I GOT MANNY BY 7TH ROUND TKO. You???  Read More →

Now that Victor Ortiz scored a sensational win against previously undefeated Andre Berto, he becomes a welterweight champion. He does have an awesome story growing up in a very dysfunctional setting. It just goes to show that boxing can take you to a better path in life. He worked hard, got criticized for his poor performance against Marcos Maidana and look at him now… Focus won it for him… a sign of better things to come!  Read More →

Marcos Maidana beat Erik Morales on a majority decision on what could be a fight of the year. The star of the night was Morales though, who showed dignity, heart and courage. He proved that there is a Rocky Balboa in him!   GREAT FIGHT AND THIS IS WHY I LOVE BOXING!  Read More →

Gary Mack states: “In psychology, there is something we call the self- consistent theory. It means we act consistent to our self- concept— our self- image.” Whatever we think of ourselves affect what we do everyday. We all need to think positive all the time but there is no denying that we have self- defeating thoughts and behaviors that affect our performance. Mack listed “10 Gremlins” that undermine performance. He suggested that if one sounds familiar, read on carefully. As usual, I have related all these to fit the boxing workout mentality. Here they are: 1. FEAR— Gary Mack says it right and I agree” Fear is a psychological threat to self- esteem and ego. It can paralyze you.” I heard that a lot of people get intimidated by the intensity of my workouts. This fear of the unknown prevents them from trying even though it has worked for a lot of people already. I believe that experience is the best teacher. I am a fan of fancy plyometric push-... [Read More]

Thesaurus defines stress as a state of mental or emotional strain or suspense. We all experience it in different ways. We have different ways to combat it. Some people simply listen to soft or hard music, some play golf, some play musical instruments, some drink coffee or beer, some do yoga etc. However, very few people do boxing. Yes, one cannot experience the fantastic stress- relieving benefits of the sport until they try it! Clients come to me for different reasons. Most of them have different fitness- related goals, and some just want to learn some new technique. As the sessions go by, that’s the time they experience Boxing’s stress- relieving benefits. Most of my morning clients are “The” moms. The moms do have a full- time job, that of a mother. Motherhood, as I understand is a full time job, with lots of overtime, without benefits, so physical, mental and emotional. Man! When they throw punches, you’ll be surprised to feel the power in their hands.... [Read More]

BURPEES. This exercise deserves the introduction. According to hyperstrike.com, burpees develop power in the legs. It strengthens the entire body and provides a great conditioning workout. Indeed, it is a quick and effective one. In this article, I would like to focus on the 2 adjectives that describe this exercise: QUICK and EFFECTIVE. Sometimes, we find ourselves running late on something. 24 hours is just not enough. We find ourselves missing our full workout. Most of us are used to working out for at least 1 hour. Not having that hour can be a bummer since we don’t feel that we pushed ourselves hard enough. So if you have that limited time, this exercise is the way to go. It is in itself a COMPLETE WORKOUT— very intense, quick and effective. Most of my clients HATE performing this exercise because of its difficulty. But for those who know and truly want to get a workout, you gotta LOVE IT! Burpee drills you can do on your own with the corresponding limited times: 15 minutes... [Read More]

Boxing is a special sport. It does not involve skill alone. This sport needs a lot of conditioning before a participant reaches a certain level. It is a very strategic sport as well. Without the mind over matter aspect, all the hard work in training will just go down the drain. Boxers also need to be “in the moment”. If the passion (the soul) is not there, there is no point of continuing. It is therefore, a combination of mind, body and soul. To experience everything that a boxer goes through, you definitely need a trainer— a certified one to have the best instruction possible. Here are the Top Ten Reasons Why to Hire a Certified Boxing Trainer: 1. Mitt work requires a trainer Ok, let’s say that you figured out that you want to give boxing a shot. Will you just let a random guy teach you stuff? He might be the toughest guy in the planet but that doesn’t mean a thing. Boxing is a game of skill. I assure you, give a pair of mitts to your husband, wife, boyfriend... [Read More]

So Nonito Donaire just climbed up the pound for pound boxing rankings anew with a BIG KNOCKOUT win against Fernando Montiel via a vicious knockout in the 2nd round. And here he is showing Mark Munoz with the assistance of trainer Jonathan Penalosa HOW TO THROW HIS THUNDEROUS LEFT HOOK. Watch how he shifts the body weight to the punch. WOULD LOVE TO KNOW WHAT YOU THINK! sincerely, Lawrence Ragos www.trainlikeaboxer.com  Read More →

This Saturday’s fight between Nonito “The Filipino Flash” Donaire and Fernando “Cochulito” Montiel is one of the most anticipated fights in the smaller weight divisions. Both come in amazing boxing shape all the time and both have won titles in multiple divisions. As you know, if boxing training is superb, the fight is superb! With Montiel you are thinking of a Mexican-style Tyson— always coming in for shots. Donaire on the other hand is crafty with a combination of speed and power. Both guys box smart and both can hit very hard. In the end I’m gonna give it to Donaire. He’s too long and knows how to use his distance well. It will be an EXCITING fight that will make you fall in love with the smaller divisions! TRAINLIKEABOXER VERDICT: DONAIRE 8TH RD TKO! There’s going to be tense moments between the two but in the end, Donaire’s reach, power and craftiness will be too much for the older Montiel to handle. TRAINLIKEABOXER... [Read More]

I have been reading this excellent book, MIND GYM: An Athlete’s Guide to Inner Excellence by the late Gary Mack and I have benefited from it big time. The principles are easy to understand and the application to daily life is priceless. You don’t have to be an athlete to get good value out of it. I have decided to read through it over and over again and discuss with my readers select chapters that I think would benefit everybody’s mental game with emphasis on boxing and training principles. Introducing the 7 C’S of mental toughness: 1. competitive Competition is a great motivation. Your goal here is to surpass yourself. In the context of fight preparation, the fighter is entitled to think about the opponent the whole time. The entourage dissects every move that the opponent does for the actual event. Competition brings out the best in people and toughens somebody’s mind up. 2. confident Confidence is a product of hard work. It has been said that preparation... [Read More]