Unbeaten Light Heavyweight contender, Daren Reed, is undoubtedly headed for greatness. His athletic prowess has everyone talking. We spoke to him to find out what it takes to make it in boxing.
Practice makes perfect. Anyone training once or twice a week simply wont make it. Their progress will be limited. To make it in boxing you need extreme levels of fitness. The kind of fitness that only comes from exercising 5 times a week. Beautiful timed reaction punches come from muscle memory. The more you punch, the better your punching.
Live the life. There are people that do boxing and there are people that are boxers. There’s a big difference. All the top boxers talk about this point. People leave school and work towards a career, a car, a house, a family. Working was inconvenient for me. I only did it to fund training. I only got a car to get to shows. I was broke but my food bill was £200 a week. My flat mates food bill was £35 a week. I was eating so clean. Everything I did was for boxing.
always go to the gym. Life is so busy when you are trying to make it. After work I still feel tired and don’t want to train, but get to the gym. If I’m to ill or injured to train, I still go to the gym. If I don’t train I still go. You learn so much from watching others. Plus you don’t want to get out of the routine.
Make weight early. We have all been there, the night before weigh in, you have stripped as much as possible and you are still over the limit. You pop some tablets to open your bowls. You don’t drink or eat for 30 hours and you feel like shit, but you make weight…just. The fight is hard, you lack energy and feel sick. The only time I came close to losing was during my 12th fight when I struggled to make weight. Now I make sure I’m on weight a week before.
You don’t know it all. Next time you are in the gym, look around. What do you see? A few former Champions, a few current Champions. That bloke who had that epic war 5 years ago that everyone still talks about. Countless retired fighters that still train for fitness. Every gym is a hive of stories and experience. You may be the future or the current, But listen to the past, The former greats. They have learnt what you still haven’t. Listen to every story. These men freely give something that you can only buy with blood.
You will lose eventually, so fight them all. There is nothing as sad as seeing good fighters avoiding other good fighters. You will lose eventually anyway. The only boxers that remain unbeaten are the very lucky ones that avoided all the right people. Remember that guy in the gym that beat you? How did that happen? You are better than him. The answer is simple, style and timing. Timing because you had an off night, it happens. And style because no style beats them all, including yours. So fight everyone and never think about losing.
Choose a good team. As soon as you get into the top 10 you start making good money. Top 5 and you make serious money. top 3 make life changing money. Make sure this statistic doesn’t skip you. I have known British Champions that are broke. Your team will be large. Some are there to look out for you career, some your health and some you money. Make sure you pick a team that do their job well. so you can focus on yours.
James Fearne
English Boxing Union 