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The Boxing Identity of My City

“The City” should have the best fighters block for block for the logical order that we have always had the most fighters. We indeed have a pugilistic tradition of champions and fight minds richer than any city. New York City, by sheer number, trumps Pittsburg, outruns the Philly-fighter myth, and

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The Hardest Art

Arguably the most transcendental art ever to be. An evolving condition of conflict, not a discovery. Not made up. Simple, yet intricately methodical. Climactic. That’s boxing. Romantic things can be said about ‘the manly art’ – more so than any other art that challenges its bravado – but what ruins

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The Story in the Details

The boxing business, like any other business nowadays, is appraised through social media and is essential in building. As a coach, my absolute instinct is to be private about everything. But social media is a tool for constant marketing and contact and, more importantly to me, a learning tool for

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The Line (prose)

“If everything is on the line, I wanna be right here at home. But I know I need to get off the line or be on neither side alone. When the blood is dry, the bandage washed, the leather starts to crack Like wrinkles ply with brandished scars, I weather

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To Privately Train or Not To

There are two predominant kinds of people who train: the ones whose chief goal is to perform better and the ones whose chief goal is to be taught more. That was a difficult differentiation to make, but it is precisely designated, and I promise to explain.  Of course, there is

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What Exceptional Boxing Coaches Should Do

As someone whose sporting history has tied in with an education background, I am continuously perplexed by the ubiquitous lack of sports coaching following the standards of scholarly pursuits. In boxing especially, fighters can only be grateful to have coaches who care and who communicate the art well enough –

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Pugilistica Dementia – Every Coach’s Burden

I recently brought my JO team to spar at another reputable boxing club that had a crop of great talent.  After watching the other kids, ages 9 to 12, I began noticing a problem that I had once believed was a problem solely of competition performance in amateur boxing —

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A Month of Notes from Boxing

On Winning “Winning over” is sometimes the factor for success in the subjective nature of fighting. Does anyone know what winning a fight means? Even in street fighting, no one knows what winning is unless everyone says what “winning” is or someone gets knocked out. When I was a kid,

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Notes on Quitting and its 9 Levels

Sometimes fighters quit without even knowing they’re quitting. The truest fighters fight back to win in fights they are losing AND fights they should have lost – when they’re hurt or embarrassed or slower or less skilled they still find a way to win. They are supremely disciplined and/or special.

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