Coach Ian – Week in Review 10/10/2021
Book I’m Reading
Damage: The Untold Story of Brain Trauma in Boxing by Tris Dixon
Thirty Dollars and a Cut Eye by J Russell Peltz
Run Streak and Running Goals:
Progress: As of 10/10/21, I’ve now run 1,211 miles for the year, while maintaining my 283-day run streak.
Share of the Week: 1,200 miles run for the year!
Boxing Lesson of the Week: Slipping to the Inside
Tyson Fury vs Deontay Wilder:
You can’t teach heart.
Congrats to both Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder for putting on an unforgettable fight. Tyson Fury proved that their first fight wasn’t a fluke. Despite Deontay Wilder’s early success jabbing Fury to the body in the first round, preventing Fury from backing him up, Tyson Fury ultimately was able to break Wilder down and score the stoppage.
Wilder’s Adjustments
Deontay Wilder made some adjustments for this fight – entering the ring with a new coach, adding 7 lbs of muscle, and with an early focus of not being walked down and backing Fury up with his jab to the body, hoping to set up his powerful right hand.
Where Deontay Wilder went wrong
Unfortunately, his technical problems still persist, and his footwork was still sloppy throughout the fight. His poor footwork made it easy for Fury to land with his jab and lead hook, which looked even more damaging when it knocked Wilder off balance because his feet were never set.
Deontay Wilder’s power
Deontay Wilder’s right hand is the equalizer. Even after being badly hurt in the 2nd round, he caught Tyson Fury with a brutal right cross that would’ve stopped almost any other heavyweight in the division. He followed up with a second knockdown that looked like a push to me, but bought Fury more time to recover. People talk about the slow count – I think Tyson Fury would’ve made the count regardless, but the extra time certainly did help.
Deontay Wilder’s conditioning
Adding to Wilder’s problems were the fact that he looked gassed early in the fight. He seemed to be tense and blew a lot of nervous energy early in the fight. Maybe the added weight (and weight lifting) didn’t help either. Either way, even when he was up on the scorecards after his two knockdowns in round 3, he looked to be fading fast once Tyson Fury regained his legs.
Final Thoughts
Tyson Fury ultimately outlanded Wilder 150 – 72. For all the talk about Wilder’s jab, he only landed 9 jabs in the entire fight. Deontay Wilder deserves a ton of credit for the heart and resilience he showed tonight.
Tyson Fury is the best heavyweight in the division, and it’s not even close. Although I didn’t see as much head movement from him as in previous fights, he’s shown how dangerous of a fighter he can be coming forward and applying pressure. As impressive as Usyk looked last week, I can’t see him beating Tyson Fury.
Something I tried this week: After my long training run this weekend, I stopped by MeloMelo Kava Bar in Santa Cruz. Kava root is known for it’s relaxing properties. I had previously tried some Kava chocolates, not thinking much of it but remembering it for it’s mouth-numbing effect.
Stopping by the Kava bar, I learned that some people actually consider kava an alternative to alcohol. Melomelo serves Kava Cocktails (non-alcoholic), Kava Teas and Chocolates, and Kava Kombuchas in a coconut shell.
I can’t say I noticed too much of an effect. And it certainly isn’t mean to have you intoxicated in the way alcohol can make you, but supposedly helps in social settings and can also serve as a nootropic. My server said Kava has a reverse tolerance where you may not feel it the first time, but may the second or third. It was an interesting experience, and if it helps others to have an alternative to alcohol when going out, I’m all for it.
Disclaimer: I’m by no means an expert on Kava, and am open to learning more about the benefits and side effects.
This Week at Dreamland Boxing:
Our classes have been increased to 16 people per class. Intro to Sparring and Members Only Sparring are underway. See the full updates here. Come join me on Fridays at 4:30PM for a workout!
Also, I have continued to host our virtual boxing sessions. Thank you to our members for keeping your memberships active and continuing to support our gym during this time. And I’m personally glad to have been able to aid in your boxing development all year!
Our practices this week featured the following:
- How to use feints
- How to use head movement as an offensive tactic
- How to think in the ring
- How to hold mitts
- Body weight circuits
- Balance drills
- And more!
You can find a full list of drills if you are a current Dreamland Boxing member in the Premium Drills section of my website.
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