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THIS BLOG IN ADDITION TO CONTAINING INFORMATION BASED ON RESEARCH, ALSO CONTAINS OPINION, SATIRE, AND CREATIVE PRESENTATION.
IF YOU HAVE NO SENSE OF CREATIVITY OR ARE EASILY OFFENDED, AND/OR HAVE NO DESIRE TO LEARN, DO NOT READ ANY FURTHER
YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.
DO NOT COMPLAIN TO ME LATER BECAUSE I AM NOT GOING TO CARE.
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TIME TO PICK UP AND MOVE ON
I would like to thank everyone for all the support.
I kind of put it out there about what happened last weekend, and how I felt about it.
I received a huge response, mostly positive.
A lot of response came from the Masters Boxing Division Facebook group.
Basically speaking, I should not at all feel humiliated about what happened. It is part of the sport.
Just as I always say how much I respect boxers for what they do, others feel the same way.
The fact that I lost in a really bad way does not matter. I am respected for just stepping into the ring in the first place.
I should pick myself up, dust off, and move on. Find out what happened, and not to let it happen again.
That being said, is Scott Turnbull a bully?
Maybe he is.
However, that should not matter. A skilled boxer should be able to take care of a bully or brawler, whatever you want to call it.
A brawler uses very little boxing skill, but waits for the skilled boxer to make a mistake and then takes advantage with the big powerful punch.
That is exactly what happened to me.
I now see two things I did incorrectly.
One was that I built up too much confidence, That is a very dangerous thing to do in any sport. Never under-estimate your opponent.
I don't know what happened, but I was in Beast Mode while in training, but lost it when I entered the ring to compete.
It is what I mentioned once before. I bring the sport into the ring, but often forget to bring the combat.
That has a lot to do with the second point.
I am still in 'Boxing Ontario' mode. I am no longer with Boxing Ontario. The OBA is different,.
Comparing the two, I find that Boxing Onatrio is a bit "too safe".
That does not mean that the OBA is not safe, but the safety net is not as wide. The OBA relies on the boxer having some skill as opposed to having a full safety net in front of the boxer.
People box for the same reason as they skydive, mountain bike, or skateboard.
Life at times can be boring, so we need some adventure. We get that adventure by participating in activities that have some chance of danger. If we complete such activity without being mangled, we then laugh at danger and say 'I beat you this time'.
Boxing would not be fun unless there was that small chance of being injured.
Making the sport too safe by giving boxers a false sense of security does not help.
The OBA has longer rounds and uses smaller gloves than Boxing Ontario (2 minute rounds as opposed to 1.5 minutes and 12 oz. gloves as opposed to 16 oz.), and I hope that does not change. It forces boxers to take some of the responsibility for being safe.
When I stepped into the ring last Saturday, I was still expecting that wide safety net, and it wasn't there.
Ultimately, it does not matter whether Scott was a bully or not, nor does it matter if he thinks I am being 'cocky'. I don't care what he thinks.
However, I made a mistake, and the only thing to do now is to learn from it and move on. Be ready for the next one.
If I do decide to enter the OBA Golden Gloves in the spring, it could be possible that I may meet Scott Turnbull in the ring again.
Am I going to let him finish me again?
No.
That will not happen a second time.
Once my suspension is over, I will have at least four weeks to train for the Golden Gloves. That is more than enough time now that I know what I need to do.
...and if Scott or anyone else thinks that I am being 'cocky', go right ahead and think that. I really do not give a crap.
I kind of put it out there about what happened last weekend, and how I felt about it.
I received a huge response, mostly positive.
A lot of response came from the Masters Boxing Division Facebook group.
Basically speaking, I should not at all feel humiliated about what happened. It is part of the sport.
Just as I always say how much I respect boxers for what they do, others feel the same way.
The fact that I lost in a really bad way does not matter. I am respected for just stepping into the ring in the first place.
I should pick myself up, dust off, and move on. Find out what happened, and not to let it happen again.
That being said, is Scott Turnbull a bully?
Maybe he is.
However, that should not matter. A skilled boxer should be able to take care of a bully or brawler, whatever you want to call it.
