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Boxing and Sex: Separating Facts and Hype
By Ryan ********
Alongside protecting one's self at all times, boxing purists rank abstaining from sex as a cardinal rule of the sport. Sex is boxing's boogeyman, a foil for every fighting style. Since the implementation of strategy in fisticuffs, consensus thought has been that intercourse robbed a man of his strength, strength needed for combat.
Take the account of a legend. Sugar Ray Robinson typically abstained for six weeks before a fight. "One of the biggest sacrifices in being a champion is sex," Robinson was quoted in Herb Boyd's Pound For Pound. "If you're a fighter, you need your energy. You can't leave it in a woman." If he was preparing for a fight, a woman could sleep in the same bed as he and not have to worry about Robinson making a move. Robinson's belief in the precept was unwavering.
However, even The Sugar Man found a place for sex in his training camp. Boyd wrote, "If he would hit his peak early, a 'break' would be necessary." By break, he means conjugal visit. "Then a few days before the fight the peak would be reached again." Charley Goldman was known to allow Rocky Marciano the same privilege when he reached his apex too soon.
Cus D'Amato employed relatively lax restrictions on sex with Jose Torres. In Fire and Fear, Torres says, "D'Amato taught his fighters that objectivity, impersonality, coldness, and detachment are essential to a professional boxer. If occasional 'relief' can foster those attitudes, so much the better." According to the former Light-Heavyweight champion, D'Amato would allow Torres' wife to stay in camp on the weekends, which he felt boosted his performance.
By and large, contemporary trainers tend to believe that whoopy is a no-no when preparing for a fight. "I think it's definitely not good to have sex when you're in training camp," says Jeff Mayweather. "When you're in camp, your mind should only be on boxing."
The time table that trainers recommend their fighters stay out of the sheets varies; John David Jackson recommends six weeks, while Buddy McGirt and Jeff Mayweather suggest 3-4 weeks.
Mayweather believes that sex alters a fighter's strict routines. "If you're having sex, it's probably late at night. You're already messing up your schedule." Angelo Dundee, who trained Muhammad Ali and Ray Leonard, related a similar philosophy to George Plimpton in Shadow Box. "It's not the act itself- natural things don't harm anyone -it's the chasing it, and the wine, and the late hours." Dundee says that fighters need to be responsible enough avoid any activities that would shake their mental preparedness.
McGirt doesn't feel the detriment comes from losing focus, but the actual expenditure of energy sex incurs. "If you're a minute-man, it won't be an issue. But if you're up all night having sex, it will take all your energy. There comes a time in a fight when you have to dig down for energy and if it ain't there and it's sitting ringside in a young lady, it can't help you." In such incidences, McGirt has been known to send a fighter home early from the gym when he suspected a pupil of activities deleterious to his training.
The medical field is in disagreement with boxing. Professor Emmanuelle Jannini, an Endocrinologist at Italy's University of L'Aquila, concluded that sex stimulates testosterone ouput. "After three months without sex...testosterone dramatically drops to levels close to children's levels." Given the significance of testosterone to an athlete, this is counterproductive to their cause.
A Nationalgeographic.com article by Stefan Lovgren expressed harmony with the above paragraph. Lovgren reported, "...Scientists say there is no physiological evidence to suggest that sex before competition is bad. In fact, some studies suggest that pre-sports sex may actually aid by raising their testosterone levels."
For some fighters, it isn't the skipping sex that is missed, but their loved ones. Says Mayweather, "You have some fighters who like to have their woman or family around. They might not even be missing sex; They might just miss those people. Even while sacrificing, they might want to have a day of peace."
Jackson is firmly against the idea of family-presence in camp. His theories center around discipline, which he feels is best cultivated through mental conditioning and self-denial. "You have to sacrifice wives, the kids, the girlfriends. When you're in camp, that's when it's time to reflect on your opponent and your fight. That's why it's called camp. You get away from all of the distractions."
Mayweather says that fighters self-motivate when they remove sex from their schedules. "Even if it's only taken away mentally, it drives you. It's almost like 'I have to work hard and get this over with so I can hurry up and get back to doing it.' The biggest thing about sex is that you lose a little focus because you're not making that sacrifice."
So, is sex really as dangerous as it is made to seem? Kind of, Mayweather analyzes. "It's one of those myths that really just scares you, not knowing if it's true or not. No one knows what the ramifications really are. The reality is that nothing's going to happen to you. It's like the story that if you **********, hair is going to grow on your hands. I know a lot of people that ********** and I don't see anyone walking around with hairy palms."
Jackson doesn't buy into the hype either, but urges to let sleeping dogs lie. "I won't say it's completely a myth. If you dedicate yourself 110%, when you get hit you have no doubts as to whether you can do this. If you have sex prior to a fight, doubt is one of the first things that come to your mind. All of the stories you've heard, now they start to play on your mind. For me, it's a myth, but why test it? Be smart and stay dedicated to your craft and you won't have to worry about whether it's true or not."
Perhaps the late-Paddy Flood summed it up best. "When it was over, did you want to jump out of bed and do roadwork?"
Any questions or comments? Send them to mc_rson@yahoo.com .
