Second Inter Club Fight

I finally fought in my second inter club, this time in my own gym.

I got weighted in at 55.2kg around 12 o'clock and then I had to wait for 8 hours to fight. There were tons of kids and youth fight, it was endless. I did not know when my fight was until late afternoon, and end up fighting at the next to last match. I got seriously bored waiting, but at least I was relaxed throughout the day.

I didn't know whom I was going to fight until the very last minute. I was worried but not anxious that my opponent would be bigger, taller or anyway better prepared or skilled than me, but it was a fair match.
He was probably younger than me, and it was his first inter club. We were equally skilled, and I think he had my same weaknesses. I even realised that, but did not take advantage of it. I should have been more mobile and just a bit more aggressive.

Few of the guys from my gym assisted me in the warm up, and although they had been preparing me well, I didn't do them justice. I was too stiff on my feet, didn't kick enough, didn't angle off and didn't do any combo. I feel bad for not do what we practiced.

On the bright side, I felt better on the right. I felt more confident. I had more stamina, and I didn't feel like I was gonna die because I couldn't breath. I had loosen the bodyguard a bit, brought my asthma inhaler and I think the hard training paid off well. However, I felt the tiredness, even though I could push more I didn't.

Overall I felt better, but I haven't done [much] better from last time, in spite of the fact that I really could have.

Two Weeks to My Second Fight

I'm now less than two weeks away from my next inter-club fight. Is, as the first one, a soft-core non-decision encounter. I have no idea who I will be matched with until that very day.

In the mean time I kept going 3 times a week to the gym and focus mostly on my stamina, as in the first inter-club I was shatter at the end of the second round. I couldn't breath and I felt horribly to the point I was about to give up. Hopefully this time won't happen.

I had given the most I could in term of endurance and power at every training session. I had done the skipping at a fast pace and done all the sprinting. I also used the mouthguard while skipping to get used on breathing with that on. It seems like my stamina went up a bit, but I know that on the ring is a completely different story. During pad work I used all the strength I could so that I would make the most of it. I bought an inhaler for my asthma just in case I have that bad feeling again during the fight.

The other thing I looked upon was my weight. For some reason I thought that my weight was about 55-56kg, but at the inter-club I was weighting 57kg. I was shocked. I cannot risk to fight in a higher category as I am only 165cm taller, therefore if I get matched with heavier contender I will likely end up fighting someone taller, meaning I will have a reach disadvantage.
So, I started to eat lean food, I avoided red meat, had a lot of fish and nuts, and yogurt. I haven't been eating any junk food, and I swear I have a craving for it. I hope I can keep my weight down, but so far the changes were so minimals that I cannot tell whether I am loosing weight or not. Yet again is just been about a week. I aim to get at 55kg again.

There were other things I had to focus during my training, such as clinch. Unfortunately I could not go to the clinch class, and I didn't practiced as much as I should have, but hopefully confidence and stamina will make up for it.

Fairtex BGV1 vs Hayabusa Ikusa [14oz]

Before you read the comparison, do understand that my knowledge of boxing gloves is quite small. I only had 6 months of training in Muay Thai and I have been using this gloves for a really short period as they both are new.
Moreover, I am 165cm tall and weight 56kg, my hand are quite small, so you can understand my impression on the gloves.

I have been researching for a while on the internet for what gloves to get, and although I have a thing for Hayabusa I could not get my hands on their gloves as they were not in the catalog in the european store until now.
I received the Ikusa today, and had the BGV1 for a week now.

My main concern was that I have been training with a pair of cheap Londsdale 8oz for 6 months and when I went competing the interclub, my hands felt heavy. I did not know that my gloves were 8oz until after I competed.
I happened to have some problems with my wrist while doing hooks and uppercuts on the Lonsdale.

I read that the Fairtex is a beloved brand, although a bit pricey but the quality was outstanding, I decided to buy them over Twins or Top King and other Thai brands.

