Who do you think will prevail guys ?. With Ricky revealing he’s going with Mayweather Snr will that add new skills and a different edge that Paulie won’t predict. Or will Hatton be made to miss and be outboxed by Paulie ?. I personally think the Hatton of the here and now would be made to miss a lot by Malignaggi. But i think he would bully Paulie into a points win or late stoppage. If Mayweather can add some defensive slickness to Hatton then who knows what may happen………..GO RICKY !!

Check out the new videos… Mike Nolan on the Double End Bag & Chris Roy on Maize Ball.
Click here to go to >> Irongloves Video Page

Stop in for some cheat treats. Renene is serving up Dunkin Doughnuts. After eating the treats you will be made to jump rope for 15 minutes just kidding. I will also be filming everyone, so come prepared to be on camera. We are expecting a big turn out for the holiday. So if you aren’t doing anything, stop in and say hi to everyone… Lisa Frazier, there will be a doughnut with your name on it!
       A nice Labor Day to all — Joe & Renene

Antonio Tarver

America’s 39-year-old former world
light-heavyweight champ, 26-4 (19)

Age started boxing: 10. Jimmy Williams laid the foundation. First boxing memory: My first fight, a 30-second knockout at Eddie Graham Sports Stadium in 1979. That was my first great memory and I was on my way after that. Inspiration: Muhammad Ali and Sugar Ray Leonard were my idols. Favourite all-time fighter: I have to say the “Marvelous” one [Marvin Hagler]. He looked like me, he shined like me and was a beast in that ring. Best fight seen: Diego Corrales – God Bless his soul – and Jose Luis Castillo. When he came back after being down and out, that was tremendous. Pre-fight meal: A lot of pasta, the stuff that gives you that energy. What do you do to relax: Play golf and travel with my baby. I enjoy my daughter and family. Pre-fight superstition: None. What training do you do between fights (if any): I take two-three weeks off just to enjoy my victory. Take my wife on vacation, enjoy good cooking and all that stuff. I splurge a little. Typical breakfast: Egg whites. Oatmeal. Some fruit. Tea and coffee sometimes, but not much. Toughest part of being a boxer: The work you have to do for that level of success. I have people to support me, but if it don’t come from within, you can’t get it. You don’t ever play boxing. Favourite music: R&B, hip-hop, Mary J [Blige], R Kelly, Jay Z. Last book read: I don’t ever finish books. Favourite film: Scarface. What car do you drive: Depends on what day. I have nice cars. I got a Range Rover. Where do you train: Calta’s Health & Fitness in Tampa, Florida and also at the University of Tampa. Training routine: Monday, Wednesday and Friday I get up at 4.45, meet Rafael Ruiz at the University of Tampa for my strength and conditioning. I go home, take a nap, eat a light breakfast and lunch. Go to the gym at 2-4.30pm, try to make it home. Then at night we shake loose at about 10pm in the garage. And then, if need be, we go on like a three-mile sprint. Interval running. On Tuesdays and Thursdays I go with Dudley Pierce early in the morning on a nice, long run. And on Saturday we spar. Once we start, we spar every other day. Toughest man you faced: Eric Harding was one. I would have to say Glen Johnson. Harding was just a southpaw that was very crafty and slick. Johnson just applies enormous pressure. What supplements do you take: Amino Acids and multi-mineral vitamins. If you weren’t a boxer what would you be: A golfer. I played with [Michael] Jordan in the Bahamas. I won about a grand from him. Last place you went on holiday: Bahamas. Favourite football team: The Bucs and the Cowboys. Best boxer in the sport today: You have to say Floyd Mayweather. He’s making the most money.

New Jersey’s 35-year-old former WBC
light-welterweight champion, 40-8 (31)

Age started boxing: Seven First boxing memory: Broke my hand. I was very young – 12. Inspiration: My father. Favourite all-time fighter: Roberto Duran. I resembled him, I think, as a young kid. Best fight seen: Wow, there’s a lot of them. Marco Antonio Barrera v Erik Morales I. Pre-fight meal: Spaghetti. What do you do to relax: Nothing. Just sit down on the bed. Pre-fight superstition: Watch who takes me out to the ring. Watch my entourage. Like, at times in the dressing room, certain people that don’t belong – I don’t want them there because they shouldn’t be there. I can’t stand groupies. What training do you do between fights (if any): Just run. Run and lift [weights]. Typical breakfast: Cereal [Fruit Loops] and pancakes. Toughest part of being a boxer: People all want a piece of you. Favourite music: Rap. Last book read: Old Man and the Sea, Hemingway. Lou Duva bought me that book [laughs]. That’s the only book I read, I finished it. Favourite film: I just saw it. With Ben Stiller. What car do you drive: 1974 Corvette, blue. [NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt Jr souped it up for Gatti two years ago] It’s great. I can buy any car I want. I like old cars. I’m gonna get a ’57 Corvette now. And then a ’69 Corvette. Old ones. Where do you train: Fort Lauderdale, Florida – Rombor Gym. Training routine: Run three or four miles in the morning. Box in the afternoon. Lift weights at night. Toughest man you faced: Micky Ward – in all three fights What supplements do you take: Carrot juice, wheat grass, B-Complex and B 12. If you weren’t a boxer what would you be: I would probably follow my father’s footsteps – electrician. Last place you went on holiday: Aruba. Favourite soccer team: Juventus. Best boxer in the sport today: Arturo Gatti. I’m an exciting fighter. People pay to see a fight. That’s what I do.
Dated July 2007

You have seen her before, well look at her now. Ali Bebbling is one tough female.