A brawler uses very little boxing skill, but waits for the skilled boxer to make a mistake and then takes advantage with the big powerful punch.
That is exactly what happened to me.
I now see two things I did incorrectly.
One was that I built up too much confidence, That is a very dangerous thing to do in any sport. Never under-estimate your opponent.
I don't know what happened, but I was in Beast Mode while in training, but lost it when I entered the ring to compete.
It is what I mentioned once before. I bring the sport into the ring, but often forget to bring the combat.
That has a lot to do with the second point.
I am still in 'Boxing Ontario' mode. I am no longer with Boxing Ontario. The OBA is different,.
Comparing the two, I find that Boxing Onatrio is a bit "too safe".
That does not mean that the OBA is not safe, but the safety net is not as wide. The OBA relies on the boxer having some skill as opposed to having a full safety net in front of the boxer.
People box for the same reason as they skydive, mountain bike, or skateboard.
Life at times can be boring, so we need some adventure. We get that adventure by participating in activities that have some chance of danger. If we complete such activity without being mangled, we then laugh at danger and say 'I beat you this time'.
Boxing would not be fun unless there was that small chance of being injured.
Making the sport too safe by giving boxers a false sense of security does not help.
The OBA has longer rounds and uses smaller gloves than Boxing Ontario (2 minute rounds as opposed to 1.5 minutes and 12 oz. gloves as opposed to 16 oz.), and I hope that does not change. It forces boxers to take some of the responsibility for being safe.
When I stepped into the ring last Saturday, I was still expecting that wide safety net, and it wasn't there.
Ultimately, it does not matter whether Scott was a bully or not, nor does it matter if he thinks I am being 'cocky'. I don't care what he thinks.
However, I made a mistake, and the only thing to do now is to learn from it and move on. Be ready for the next one.
If I do decide to enter the OBA Golden Gloves in the spring, it could be possible that I may meet Scott Turnbull in the ring again.
Am I going to let him finish me again?
No.
That will not happen a second time.
Once my suspension is over, I will have at least four weeks to train for the Golden Gloves. That is more than enough time now that I know what I need to do.
...and if Scott or anyone else thinks that I am being 'cocky', go right ahead and think that. I really do not give a crap.
MY 30th ANNIVERSARY OF BOXING
This week is my 30th anniversary of completion boxing.
My very first bout was this week in 1986.
December 20 to be exact.
At that time, I was well on my way to training at McGrory's Boxing Club in Hamilton, but for some reason McGrory's would still not let me compete.
I knew someone who was a boxing coach in West Palm Beach, Florida, and it just so happened that he needed someone in my weight class for a boxing demonstration.
I was a lightweight at that time (135 lbs.).
There was a combat sports show happening at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando.
Since I would be off for Christmas Break, I went down there to compete on his show.
I trained for a couple of days at his gym in West Palm beach, and then the team went up to Orlando for the demonstration.
I won that match by default.
When it was my turn to step into the ring, my opponent was not there.
After a few minutes, I was declared the winner due to my opponent forfeiting.
Coach told me that he forfeited because he "did not want to fight a guy from Canada".
True story.
I wonder if that would still work today?
You know, the Ringside Masters Tournament is coming up, in Kansas City, Missouri, Overland Park.
Hmmmmm....
As a footnote, I was in the blue corner in Orlando, and that is one of the reasons for the name of this blog.
An homage to my very first bout 30 years ago.
BLOG BREAK AND CHANGES
"Comments From the Blue Corner" blog will revert to weekly posts. Starting January, the Wednesday publication of this blog will be cancelled until further notice. There will be one vlog during the week, and this blog will be posted on either Saturday or Sunday once per week.
"Comments From the Blue Corner" will be taking a break for the upcoming Holiday season.
There will be no "Blue Corner" on the following days: December 24, December 28, and December 31.
We will ring in 2017 with our first entry of the new year on January 4 January 7 or 8.
Happy Holidays to all.
.
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'THE BRICK' TRAINS AT:
2389 St.Clair Ave. W. Toronto
Tuesday and Thursday, some Wednesdays
--and--
2295 Dundas St. W. Toronto
Friday and Saturday
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