Today is a new day.  Sadly for me last night didn’t go the way I wanted it to as I lost my title defence on points. Had I won it would of become a British amateur title but as it stands it didn’t go my way. But it’s fighting and I should of fought a lot better than I did. So today I’m feeling humble and accepting that now and again things don’t always go the way we want them to just because we want them to. If that makes sense.

It was a tough fight and I was up against a young lad who was very feisty and very determined to win. I spent the majority of the fight on the back foot and despite my corner telling me to do my usual thing and walk into him everything seemed to come unstuck. I made mistakes, I threw punches out of range in the first round and didn’t work hard enough in the clinch. I didn’t throw enough and tried to play simple combinations and single shots. He was fighting with a similar style but quick and with a lot of venom. At points I matched him but wasn’t consistent enough. Round four was the only round I felt a shift in my favour. Round five was debatable.  Having watched the fight today in reality it’s probably not as bad as I made it just sound, but I fought a lot better last time round. One thing I am learning is that it doesn’t get any easier.

But here’s the thing. I’m proud of me. Despite losing, despite how I feel today I know that really it’s a fight to chalk up in the realms of experience. And that’s not just the fight in itself, it was the training the weight cutting and the preparation too. The main thing is I believe in myself. The frustrating thing is knowing the fighter inside of me isn’t as full on at the moment as he can be. So what I’m going to do is try to get back to the old me but make him new. Make him just as tough but different as well. I need to start walking into them again but fight smart too. Not think too much but use my head. Make the paradox that sounds a reality that works. I’m also going to tidy up that technique and get it better. Last night at points I felt sloppy and that’s not a nice feeling when you have a lot on the line. I don’t want to feel like that again.

So next week I’m taking some time out from the gym and getting on with life as usual. The world keeps turning life keeps moving forward and I still believe in myself and will be back on the horse soon. In the meantime, train hard, fight easy and never ever give up. See you on the road.