We spent a long weekend at the end of last month with legendary boxing champions – from Jesse Vargas, Michael Nunn, Hasim Rahman, and Showtime Shawn Porter, to Andre Ward, Evander Holyfield, Roy Jones, and Floyd Mayweather both Senior and Junior –as we partnered with the Nevada Boxing Hall of Fame* in facilitating their 10th annual Induction Gala. In the eight years that we have partnered with the NVBHOF, this year was by far the most rewarding; this was not just because the infamous and undefeated world champion, Floyd Mayweather Jr. was graciously inducted this year, or because the event gets bigger, better, and more fun each year as we grow, but because we were able to connect more closely this year with the families and the wives of the champions. We spent time with them individually at dinners and in between events, getting to know them and learning the dynamics of their relationships. With each couple that we encountered, we would often pose one specific question that proved to be an incredible conversation prompter: “With all of your training and experience in fighting, what has boxing taught you about the correlations to fighting fair in the ring and fighting fair in relationships and marriage?” The responses were not only profound, but also fun to hear, and they proved to be for great conversations.
Here are a few things that we learned from the Champs about fighting fair:
- Always respect your opponent, and never give up if you want to be successful.
- Know the rules before you get into the ring to fight –both the ones that are blatantly written into the manual and the ones that are unspoken but expected and assumed.
- Play by the rules. Do not veer away from what you know is right to do, even if you know you can get away with doing something unfair or dishonest.
- Choose the right people to be on your team and in your corner. Do not let just anyone advise you.
- Make sure that you allow yourself to listen, trust, and communicate with those in your corner who will hold you accountable and help you make adjustments as needed.
- Develop a game plan on how to fight before actually facing your challenger.
- Know as much about your opponent as possible before you agree to enter a bout with them.
- It is not wise to come out of your corner swinging before you know and understand the full situation.
- Watch closely how your contender is communicating with you by their actions and not just their words.
- Be sure not to hit below the belt, even when you have a chance to.
- Do not let anger turn so violent that it causes you to break the rules to try to win the fight because you will not only be disqualified, but lose the respect of those around you.
- You have to give something to get something and be quick on your feet. You cannot just sit in your comfort zone and expect the other person to always come to you.
- Be mindful of your own moves, and try to predict the moves of your challenger in order to best determine how to resolve and win the fight.
- Do not let the fight escalate to where it is no longer controllable.
*Special Thanks to the NVBHOF for allowing us to partner each year in honoring so many wonderful legends.
