Serugo better off without sparring partner
UGANDA’S lone boxer at the Beijing Olympics was last week reported to be in a crisis of sorts. Coach Jimenez Gonzalez was battling to get to grips with the fact that light flyweight Ronald Serugo didn’t have a sparring partner.
By James Bakama
UGANDA’S lone boxer at the Beijing Olympics was last week reported to be in a crisis of sorts. Coach Jimenez Gonzalez was battling to get to grips with the fact that light flyweight Ronald Serugo didn’t have a sparring partner.
Gonzalez was therefore desperately praying this jig-saw would be solved by the goodwill of fellow Cubans. Serugo was meanwhile boxing his shadow.
If it is indeed true that sparring is at this stage still a priority in Serugo’s training, then he is doomed.
To be exact, don’t be surprised if he is walked over in his opening fight or if he prematurely loses by a cut.
At this point, no boxer on the Beijing draw should be sparring. Sparring should have actually ended a fortnight to the Games.
I know most of you want to know why. It’s all about a sports science principle called recovery.
After months of intensive training, Serugo should not be heaped with more hard sessions in the name of preparation. Sparring happens to be one of the most demanding aspects of training in the sweet science.
Recovery time
What Serugo needs is recovery. His months of intense build-up to Beijing definitely fatigued his body.
This leads to the breakdown of internal organs called filaments.
These filaments –– if not given enough time to be re-manufactured –– accumulate fatigue.
That’s why an athlete at this point needs not only light training and proper feeding but also ample rest.
Considering that Serugo had also just flown thousands of kilometres into a foreign land, emphasis should have also been laid on orientation. The boxer had to re-collect himself.
In the gym, the brief light sessions should be concentrating on speed, skill and keeping Serugo focused.
Legend Muhammad Ali used to devote most of this recovery time to poetry and a good body massage.
“I ain’t gonna die in the gym,†he was once famously quoted as saying.
Rest more crucial than sparring
Years ago, I remember coach Johnson Kasaja always emphasizing to his [Michael] Ezra Track Team athletes that rest was as crucial as hard training.
“What’s important is knowing when to do what and in what quantities,†he stressed.
His runners paid heed and thus the emergence of Moses Kipsiro –– the man Uganda is today relying on for a medal in any major championship.
The contrary has always been the case for Ugandan boxers. You will find a pugilist on a 10km road work even on competition day!
Images of tired Ugandan fighters being mowed down by average opposition at the Algiers All Africa Games are still vivid in my mind.
There is even a nastier side of late sparring. Chances of injuries especially facial ones are high in this contact sport.
With the draw already made, a sparring partner can also be easily manipulated by a potential Serugo opponent to intentionally cause hurt.
So, if Gonzalez still has these sparring intentions, he had better think twice. It is counter productive to load a fighter at this stage.
UGANDA’S lone boxer at the Beijing Olympics was last week reported to be in a crisis of sorts. Coach Jimenez Gonzalez was battling to get to grips with the fact that light flyweight Ronald Serugo didn’t have a sparring partner.
Gonzalez was therefore desperately praying this jig-saw would be solved by the goodwill of fellow Cubans. Serugo was meanwhile boxing his shadow.
If it is indeed true that sparring is at this stage still a priority in Serugo’s training, then he is doomed.
To be exact, don’t be surprised if he is walked over in his opening fight or if he prematurely loses by a cut.
At this point, no boxer on the Beijing draw should be sparring. Sparring should have actually ended a fortnight to the Games.
I know most of you want to know why. It’s all about a sports science principle called recovery.
After months of intensive training, Serugo should not be heaped with more hard sessions in the name of preparation. Sparring happens to be one of the most demanding aspects of training in the sweet science.
Recovery time
What Serugo needs is recovery. His months of intense build-up to Beijing definitely fatigued his body.
This leads to the breakdown of internal organs called filaments.
These filaments –– if not given enough time to be re-manufactured –– accumulate fatigue.
That’s why an athlete at this point needs not only light training and proper feeding but also ample rest.
Considering that Serugo had also just flown thousands of kilometres into a foreign land, emphasis should have also been laid on orientation. The boxer had to re-collect himself.
In the gym, the brief light sessions should be concentrating on speed, skill and keeping Serugo focused.
Legend Muhammad Ali used to devote most of this recovery time to poetry and a good body massage.
“I ain’t gonna die in the gym,†he was once famously quoted as saying.
Rest more crucial than sparring
Years ago, I remember coach Johnson Kasaja always emphasizing to his [Michael] Ezra Track Team athletes that rest was as crucial as hard training.
“What’s important is knowing when to do what and in what quantities,†he stressed.
His runners paid heed and thus the emergence of Moses Kipsiro –– the man Uganda is today relying on for a medal in any major championship.
The contrary has always been the case for Ugandan boxers. You will find a pugilist on a 10km road work even on competition day!
Images of tired Ugandan fighters being mowed down by average opposition at the Algiers All Africa Games are still vivid in my mind.
There is even a nastier side of late sparring. Chances of injuries especially facial ones are high in this contact sport.
With the draw already made, a sparring partner can also be easily manipulated by a potential Serugo opponent to intentionally cause hurt.
So, if Gonzalez still has these sparring intentions, he had better think twice. It is counter productive to load a fighter at this stage.