Gerald McClellan: 'Walking from the locker room to the ring is the scariest feeling'

[BillyBoxing]

In my first few fights, yes, the walk in scared the hell out of me. But so did waiting around and pretty much everything about fighting


Nowadays I'm more confident and relaxed, nothing about fighting scares me anymore and I enjoy it more than anything.

But everyone is different. I know some guys who still get incredibly tense and nervous.

It's not about being scared,it's about being nervous.I always was nervous even after 3 years of amateur boxing.

When I go to see some fights in my town,I feel nervous altough I'm not fighting.
It's like I'm feeling what the fighters are feeling.

Like I often say,"it's smelling death".lol

I was even very nervous for my first sparring sessions,your nose is bleeding,body punches are hurting you to death,you don't see well punches coming yet....your sparring partners aren't noobs unlike you.
It ain't easy at the beginning as well.

but after,it was a ****in pleasure,I'm still goin to spar in the gym because I miss it.lol

[jkaisen41]

"I think in almost every sport it is like that"
NO!!!
PLEASE....
When you walk to the ring,it's smelling death.

"I spar with a friend of mine in my Garden often and once in the ring but never had a official bout..."
It's sparring.
You CAN'T compare a sparring session with a friend and a real fight against a boxer in fight mode.

In a fight,the guy in front of you want to kill you,and if you don't kill him,he will.It's him or you.
You are not goin to quit,and if the guy murders you and the ref and the trainer don't stop,you are goin to be murdered.
It's no joke.
Def not a garden slapfest with a friend.

And I'm not sure your friend was hittin you with 10 oz gloves 100%....

And if you spar with a bad amateur kid,he's goin to ruin you inside of 1 min.Even with 16 oz gloves and huge headgears.

Like I said under it... I can understand that... of course b-ball and soccer aren't things where you have to fear for own health... but still you have thoughts too...

I never once said that we fight on a championship level... I'm not in disbelieve to believe I could whip Tyson or even an good amateur boxer... my friend and me... we train boxing... we have our bag... we do road work together... and we both pumping... he as me is a big fan of sport and you can believe that we both throw technique wise good punches... so everytime I stand in front of him (knowing his power, he would be a cruiserweight, taller then me) I have to be concentrated and knows what happens if he hits me... even though it is not on a high level... I still think it's ok to get a feeling for it...

We have 12 once gloves...

And even though it is not on a high level only through our training alone you know how supieror you are to others... once another friend came over and wanted to box too... and we did... and he wasn't used to it (reflexes, straight punches) and I heard him bad with my first punch... afterwards we stopped... you can def. feel the difference what even a little training in this sport can do

[TheAuthority]

When I go to see some fights in my town,I feel nervous altough I'm not fighting.

Haha ... I'm exactly the same. I took my 10 year old son to an amateur show in December (hadn't been to live boxing for a few years before this), I felt the nerves almost as if I was fighting. Must say it brought, back some great memories. Consequently, I'm seriously considering a bout in the near future.

[RagingTheBull]

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/m.../ai_n10186819/

I wonder if all boxers feel this way. McClellan was a mean dude, so if he felt like this, I reckon it's safe to say a lot of boxers do. Anyone here ever been a pro/amateur fight, is the walk-in the worst part?

I'm just an amateur boxer, personally I think that the scariest thing of all is when you are in the locker room waiting for your trainer (or someone else). And when he comes and he says "you're next", let's go, you can fell your blood erupting from your heart. It's nice. But you gradually calm down when you walk to the ring, imho.

It's just my opinion.

[Bahamut Zero]

Pacquiaos ring walk is scripted by HBO to give him a good guy image. All those smiles, waves, hellos is all one big act.

Phailed. Pac has that smile, wave, High 5's, etc. long before he became that great. Scripted my ass...

[Weebler I]

I'm just an amateur boxer, personally I think that the scariest thing of all is when you are in the locker room waiting for your trainer (or someone else). And when he comes and he says "you're next", let's go, you can fell your blood erupting from your heart. It's nice. But you gradually calm down when you walk to the ring, imho.

It's just my opinion.

yeah I can imagine that would be nerve-wracking, kind of like going for a job-interview, the heat is on.

[STILL_DETOX]

great article