Fairtex BGV1

The leather on the BGV1 looks really good and well pull on the glove.
The compartment is snug, however I feel a little gap on the wrist.
The strap is of a really good quality, but I can't make it to wrap the wrist as tight as I would like it to be.
The glove seems quite compact overall and feel sturdy but I could not tell until I got the Ikusa.
The palm is hard to open, in fact I can't.

What I don't like is how the leather fold on the palm inside. Is not smooth, it wrinkles in a way that bumps on the fingers, and so does the seam on the tip of the fingers. On the other side, it doesn't really bother me while training and it does not affect my performance.

Hayabusa Ikusa

Ikusa gloves uses engineered leather, but is not pulled well as the BGV1, leaving wrinkles on the sides and the tip of the glove.
It has really nice graphics.
The compartment is bigger than the BGV1.
The Ikusa has a dual strap system which should give better protection on the wrist. Also the glove look slightly longer and should get more surface of the wrist, and the opening of the glove goes up to the palm so that you can pull one side to the other more easily.
The glove itself seems slightly wider than the BGV1 but lighter too.
The palm can be open with some effort which makes it good for clinching.

I don't have the problem inside the compartment that I have with the BGV1, in fact I have a smooth grip inside.

Hayabusa Ikusa

The Hayabusa european website has finally updated its inventory with the Ikusa series - but not Tokushu.

I decided to jump on right away and get a pair of Ikusa 14oz gloves. The theme is really nice with the Hayabusa logo with matte and glossy black rays on the glove and a red thumb.
The glove has a soft feel and the palm can be open with a bit of effort.
The compartment inside has some space, but too much for my liking.
I wanted these gloves mostly because of the dual strap because I want my gloves to give me a lot of wrist support, but I yet have to try them during training.

What I don't really like of these gloves is how the leather has been pulled to fit the glove. It has a lot of wrinkles and does not look good. Too bad.

GoFundMe

I decided to create a page on GoFundMe.com to raise some money for one-on-one sessions.

Crowdfunding

My initial goal is £350 for 10 one-on-one sessions to prepare for the inter club competition, but I really need about £100 to get me started as I might get featured in the GoFundMe search.
I will make few videos of training, sparring and the actual competition with the help of some friends.
Thank you for the support!

Fairtex BGV1

They arrived!

So, as I mentioned earlier I had to get a decent pair of gloves that were 14oz. I read a lot of different reviews of different gloves, but apparently there isn't a brand that fits everyone.

Most famous brands are great, especially brands from Thailand. When coming of choosing a pair of gloves there are a lot of things that you have to check, especially what type of gloves you want.
Some want wider and some more compact gloves, soft or hard padding. You focus more on wrist or knuckles support. More or less space in the glove, and loops or straps.

Well, for me I wanted a compact gloves, that I could do also clinch with and I really care of wrist support. However, I didn't check whether all of this fits the BGV1.

I can tell you right away that the glove seems quite broad on the writs and the strap although seems very sturdy, cannot really tighten on the wrist. I am not really happy about it, but I guess I should try them first.

Inside there seems to be enough space, but I have small hands, and with the wraps on the glove get snuggy.

The padding, seems solid and quality looks good at a first impression.

I'm coming from a pair of Londsdale that are very soft and were only 8oz. I don't have experience on other brands, but I will learn some more throughout the years.

Equipment

Here is my equipment so far.
My KO uniform, Hayabusa compressor shorts and cup, and shinguards, Londsdale gloves.

At the inter club we were using 14oz and I really felt the difference in weight during the fight. The problem was that I never invested in a pair of gloves, and instead used some that I bought over a year ago for cheap. So I wanted to find out why the inter club gloves felt so heavy. The reason? My gloves were 8oz! What!?

That was stupid of me, I know. Anyway I just ordered a pair of Fairtex BGV1 red 14oz.

However I really like Hayabusa, and wanted to buy a pair of Tokushu.

Unfortunately these are not in stock everywhere, and in the European store they are not even in catalog.