I had spent three months in the training camp, getting ready for the fight. At the weigh in today I still wasn’t sure if I was ready to fight the champ. He was the man I had looked up to for years, and even if I did beat him, would people say I did because he was old? No I wanted that championship on my terms, not on his.

As he stepped on the scale at the weigh in I saw something in his face that I had never seen before, Age and worry, I had fought him twice before. He won on a decision both times, this time it would be different, I owed it to myself, I had trained so hard. Yes! I am ready.

I weighed two pounds more than him, but his reach was an inch longer than mine. He was three inches taller than me But that made no difference. I knew this mans style. True he was the champ. Bit in my eyes he won’t be for long. We left the weigh in room. And I think it was the longest day of my life I waited for the fight.

My manager answered the phone. We had better make our way to the auditorium he said after hanging up the phone. While my manager drove my trainer sat in the other front seat, the sparring partner sat next to me in the back seat of the sedan. No one said a word, they all knew how apprehensive I was. We reached the auditorium and without saying a word we got out and went straight to the dressing room. I put my boxing shoes on, and my trunks, My trainer put wraps on my outstretched hands. An average person does not know how long the wait seems, before thy call your fight.

In the blue corner we have the United States champion middleweight, Rolando James. And in the red corner, ladies and gentlemen with a record of 22 wins and 2 losses by decision is the challenger Joe blow. I felt foolish dancing around out there shadow boxing, I could hear the cheer’s and the boo’s coming from the crowd , but it didn’t seem to affect my opponent, Both of us sat down on some stools in our designated corners and took instructions from our trainers. If his trainer as like mine, The same thing had been said day after day. Tim after time, We were both standing when the bell rang, e went to the center of the ring to receive instructions from the referee, after he said his piece He told us to go to our corner and come out fighting, may the best man win.

The bell rang, and he came out swinging, he missed me with the first two blows but the third was a round house right. It knocked me to the canvas, and as the referee was counting to ten above me. I couldn’t help but think the best man did win after all