Smith - Beautiful Brutality

Contents

BEAUTIFUL
BRUTALITY

Adam Smith

To my fabulous wife, Jo, who is the most wonderful, supportive, sparkling and genuine family person. My rock.

To my three amazing children Jessamy, Oscar and Tilly who make each and every day a happier and better one.

To my family and lifelong friends, for always being there. Unconditionally.

To my childhood friend Dogger, and my boxing friend Diego Corrales, whom I miss lighting up my life.

Foreword

You need many components in order to become a world champion and reach the top in this, the hardest of all sports. Qualities such as dedication, desire, self-belief and an undying will to succeed. Plus the obvious requirements of talent, an exceptional trainer and manager, and a promoter who will match you carefully and always have your best interests at heart. The qualities you generally have to be born with, or have to work hard in order to get, or can be found in the gym. But one attribute I was fortunate to have, which can be equally as important but which some boxers are unfortunately not as lucky to have, is the support of a strong family.

You can have all those other components, but when they leave the gym some fighters dont have that family support, which can be the reason why sometimes even the most talented of boxers sadly dont reach the top. I wouldnt have got to the world title if I hadnt had a family behind me, to push me and put themselves out for me. To tell me when I was right or wrong, and even through the bad times, which we all have in life, staying in my corner and getting me back on track. My family means absolutely everything to me. They are why I work so hard. The older generation of my family set me up, did so much to help me when I was growing up and through the huge support they have given me in my boxing career. Everything I do now is to set my family up for the future. Fighters need families around them. Its a hard enough game, and you know theyll always love you, whatever happens.

My long-time friend Adam Smith, whom I met as a rookie professional at the age of eighteen when he worked with an array of world champions as one of the countrys top pundits on Sky Sports, uses his wealth of boxing knowledge to explore this not-much-talked about area of the fight game, which readers will find fascinating. Boxing families, the support of a family, world champion brothers, fathers training sons which surely cant be in the boxing manual and mothers having to cope. The presence of families in this sport seems to be common, but is a part of boxing which, although it can only be seen as amazing, has never got the headlines until now.

This is an exceptional read for boxing fans, lovers of sport in general and anyone who cares about family. Enjoy.

Richard Hatton MBE

Preface

Two things in life matter more than anything to me: people and sport. They are pure, simple, real passions. Almost obsessions, I guess.

I have always adored getting to know multicultural folk from all backgrounds, classes and cultures; equally I relish virtually every type of competitive regulated sport that exists, and which can excite us so much.

Lets narrow that down. I love my family above all else, and I crave boxing more than any other sport. I will do anything I can for my family; I will try anything possible to be ringside for a fight.

Family. Boxing. Boxing. Family. On the surface there might not seem to be too many parallels. After all, one is usually characterized by universal protection and comfort; the other is about defeating, even damaging, ones opponent in any way possible within the Marquess of Queensberrys rules.

Yet dig deeper and one finds, rather surprisingly, that these two fields can become fairly synonymous. Boxers need families. Families need fighters.

The essence of family is and always has been to support, nurture, provide for, encourage and help. In ideal situations that is unequivocally 100 per cent of the time. Boxers must in turn give 100 per cent unconditional commitment to their cause, and often to their families, if they want to become a real success. They are also heavily influenced in both positive and negative ways by a whole range of weird, wonderful and truly ghastly family members.

When a promising athlete embarks on a professional, paid career in the pugilistic art, support is essential, for virtually all paths are riddled with dangerous roadblocks, and boxers dont have much time. They have short cycles and quick peaks, then sometimes fail to fully realize the decline of reflexes, punch resistance and optimum balance.

They also only get one serious shot at it. Losing a fight is not like losing any other sporting match. Lives can change for ever.

For every world champion there are hundreds, even thousands, of nearly men. Some scrape by on the barest of levels required to support human life. Yet titles, trophies and huge financial gain guarantee nothing. The fall from grace can be far swifter and more brutal. Snakes are more slippery than ladders. The number of sad stories in boxing concerning bankruptcy, illness, tragedy and death are often more associated with the famous stars than the journeymen triers.

The boxing ride is invariably a terrifying roller-coaster of ups and downs, highs and lows of real extremes. There are conflicting emotions, and decadent temptations set against the mundane boredom of clocking up miles and soaking gym sweat-suits the austere regime of training that takes its toll. Questions arise over desire, ego, narcissism, triumph and failure. To earn a living in this harshest of ways obviously depends on that certain individual having an astonishing commitment as well as nerves of steel.

Its hard enough to become a fighter. Its far harder to make a global success of it.

Boxers have to operate in a sort of inner solitary confinement, and are often not well enough equipped to deal with the potential pitfalls alone. They must concentrate first and foremost on business inside the ring. Outside it can be a minefield, even for the sharpest of fighting folk. They need help, guidance and proper assistance.

Every boxer, whatever his standard, level or ambition, needs and relies upon the tightest of teams: his trainers, his manager, his promoter, his friends, and above all his family. They are all there to drive him on, push him that extra yard in training, pick up shattered pieces, comfort him, and love him.

Bumps along the way lead to disruption. Trainers can be blamed, and are usually the first to be fired. Managers and promoters may not be too far behind. Friends are sometimes seen as hangers-on, worse still parasites, and can, God forbid, end up as sworn enemies.

Families are the only constant. Yes, we all have our debates, disputes, arguments and troubles, but the love is usually unconditional. Blood is blood. Fighters shed blood for a living. They need blood brothers with them.

From time to time, people ask me what are the most important things in boxing. Levels and timing, I reply. Ive now realized that family must be added to the mix. For our brave, spirited and most admirable fighters, at the very heart of boxing lies the necessity and influence of family.

Prologue: The Boxing Family

Children of the same family, the same blood, with the same first associations and habits, have some means of enjoyment in their power, which no subsequent connections can supply.

Jane Austen

Fistic combat is so appealing, so scary, so physically and emotionally draining, that it harks back to a bygone age where this was plain to see: one wins and one loses. Its a simple, appetizing idea, but in modern society one that of course remains controversial, a fiery subject for a classic dinner-party debate.

Through the good, the bad and the plain ugly, there is constantly something happening in boxing. Events swing rapidly, and the basic gladiatorial battle brings out the primeval side in most of us.