Sacrifice – Give up (something valued) for the sake of other considerations.
Boxing is a sport built on determination, hard work, passion and most importantly discipline. There are many sacrifices that a boxer needs to make in order to be an elite athlete and leave the ring victorious on fight night.
Most do not see these sacrifices that are suffered by the boxer. Far away from the glitz and glamour of the finished article is the concoction of pure sweat, blood and tears.
An obvious sacrifice, but one of the most crucial ones that every boxer has to go though, would be the long, hard hours of training. A boxer spends all hours of the day running, doing pad work, travelling the lengths of the country for sparring, weighing themselves and countless hours of shadow boxing in front of a lonely mirror to achieve the kind of fitness and skill needed to enter the ring. Like with any sport, the harder a person trains, generally the higher the rewards. They put their bodies through a strenuous process in training camp, which is why only the most dedicated and determined sportsmen succeed in boxing.
The dedication to their training regime also means fighters compromise on the social aspects of life. They generally have to renounce on a lot of social activities with friends and also miss out on family events. Boxers sacrifice their social lives and seclude themselves from ‘the normal life’ of a young man or woman no matter how hard or how boring it may be – it is a crucial part of being in the sport.
Some boxers would say that the making weight is the hardest part of their training journey. They shun the enjoyment of food and everything that surrounds it. They have to think about every last mouthful of food they put into their mouths because it will ultimately show on the scales which is why many fighters follow a through nutrition plan when in their training camp.
Boxer’s need to remain physically and mentally tough. Mentally the fighter has to remain tough in any form of criticism thrown at them. People will judge every punch thrown in the ring, foot and head movement – it is a constant battle between the opinions of everyone around you and the people who pay to see you fight.
A big sacrifice a boxer takes when entering that world is the sacrifice of security/ work in your life. Boxing isn’t a 9-5 job with stability to support your family with a weekly/monthly wage. A boxer never really knows where their next fight is coming from or when the next pay day cheque will clear. Only at the top would a fighter remain stable.
These athletes have to sacrifice what most young men/women have in a stable, secure job to fulfil their want to be a champion in a tough sport where success and big money is no guarantee. Some boxers have to work two or three jobs alongside their boxing career to make ends meet with money to support their family, so it is essential to find the right balance between it all to fulfil a boxing dream.
A huge and very well known part of boxing is the role of the ‘Journeyman’ – a sportsman who is reliable and good at his craft but not outstanding in his field. Some may say that these guys sacrifice their pride as they enter fights they are not likely to win but have to take pare as ultimately boxing is their ‘job’ and they do it to make a living and provide for their family. Imagine for a second knowing you will get beat and potentially hurt by a better fighter than yourself but having to get in the ring anyway just for the payment. It’s not glamorous or rewarding.
The most important sacrifice that all boxers makes every time they enter the ring is the risk of damage to their health. Combat sports poses a danger for the sportsmen involved and one punch could potentially inflict a life changing injury that could affect their lives both inside and outside of the ring. Away from boxing these men are normal people with families, children, friends and commitments that are trying to make a living in the sport that they love. The knock on effects of something as small as a black eye right up to the possibility of a brain bleed can change someone’s life forever. A boxer’s life and career is on the line every time they enter the ring and that is one of the biggest sacrifices of them all.
Recently combat sports have received the glamour of the headlines and captured the eye of almost every sports fan in the country but there is an underbelly of the sport that many do not get to see. The real reason behind all of the sacrifices and hard times lies with the boxer and their desire and to become a remembered name in their sport.
Boxers sacrifice all of these important aspects for that one moment at the end of a fight where their arm is raised in victory. No matter how hard the training camp was, every boxer would say that the hell was worth it to achieve what he or she wanted in the ring.
I put it forward to you to spend one day in the life of a boxer and see just how hard it is to live the sport as well as perform under those lights and your respect for these sportsman would move to new heights.
– Brooke Streatfield / @Brookiestreat
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