There was a lot of controversy surrounding the finish of the first fight, but that really isn’t the case for the rematch. As we mentioned two days ago in our prediction, anything can happen when it comes to boxing, especially heavyweight boxing. I said that the second least likely finish behind a Wilder win by decision was a Fury finish, but Tyson walked into that ring with a point to prove. He is the greatest heavyweight of this era.
This is a fight that I’ve been waiting for, but at the same time, I don’t want to happen. Why? You have two of the best boxers in the world who are the two best heavyweight boxers. Joshua lost his claim with his loss to Ruiz and his rematch actually removed him further from that conversation. How? His mystique of greatness had been entirely taken away from him. His confidence was shook to the core and the whole world saw it. While he outboxed Ruiz, Joshua lost confidence in his ability as a fighter, which is why he changed his style so dramatically.
That is not the case with these two.
They both still have that shroud of greatness over them and when someone falls tomorrow, they’ll lose that aura. Sure, it will leave us with one undisputed champion of the world, but one of the greatest boxing personalities of the past decade will surely begin to fade away. Now, obviously, that all depends on the finish. While anything can happen in a boxing match, especially a heavyweight boxing match, I’d say that this fight ends one of two ways, 9 out of 10 times.
Wilder by KO.
or
Fury by decision.
Deontay is my favorite boxer in the world. Currently, with GSP’s inactivity, he is my favorite fighter in the world. He is exactly that… a fighter. I’ll quickly admit that Fury is a better boxer, but Deontay’s knockout power is on an entirely different level. I’m shocked that Fury rose in the 12th in their last fight. It almost seemed like some form of divine intervention, but lightning doesn’t strike twice. If Deontay floors him again, he won’t get up, especially with an extra 20 lbs of pure muscle packed on his frame. If, however, Fury has an absolutely flawless fight and avoids any knockout punches, he will absolutely beat him by decision, probably somewhere around 9 rounds to 3, or so.
Again, anything can happen, but they’d probably need to fight 20 times before Fury knocks out Deontay. They’d probably need to fight 40 times before Deontay beats Fury by decision, especially with Fury looking in such great shape. Deontay could knock him out at any point, but I think somewhere around the 9th or 10th round is most likely. Fury’s conditioning looks good, but a certain level of fatigue is inevitable and just like in the Ortiz rematch, it only takes a second. Deontay will wait a whole fight for one second.
Either way, I’ll recognize the winner of this fight as the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world. Joshua would be looking up to them, not the other way around. That does, to some degree, depend on the nature of the finish but as I mentioned, I don’t see many outcomes other than those two. Sure, you can argue that despite standing Fury shouldn’t have been allowed to continue in the last fight but Jack Reese probably made the right call there, especially with Fury outboxing him the whole match. I was alright with the draw decision, but it certainly shouldn’t happen again.
I hope Deontay wins, but it really is 50/50 going into the fight, in terms of who will win. That is heavyweight boxing. I think Fury would have an easier time continuing his career with a loss than Deontay would because his legacy is stronger. Deontay needs this win by KO and then a win by KO over Joshua to really push himself into that upper echelon of heavyweight boxing names. His knockout percentage might be the best of all time, but he really needs more wins over bigger names.
It’d be nice if the rest of the card was a bit more exciting, but I’d gladly pay for the PPV just for this main event.
BOMBZQUAD!
(Photo credit: AP)
There are more fitness facilities in LA than anyone would ever want to count. When I managed a very large fitness facility in West Los Angeles, we had dozens of significant competitors in walking distance. It was brutal and trying to offer the same classes that these specialized locations hosted was a massive challenge. With such an impressive selection, there isn’t ever going to be a consensus best “gym in LA” or anything along those lines, but there are certainly places that are undisputed gems.
We’ve talked about, on the blog or in person, some of the best deals in LA. Whether that means off-the-wall places like Tempest, amazing communities such as Barbell Brigade, cost-free natural selections including the Santa Monica Rings/Runyon Canyon or the unmatched intensity you’ll find at Gold’s Venice, LA has something for everyone. As Hungry & Fit, we do, however, need to give an edge to the facility that we personally use. Obviously, that says a lot about a place.
Since we do fairly well and are fiscally responsible, we don’t limit ourselves to budget options/chains including 24 Hour Fitness, LA Fitness, Planet Fitness and the YMCA (though we do love the Y!). We prefer to pay more and avoid dealing with people who aren’t serious about their training; we don’t want to fight people who are on their phone while sitting on equipment. Also, we like to avoid budget options since they often have higher traffic; we don’t want to wait for equipment, in order to keep our workout intensity higher.
