by David P. Greisman - The boogeyman was an idea, a seed of doubt planted 11 months before, growing until it towered over him, casting darkness that he would either have to outrun or break through.
The nemesis was real, a man who had sown that seed and who now stood before him again, ready to return to digging to his body and drilling his chin.
Juan Manuel Lopez tried to dodge the darkness, tried to box Orlando Salido, tried to keep what Salido had done to him 11 months before from being done once more. But the boogeyman kept stalking. The nemesis, however, was not a mere idea but rather was real, a man who could be broken. And so Lopez confronted his demon and took his fate into his own hands.
And, in a flash, it was taken away from him. The darkness returned. The boogeyman was back.
Every fighter has his limits, a realization he never wants to reach. Every loss lingers, then, from the first moments of regret through months of self-reflection: What went wrong during the fight? What could I have done beforehand to make myself more ready, mentally and physically? What can I do better?
Lopez had 11 months to think about it and up to 12 rounds to put it into action.
He had patched together a friendship with his ex-wife, the mother of his children and his cook in camp. Gone was the personal turmoil that might have distracted before he first fought Salido. He would be mentally ready. Back was the personal chef who would help him be in the best possible shape. He would be physically ready. [Click Here To Read More]
The nemesis was real, a man who had sown that seed and who now stood before him again, ready to return to digging to his body and drilling his chin.
Juan Manuel Lopez tried to dodge the darkness, tried to box Orlando Salido, tried to keep what Salido had done to him 11 months before from being done once more. But the boogeyman kept stalking. The nemesis, however, was not a mere idea but rather was real, a man who could be broken. And so Lopez confronted his demon and took his fate into his own hands.
And, in a flash, it was taken away from him. The darkness returned. The boogeyman was back.
Every fighter has his limits, a realization he never wants to reach. Every loss lingers, then, from the first moments of regret through months of self-reflection: What went wrong during the fight? What could I have done beforehand to make myself more ready, mentally and physically? What can I do better?
Lopez had 11 months to think about it and up to 12 rounds to put it into action.
He had patched together a friendship with his ex-wife, the mother of his children and his cook in camp. Gone was the personal turmoil that might have distracted before he first fought Salido. He would be mentally ready. Back was the personal chef who would help him be in the best possible shape. He would be physically ready. [Click Here To Read More]
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