I have trained almost every kind of athlete over the years, but have always been amazed at how boxers prepare both physically and mentally for their fights. Let’s be realistic, for a championship fight, a fighter looks at lasting 36 minutes at utmost intensity. For the layman this might be considered trite. But, if we look a little deeper, we realize that through this 36 minutes of intensity he will likely be hit in the face two hundred to three hundred times. The gloves are little more than protection for the one throwing rather than offering any respite for the one receiving. Another fifty rib breaking suffocating hooks and uppercuts to the ribcage is enough to make the stoutest amongst us hesitate, if not outright flee!

 

Yet for this, they seem not to care. It is simply the price to pay. In the last week of preparation for his title fight with Robert Steiglitz, Enrique Ornelas is self-reflective, almost calm as it were. No bravado, more like peacefulness. Enrique recites the litany of his preparations, noting each one in his head, like a grocery clerk, efficient and professional.

 

  “I am on target with my weight. I have had plenty of quality sparring, I’ve seen a wide variety of styles. I sparred with different styles of fighters like GSP just to get a different feel (UFC welterweight champ George St Pierre). I’ve been fortunate to have hundreds of rounds of training with Howard Grant. My footwork and defense is better than ever, my strength training with Nick has been incredible… I feel stronger than ever.

 

  “My High Intensity Interval Training on the The HITrainer Pro 100 has got me to a level of recovery I have never experienced before…” Enrique becomes pensive for a moment and then smiles…” I am still having fun and still love this sport.  What more can you ask?”

 

Both of us became silent. I remembered when I fought as an amateur what I feared most was not being competitive, being knocked out early… humiliating myself. The pain seemed to be secondary. I asked Enrique if he felt the same way.   “It always feels better after taking a few punches, seeing what the other guy has. Knowing your preparation was up to the task. I realized that I am speaking to a very focused determined and thoughtful young man. He pauses and nods to himself, making the checklist for arrival in Germany…   “…this week I will finish my intensity peaks on the HITrainer and then I will peak one more time in Dresden on Thursday…of course I don’t have a HITrainer there. I guess I will have to get creative to hit that peak.”

 

I realize that Enrique Ornelas is now ready for a tough fight with a tough fighter in Robert Steiglitz.