By Ryan ********
Alongside protecting one's self at all times, boxing purists rank abstaining from sex as a cardinal rule of the sport. Sex is boxing's boogeyman, a foil for every fighting style. Since the implementation of strategy in fisticuffs, consensus thought has been that intercourse robbed a man of his strength, strength needed for combat.
Take the account of a legend. Sugar Ray Robinson typically abstained for six weeks before a fight. "One of the biggest sacrifices in being a champion is sex," Robinson was quoted in Herb Boyd's Pound For Pound. "If you're a fighter, you need your energy. You can't leave it in a woman." If he was preparing for a fight, a woman could sleep in the same bed as he and not have to worry about Robinson making a move. Robinson's belief in the precept was unwavering.
However, even The Sugar Man found a place for sex in his training camp. Boyd wrote, "If he would hit his peak early, a 'break' would be necessary." By break, he means conjugal visit. "Then a few days before the fight the peak would be reached again." Charley Goldman was known to allow Rocky Marciano the same privilege when he reached his apex too soon.
Cus D'Amato employed relatively lax restrictions on sex with Jose Torres. In Fire and Fear, Torres says, "D'Amato taught his fighters that objectivity, impersonality, coldness, and detachment are essential to a professional boxer. If occasional 'relief' can foster those attitudes, so much the better." According to the former Light-Heavyweight champion, D'Amato would allow Torres' wife to stay in camp on the weekends, which he felt boosted his performance.
By and large, contemporary trainers tend to believe that whoopy is a no-no when preparing for a fight. "I think it's definitely not good to have sex when you're in training camp," says Jeff Mayweather. "When you're in camp, your mind should only be on boxing."
The time table that trainers recommend their fighters stay out of the sheets varies; John David Jackson recommends six weeks, while Buddy McGirt and Jeff Mayweather suggest 3-4 weeks.
Mayweather believes that sex alters a fighter's strict routines. "If you're having sex, it's probably late at night. You're already messing up your schedule." Angelo Dundee, who trained Muhammad Ali and Ray Leonard, related a similar philosophy to George Plimpton in Shadow Box. "It's not the act itself- natural things don't harm anyone -it's the chasing it, and the wine, and the late hours." Dundee says that fighters need to be responsible enough avoid any activities that would shake their mental preparedness.
McGirt doesn't feel the detriment comes from losing focus, but the actual expenditure of energy sex incurs. "If you're a minute-man, it won't be an issue. But if you're up all night having sex, it will take all your energy. There comes a time in a fight when you have to dig down for energy and if it ain't there and it's sitting ringside in a young lady, it can't help you." In such incidences, McGirt has been known to send a fighter home early from the gym when he suspected a pupil of activities deleterious to his training.
The medical field is in disagreement with boxing. Professor Emmanuelle Jannini, an Endocrinologist at Italy's University of L'Aquila, concluded that sex stimulates testosterone ouput. "After three months without sex...testosterone dramatically drops to levels close to children's levels." Given the significance of testosterone to an athlete, this is counterproductive to their cause.
A Nationalgeographic.com article by Stefan Lovgren expressed harmony with the above paragraph. Lovgren reported, "...Scientists say there is no physiological evidence to suggest that sex before competition is bad. In fact, some studies suggest that pre-sports sex may actually aid by raising their testosterone levels."
For some fighters, it isn't the skipping sex that is missed, but their loved ones. Says Mayweather, "You have some fighters who like to have their woman or family around. They might not even be missing sex; They might just miss those people. Even while sacrificing, they might want to have a day of peace."
Jackson is firmly against the idea of family-presence in camp. His theories center around discipline, which he feels is best cultivated through mental conditioning and self-denial. "You have to sacrifice wives, the kids, the girlfriends. When you're in camp, that's when it's time to reflect on your opponent and your fight. That's why it's called camp. You get away from all of the distractions."
Mayweather says that fighters self-motivate when they remove sex from their schedules. "Even if it's only taken away mentally, it drives you. It's almost like 'I have to work hard and get this over with so I can hurry up and get back to doing it.' The biggest thing about sex is that you lose a little focus because you're not making that sacrifice."
So, is sex really as dangerous as it is made to seem? Kind of, Mayweather analyzes. "It's one of those myths that really just scares you, not knowing if it's true or not. No one knows what the ramifications really are. The reality is that nothing's going to happen to you. It's like the story that if you **********, hair is going to grow on your hands. I know a lot of people that ********** and I don't see anyone walking around with hairy palms."
Jackson doesn't buy into the hype either, but urges to let sleeping dogs lie. "I won't say it's completely a myth. If you dedicate yourself 110%, when you get hit you have no doubts as to whether you can do this. If you have sex prior to a fight, doubt is one of the first things that come to your mind. All of the stories you've heard, now they start to play on your mind. For me, it's a myth, but why test it? Be smart and stay dedicated to your craft and you won't have to worry about whether it's true or not."
Perhaps the late-Paddy Flood summed it up best. "When it was over, did you want to jump out of bed and do roadwork?"
Any questions or comments? Send them to mc_rson@yahoo.com .
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