Boxing psychology - winning before the first bell by David Statham Mar 19th 2008

80% of boxing is in the mind and to win a contest the mind has to be as well conditioned as the body. David Haye won the ‘Battle of Britain' against Enzo Maccarinelli on March 8th before he had even entered the O2 Arena. It seemed the Maccarinelli camp had banked on Haye's well publicised weight problems affecting the outcome of the fight. But when an extremely confident David Haye tipped the scales comfortably, sporting a finely chiselled physique, the fight was as good as over. Haye had gained a psychological edge over his opponent.   For centuries, great champions have used ‘pre-fight tactics' to win contests before even throwing a punch.  BBN correspondent David Statham examines how. ‘‘I can quit today and be known as the best fighter that ever lived. I respect what Robinson and Ali did for the sport but I am the greatest and this is my time,'' said flashy American Floyd Mayweather Jnr before his much-hyped welterweight contest against Ricky Hatton. By talking themselves up fighters create an aura of their own invincibility. They create an image of the ‘perfect' fighter making their opponent believe they have to be ‘perfect' to beat them. ‘‘Trying to be perfect creates additional stress and anxiety that can ruin natural timing and rhythm. It's why many champions win their battles before they even enter the arena. Their legend has won it for them,'' says ‘Confidence Coach' Martin C Perry, on his website. And Mayweather's tactics proved effective when Hatton boxed unorthodoxly and got knocked out in the tenth round. When using such ‘mind games', there are two concepts that must be considered, and mastered to be successful; Timing and Preparation. ‘Never seem to be in a hurry - hurrying betrays a lack of control over yourself and over time. Always seem patient, as if you know that everything will come to you eventually' says Robert Greene in his internationally best selling book, The 48 Laws of Power. Muhammad Ali was one of the greatest fighters that ever lived and he was the master of the aforementioned concepts. Ali would stroll confidently around the gym, and talk constantly to the media and anyone else who would listen. He was relaxed and this approach created an aura of power and confidence. It was as if he knew that everything would go to plan. And it usually did. The flamboyant heavyweight used his mind to perfection and he crushed many of his opponents before they even stepped between the ropes to face him. His preparation was always fault less and his publicly bad mouthing of opponents was perfectly timed. He made the challenger get so frustrated with the constant insults, they ‘exploded' in the ring, losing composure and forgetting their fight plan.  Sugar Ray Leonard used his mind in the same way. His arrogance was a put-off to many fight fans but his ability couldn't be denied. ‘‘Perhaps without the ego, the genius could never had flourished,'' The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Boxing says about Leonard. Any Boxer wishing to gain a psychological edge must be supremely confident and out going. No-one is afraid of the timid. ‘‘A bold move makes you seem larger and more powerful than you are. If it comes suddenly, with the stealth and swiftness of a snake, it inspires that much more fear,'' says Robert Greene. Prince Naseem Hamed, the arrogant and often disliked star would enter the ring with a flip over the top rope, prowl confidently around the ring and smile at his opponent. This was all before the first bell but the swiftness and confidence of his approach made the challenger fearful. 80% of boxing is in the mind and any additional stress on an athlete can cause a negative affect on their performance. Of course fighters can't win a contest without the talent and ability but if they use their mind to their best advantage, half of the fight is won already.

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I agree Mar 19th 2008, 11:25:59 by blues2 I totally agree with this article. Boxing is 80% in the mind. As i had 32 amateur fights and 9 proffesional fights without ever getting stopped or hurt. I sparred 120 rounds with alex arthur, 30 rounds with scott harrison, 30 rounds with kevin mitchell and kevin leah and gave them all a great spar never getting put down or hurt by any of them. But on my tenth profesional fight I got stopped for the very first time and hurt. As a profesional up to that point I had 9 fights with 7 wins 5 ko,s over some good fighters and 2 losses on points. From the day i got stopped for the first time i never won a proffesional fight again and got stopped another 3 times and ended up with a pro record of 7 wins 7 losses and one draw. After a good start in the game my mind and confidence was never the same again after being stopped for the first time.