I'm a thousand miles from home at the moment
at the Australian
Amateur Boxing League's National Titles, and I'm enjoying
every minute of it.
Right now I'm watching two 13-year-old schoolboys belting it out, and
the standard is surprisingly good. The boys are focused,
controlled and highly skilled for their age. And behind each
boy is a small team of older men - quietly watching every movement
taking place in front of them, and gently caring for their boys between
rounds.
Last night the lad I brought down with me had his bout. Mina
is 15 - still very much a schoolboy, but with a physique that's
increasingly taking on adult proportions. It was
only his third fight, so the national titles was a big step up for
him. Even so, finding boys his age and his weight (63.5kg) is
not normally easy, so we figured that by joining in here he'd be sure
to get a bout or two.
Mina got his bout, and it was a courageous performance. He was
outclassed by his opponent but he went the distance. Afterwards we
found out that the winner was the current Australian champion and that
it was his 70th fight! This certainly took the sting out of
the loss, and when the champ found us and told Mina that he considered
him the toughest opponent he'd ever fought, our boy was grinning from
ear to ear.
In truth, this was only one of a number of truly memorable moments last
night.
I saw a 16-year-old return jubilantly to our change
room after hard-won points decision. With both hands in the
air, he was almost jumping out of his skin with excitement as he cried
out "I've gotta call my dad and tell him!"
I saw another young lad knock his opponent to the
ground with a beautifully-timed body shot. As his opponent
hit the canvas and the referee stopped the fight, the victor, instead
of prancing around and celebrating his victory, kneeled down alongside
his fallen mate and rubbed his back, and then helped him to his feet.
I heard one of the old boxing officials (who didn't
know me) say, "I hear there's a priest around here somewhere. We'd
better watch our language!"
This last 'memorable moment'
can't be labelled a 'highlight'
of course but was more of a reminder of just how far the boxing
community is from understanding what Christ and the church are
about. Of course, the converse is also true. Most
church people have no idea what boxing is about but consider it to be
nothing but legalised violence.
From my perspective, boxing is a celebration of manhood. It's
about boys becoming men and men supporting boys.
As every father knows, there are not many places left in this country
where you'll find teenage boys even listening to older men, let alone
looking up to them as respected mentors. Likewise there are
not many places where a young man can rumble with his mates in a
controlled environment, and so develop the courage and self-control
needed for adult life. It all happens here!.
I claim that we have 100% success rate with the young thugs and misfits
that we manage to direct into amateur boxing. We don't manage
to get everyone who comes to us into competition of course, but for
those who do undergo the necessary disciplines required to reach the
side of the ring, the experience is always the same. The
drugs and the thuggery stops, school grades improve, and elated parents
come and thank me for what we've achieved. But in truth, it
isn't me. It's the sport of amateur boxing.
Rev. David B. Smith
(the 'Fighting Father')
Parish
priest, community worker,
martial arts master, pro boxer, author, father of four www.fatherdave.org
