Well as another week draws to a close in the land of all things martial, I’m feeling a little accomplished. I’ve managed to cut 5 kg in the past month or so, and I’ve been training hard. Running this morning (I do a lot of that) was tough but I felt it rounded off my week nicely. It compliments the rest of my training well and I know without a shadow of a doubt I’m fit enough to fight next weekend. Of course, training plays a larger part overall and I certainly feel like I’ve put in the work. I’ve got a little more training to go next week probably up till Wednesday then that’s all she wrote until Saturday.

I’m feeling strong and more importantly I’m feeling confident I’m going to be at my best. Nothing about fighting has ever been nor will it ever be easy for me, but from my point of view I can look back over the past five or six weeks of training and know that I have done my best to be at my best. I guess sometimes that’s the most important thing. Training this week has really focused on pushing yourself the extra mile in the last few rounds of a fight.

I’ve always been taught the last few rounds of a Muay Thai fight are more important than the initial first two. If you take the time to watch some Thai on YouTube like I do you’ll notice the pace of the fight gradually build up. I noticed this when I watched some fights at Bangla stadium last year. In the first two rounds the fighters will usually try and work each other out and from the third round onwards the fight gathers momentum. Of course, it doesn’t always go this way and if your fighting three two minute rounds you can expect a war right from the word go. Sometimes it’s like that even when it’s five rounds.

Next Saturday I’m fighting five two minute rounds, which again is one of the reasons I’m glad my fitness is officially boss. I’m confident I can go the distance and I’m sure I’ll push hard enough to win. If that seems a little over confident then trust me, I’ve had enough tough fights to know things change in a heart beat in there, but I also know that I’ve improved a lot since way back when. Anything that has happened before is simply experience and what’s most important is the here and now. One of my trainers said this week the best way to fight is to step into a ring expecting a war.

I think that’s a good mentality to adopt as there is a very big difference between going to fight and going to win. And of course if your there to win then your going to work extra hard in the later rounds. As I mentioned last week, for me it’s really about who wants it the most.

So this week has been a satisfying end to the majority of the hard work I’ve needed to do for next Saturday. For the next few days I’ll be focusing on drilling my combinations and keeping my cardio at a good level before a good rest on Thursday and Friday. Then it is of course, time to step up again and this time next week I intend to still be a champion. Have a great week, and just like the last time I’ll see you on that road.

‘If there’s magic in boxing, it’s the magic of fighting battles beyond endurance, beyond cracked ribs, ruptured kidneys and detached retinas. It’s the magic of risking everything for a dream that nobody sees but you.’  – Eddie Dupris – ‘Million dollar baby’