists flying at me and getting ‘fight fit’. I have successfully avoided any grog for the past 2 weeks and will carry this through until the fight.
One last thing, Go the Wallabies this Saturday night!
Yours in the ring,
AW
P.S. Total word count: 266
Rainy season in Hong Kong is always a fun time for those who are fortunate enough to be living in this hectic city. Starting with the rain warnings then moving onto the thunderstorm warnings and finishing with the much loved Typhoon 8s it makes for an interesting couple of months.
Tonight, I found myself negotiating the jungle of umbrellas along Queens Road, in Central to make it to the gym. As I am sure those of you who live in Hong Kong and are a bit taller than the average person on the street you at some stage have been poked in the eye by the stray umbrella spoke. After a while it does start to get on your nerves. Although tonight I realised it does serve a hidden purpose, by the time I arrived at the gym I was pretty agitated (not to mention soaked like a wet dog) and ready to unleash this pent up aggression on the bag and pads.
As the fight imminently draws closer and closer training is now more focussed on sparring which I personally find the most enjoyable. Matt our trainer likes to replicate a fight scenario by pushing us through rounds of 3 minutes followed by a 1 minute rest. Needless to say, time flies past and before I know its time to put the mouthguard away, unwrap the hands and get home for some much needed R&R.
Last entry I touched on the nutrition aspect of the fight preparation. This week I thought I would delve into a bit more detail. I find that with being so active that I am constantly hungry. And as a result, I eat 5 meals throughout the day. Most people think that this is a dream, but let me assure you, it isn’t as fun as it sounds! Here is a typical guide of what I eat on an average training day:
Meal 1: Protein Shake, fruit (apples or blueberries), oatmeal
Meal 2: Handful of unsalted nuts and a can of tuna in mineral water
Meal 3: Salad with chicken breast and turkey or tuna and some whole-wheat bread
Meal 4: Can of Tuna and some fruit
Meal 5: Some protein either: Fish or Chicken, vegetables or salad
Basically I try not to eat anything which comes wrapped in plastic that has a used by date, thus avoiding as processed foods as much as possible. I have found that eating foods in its whole state is best as you avoid taking in anything that your body doesn’t really need and can’t process.
I find this amount of food keeps my body and mind fresh and ready to take on the training load of each day.
Yours in the ring,
AW
P.S. Total word count: 453