Jose James Hyland is an amateur boxer with a college degree, multiple certifications and years of experience as a personal trainer. He has worked with dozens of paraplegic and quadriplegic through the AXIS Project, helping them find their own form of fitness through boxing, with him as their coach. For those of you that aren’t working with a coach, but have practiced enough to no longer be considered a beginner, here are some more advanced tips to improve your technique. Essentially, if you’re just starting and don’t have the knack for boxing yet, you shouldn’t burden yourself with these more advanced ideas.
(Also, please remember that an amateur boxer has more experience than an expert. By that, I mean, an expert in the gym with no fight experience, hasn’t competed at the level of an amateur boxer. It takes a lot of time and effort to become an amateur. Unless you’ve been registered, fought in the ring with a referee, and even seen your face on an official poster for the card of a legitimate organization, you are not an amateur boxer.)
You can check out more tips from Jose at Flexing Fitness but until then, enjoy!
I attended the Women’s March in Los Angeles on Saturday and boy, was it inspiring. There was an incredible feeling of solidarity, empowerment, and action! There were around 750,000 people at the march (more like a rally)–and that was just in Los Angeles! We took over Downtown LA. There were infants to grandparents, men and women, all races, multiple religions, all marching to be heard. I marched to show that no matter who is in control of the country, we will not be silent and we will fight for equality and respect. This march wasn’t just for women–it was for all whose voices have been ignored.
With the growing popularity of MMA and its personalities like Ronda Rousey, there have been more and more comparisons between it and other martial arts. Wrestling has been compared to boxing and someone always has to come out on top. Like in a contest, there has to be a winner in the eyes of the public. When Holly Holm defeated Ronda, it wasn’t really Holly vs Ronda in the eyes of many. They saw it as boxing vs MMA, but that couldn’t be any further from the truth. In fact, it was Holly vs Ronda.
If you wanted to really break it down, it would be judo vs boxing, but Holly would be the first person to tell you that she’s a mixed martial artist now. While Ronda competed in the Olympics in judo, she also knows that one discipline is not enough to be champion nowadays so she also is a mixed martial artist. While the two have a strong background in one discipline, using that last fight as support in an argument between which is superior just isn’t enough.
We’ve all been there. When you enter the weight room and feel like a puny little thing in the corner, scared to enter this different realm. But there is a way to get from point A to point B, I promise. I was once there, nervous to enter that scary place filled with a bunch of grunting males. But I got out of that phase (obviously) and now I feel completely natural in the weight room. I don’t even notice a difference between cardio and weight rooms for me because that “status” it once held is completely gone. I feel calm and comfortable in there. Follow these steps and you can too.
1. Bring a weight room friend. If you really want to broach into this awesome place where epic gains can exist, then it’s good to start with someone who’s already been. Someone who has already been down this path you are now taking and has that comfort that you want when stepping into the weight room. A friend always helps. That way you guys can get into your routine together and talk to one another without noticing the other people who tend to stare.
2. Pump up your jams. Part of this is distracting you from your anxiety of where you are. Make yourself a playlist that you can rock out to, turn it up really loud, and get to your exercise. Make sure you’re really in the music and before you know it, you’ve already spent half an hour in a place you formerly feared.
3. Have a plan. Have your ideal workout already written down and take it with you (either in a workout journal or your phone) into the weight room. This way there are no awkward pauses in your workout and you can stay steadily focused on what you want to accomplish. Then you won’t even notice everyone around you.
4. Let it all out. A big part of why people are uncomfortable to enter weight rooms is the noise. There’s a lot of plate clanging, grunts, and shouts. Put your all into your workout and you may find a grunt or two escaping your mouth too! Don’t be shy, if you need to grunt to get that weight up, do it! And you will fit in even more so, too. Act like a natural 😉
5. Ignore them. People are going to stare at you. That’s what happens in weight rooms when people rest between sets. That doesn’t mean they’re judging you, people just like to see what others are doing. Some even look at others to learn from them. Don’t let this add to your anxiety. People staring is normal.
6. Put on your serious face. This is a big one for me since I’m a trainer at a gym. If I don’t go into serious mode, I will be stopped left and right. However, for you, it’s important to do this so everyone stays out of your way. They can tell that you’re here to do business, not fool around. A big plus in the weight room.
7. Just do it. Decide one day that you are going to try it. Even if it’s just for a set of curls. Go in there with the heavy-weights (or not so much as it later turns out) and lift! Put in perspective: if you start going now, those nerves will wear down within weeks at the most!
There are some tips from us to you so that you can enter that weight room and get strong. So you don’t have to have any anxiety or nerves about stepping into that zone and beginning another fitness journey. That’s what it’s all about. Battle weight room intimidation to stay hungry and fit!
BONUS KITTY PIC
Sajah and Nymeria scoping out our snake, Dovah
