| The
Agony of My First Defeat |
Having been deprived of the experience and
feeling of defeat I stood looking my opponent square in the eye
as we listened to the instructions of the referee. Standing firm
in the center of the ring and full of confidence, based on a perfect
record, I considered my strategy against the southpaw. Yes, I was
informed that Johnny was the Olympic bronze medalist trained under
the renowned Pappy Gault, and I was fully aware that it was only
my first year of boxing. What I did not consider was my lack of
experience and skill against his. There were only a few good combinations
that I really knew; the rest was pure guts, blood, and stamina,
with little brains to speak about. During the finals of the AAU
Cinderella boxing competition of which I received the outstanding
award, one of the referees warned my coach about an urgent need
to teach me some defensive skills to prevent a serious injury. But
being a young teen and knowing everything at that time, I felt indispensable
and didn’t really take the warning seriously.
Upon the sound of the bell I
raced to the center of the ring throwing left jabs that were unheeded
by my opponent. He danced calmly around me, studying my moves as
he let me put on my show. It seemed that I was punching the air
and soon I was frustrated because I could not seem to land a solid
punch. Being slow to anger at his avoidance of me I decided to conserve
my energy, not freely show him what I had, and allow him to try
some of his combinations. Knowing the excellence of my left jab
I waited for his move, which came suddenly, bypassing all my defenses.
I had forgotten my strategy against the southpaw’s right jab
and was struck to the head with his lightning like combination.
Humiliated by it I quickly remembered what my coach had told me
and moved in a counter clockwise direction. But it didn’t
seem to phase him a bit, for he was an experienced boxer and knew
every trick in the book. Despite my frustration I maintained my
focus and was able to land a few punches against his swift combinations.
But by the end of the first round I knew his strength matched mine
and it was not going to be to my advantage for a decision against
him. I was also fully aware that I needed to quickly learn his moves
and find a way to outwit the boxer before he landed too many blows.
It was around this time that I began to recall the warning of that
referee to learn some defense skills. But it was too late to learn
these things in the ring for there was no room to make a mistake.
At the end of the first round
I realized the trouble I was in. There was little I could learn
from my coach who repeated what I already knew. Time went by swiftly
but thanks to my excellent physical condition I was up at the sound
of the bell and just as always, raced to the center of the ring
to face the scorn of my opponent. Fully knowing the danger at hand
and the cruel intents of my opponent to satisfy the lust of the
crowd to see me knocked out, I boxed with caution. Being of a minority
in the boxing arena in Washington DC at the peak of racial tension,
many desired to see my swift defeat and it appeared that Johnny
was ready to appeal to their wishes. Never before had my body touched
the mat as I was now pondering the great possibility. It was an
overmatch to satisfy spiteful greed of some and to win unrighteous
bets on behalf my defeat. It was obvious that I did not have a chance
against his experience. His strength matched mine but my skill and
experience was far inferior. Never before had I contemplated losing
a match but the awful reality faced me square in the eye. We were
toe to toe but his punches landed about three to one and I was more
careful than ever before not to allow an easy knock out, which was
apparent as to his intentions. But I knew nothing about backing
away from a fight, so gathering up all of my powers, I was able
to stand against the blood splattering onslaughts of my adversary,
without a hint of fear. Taking a punch was no problem but the voice
of the ref’s warning kept ringing in my ear that I could receive
permanent damage if not careful, so as the second round drew near
its end I became less aggressive and he danced around me to show
off to the crowd. Finally the bell rang and I knew there was not
a chance in the world to win the match. Overwhelmed by the agony
of defeat I could not hear a word of instruction from my coach as
he was yelling in my ear. I remembered a pro boxer telling me never
to give ground to the thought of defeat in the ring but I was a
practical person, and had given it my best. As a young teen I considered
my future against the knowledge of many punch drunk, washed out
boxers and I was not ready to join that crowd. I knew he was in
another class and I had been prematurely matched for the purpose
of my destruction, which I was not about to allow.
Pride did not have supremacy
over reason so upon the sound of the bell I charged into the center
of the ring just as before with my defenses ready. With a sneer
on his face he moved in for the kill. Quickly my pride returned
and I gave it my best to counter his evil intent. Alas I satisfied
my lust to land a good punch, which apparently surprised him, but
by no means changed his mind about me. Was this to be the end of
my fame? I knew quite well that some wanted to see a knock out and
I was not about to satisfy them. Then would it really be to my advantage
to turn coward in the face of danger? That would ruin my good reputation
and upon that thought I realized the slim possibility of receiving
permanent damage from a light middleweight boxer. I weighed exactly
150 pounds of solid muscle and he, only a few pounds more. Most
boxers who received permanent damage were in the heavyweight class.
This thought revived and awakened within me a renewed strength as
we stood toe to toe for the remainder of the match. Calling upon
every skill and repeating every known combination I somehow managed
to stay in the ring without losing my dignity. It was an obvious
defeat and the agony of it griped my soul. But I had gained experience
from the best and my pride was nourished despite the anguish of
my first defeat. Thus I came away with a story to tell my friends.©
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