We would like to introduce the latest addition to our staff.
Welcome Super Heavy Weight Chris “the Secret Weapon” Roy

IN my experience many athletes, and especially boxers, tend to adopt a style of training far more suited to that of a bodybuilder than a performance-based athlete. The influence of the bodybuilding boom in the 1970s and the phenomenal marketing efforts of the Weiders, with Arnie leading their charge, undoubtedly made bodybuilding and weight training practically synonymous. Indeed numerous athletes and members of the public saw the phenomenal physiques on guys such as Arnie, Lou Ferrigno, Lee Haney, etc, and took much from their training approaches. Sport is not, however, bodybuilding. Athletes shouldn’t care less about how they look, as long as performance is maximised.

A good physique should simply be a by-product of their sport-specific conditioning. Often, though, because the bodybuilding influence has been so penetrative and persuasive, many athletes simply are unable to distinguish between the two approaches. Hopefully this article will shed some light on this. I recently watched one of the world’s leading boxers performing a chest press exercise on a machine, a very bodybuilding-inspired exercise and piece of kit; an exercise I’m sure many other boxers have also used, in my opinion, erroneously.

I have opted to use that specific exercise to illustrate the various points I wish to make in this article as, to me, that exercise summarizes everything a fighter shouldn’t do in the weights room. It makes sense, then, to dissect that particular exercise, and through that hopefully convey some important messages regarding resistance training for boxers.

Problem No. 1 – They’re sitting down Whilst using this machine the fighter is in a seated position. As such the benefit to pillar strength, transfer of force through the legs and core, balance and the reinforcement of the punching movement pattern is practically zero. In layman’s terms, you fight on your feet, not sitting down. Furthermore, the seated position prevents almost any core rotation, something present to some degree in almost all boxing movements, taking place.

Problem No. 2 – The back is supported In the real world, when you punch or push something, is there a back support or wall behind you to give you that stable foundation off which to generate force? Clearly there isn’t, but on this machine there is. In a real world environment it is your own balance and core stability and strength that provide this foundation. Yes, supporting the back will allow the chest, shoulders, triceps etc to generate far more force and this may be beneficial from an injury prevention perspective. For example I do use free-weight bench press to enhance shoulder joint stability. There may also be some benefits to pure triceps strength, which, depending what type of other training is engaged in, may transfer to greater power in a pure elbow extension movement such as a basic arm jab with little body weight shift. Try, however, a standing chest press using cables and see how much you can shift compared to a bench press; it will be markedly less. Pillar strength and stability are at least as important to athletic performance as pure strength and power isolated at a joint.

Problem No. 3 – The machine has a fixed range of motion Unlike free weights, this machine is fixed into one pattern of motion from which it cannot deviate. Because of this there is no potential for instability to occur, which means that the stabilising muscles around a joint get zero training effect. Whilst the big prime mover muscle groups get hit very hard, these other stabiliser groups, which are basically responsible for holding the whole joint together and controlling movement, are neglected. So the end result is a pretty much the worst case scenario for injury risk; ability to generate massive forces but absolutely no capability to stabilise the joint should even the slightest deviation occur in any other direction than the exact one used on the machine. The unpredictability and instability of free weight and ballistic training is a great advantage in preparing the athlete for the unpredictability and instability of competition.

Problem No. 4 – The movement is being performed with a slow speed of movement This becomes problem only if other more explosive forms of training are not being performed alongside these more strength-based, slower exercises. The piece relating to strength and power hopefully illustrates how the two interact. For building a pure strength foundation this slow pace of movement would be fine; however, given that boxing is a sport which relies upon explosive power, rapid, ballistic type exercises are vital to maximising performance.

Problem No. 5 – It is impossible to fully accelerate the movement This becomes an issue when trying to perform resistance exercises explosively. This can apply to both free weights and machine weights. Clearly on this machine, if you were attempting to develop power you would ideally want to be accelerating as rapidly and forcefully as possible through the entire range of motion. On this machine, as well as under a bar in a bench press, it is impossible to fully accelerate the movement; you have to control it towards the end of the motion to slow its velocity. This is not optimal when attempting to maximise explosive power. Imagine trying to maximally putt a golf shot but then not let it go at the end of the movement. It would make no sense and hinder your expression of power. This is why, in my opinion, other methods, highlighted in other articles in this guide, often have a distinct advantage over machines and free weights in some instances. Hopefully this dissection has illustrated the problems with this type of machine and the slow, isolated bodybuilding approach in general.

To me, the public and the boxing community are far too impressed by an amazing physique. Commentators can often be heard to remark about what fantastic condition a fighter looks to be in, implying that this muscular, toned body validates that boxer’s sport-specific conditioning. The reality is, it does not. Because a muscle is big does not necessarily mean it is strong and it absolutely does not mean it is powerful. Bodybuilders are far from the strongest athletes on the planet, even though their appearance would indicate otherwise. Furthermore, when they are in competition shape, looking their best, they are usually at their weakest. Bodybuilding and sports performance are two entirely different worlds and looks can be deceiving.

This article was taken from a british boxing mag. Hopefully you can learn some important data & put to your own personal good use!