[Diego Lara]

Tue 6/2: Watched Gomez vs Pintor to warm up for the nationalist grudge match that'll be Cotto/ Margarito. These lightweights were crazy lil mofos, with vicious battle through each round. Wilfredo Gomez ended up TKO'ing Pintor in the 14th round, and he definitely looked the stronger fighter in there. God I hope Cotto/Margarito is this brutal.
1.6m run.

Gym Time:
1 round ringjacks.
2 rounds shadowboxing.
3 rounds heavybag.
4 rounds bodysnatcher. Workin on perfecting the jab-left upper-left hook-right combo. This is gonna make me deadly.
2 rounds speedbag.
2 rounds skip rope.

Conditioning:
2x10 ab machine pyramid.
2x10 leg lifts.
2x10 balance ball v-ups.
Good ab workout. My weights coming down steadily, I'm at 143 now and I don't think I should walk around much lighter, considering that I could easily lose 10 lbs in a serious training camp. I'm gonna own the lightweight division by the time I'm 25.

[Diego Lara]

Wed 6/2: Yesterday was the first not the second. I'm not punch drunk I swear. This morning we watched the great Julio Cesar Chavez vs Hector Macho Camacho (say that 3 times fast) for a classic Mexican slugfest. This was one of the greats, with Camacho unloading a barrage of nut punches and JCC leading with his face and barrelling through Camacho's punches through the whole fight. Liu said my head is almost as big as JCCs. I don't mind being compared to JCC in any way, even that.
1.6 m run.

Gym Time:
1 round ringjacks.
2 rounds shadowboxing.
Sparring day!!! Mike showed up bright n early for our work. We did mixed sparring, first Liu and Jr and then Me and Jr and then finished w. me and Liu. I did two rounds with Jr. I was gonna go 2 with Liu, but after the first round I could barely talk cuz I was dry heaving, and Liu was in the same boat. The 110 degree heat in a ****l box of a gym with minimal AC and a few dozen sweating boxers makes for a hot, humid, heavy environment, probably what fighting in Thailand or the Caribbean must be like. It sucked, I wasn't used to it, and Mike said we gotta be careful with the sparring in the heat, so we stopped after that.
Things I Did Well:
-Catching and countering. Much easier to do on Jr than with Liu, who has twice the handspeed.
-Uppercuts and hooks. I was even pumping out double uppers. I got really good at catching Jr with a hook when he got off the ropes and away from me.
-Workrate and speed were good, even though I didn't feel 100% today.

Things I Did Not So Well:
-Guard my body, esp. left side. Liu found an opening on that side and got me twice in the ribs. I didn't feel it at the time, but I do know. Ow.
-I was chasing a bit. Need to cut off the ring better.
-Head movement. Liu checked me on that more than once.

It was fun till I thought I was gonna puke. Maybe the body shot had something to do with it too.

2 rounds speedbag.
2 rounds skip rope.

Conditioning:
2x10 pushup circuit.
2x10 dips.
Too tired to do shit else. But on a great note, as I was gettin ready to spar, Bill, the veteran who I sparred about 2 weeks ago, came up to Mike and asked to spar me next week for his upcoming fight. Mike's response was: "How much you paying?" Bill thought he was joking, but Mike didn't change his tune, he was like "20 bucks a round", and Bill ended up agreeing to 50 for the days sparring. I dunno if Mike's really gonna make him pay, but I'm glad that he liked my style enough to pick me to prep him for his fight. It says I must be doing something right. So ya, I'm a paid sparring partner now bitches!! Next stop is my pro debut, cuz I'll be damned if sparring partner is as far as I go in this sport. Firefox out.

[Diego Lara]

Thu 6/3: Watched JCC vs Edwin "El Chapo" Rosario. He put up a hell of a fight against a yonug and dangerous JCC, and didn't wilt although he did take a beating. This was another one of those fabled Mexico vs Puerto Rico bouts, and a textbook example of the ferocity these cultures can bring out of each other in the ring.
1.8 m run.

Gym Time:
Stretch.
1 round ring jacks.
2 rounds shadowboxing.
4 rounds sparring with Liu. It was just as hot and sticky today, and the going got rough as the rounds wore on and I started to get nauseous. I was working on my footwork and using more angles and punches. I was working on punching smart, not just volume. It got hard, the heat and humidity slowed me down a bit, but we still got some good rounds in.
Things I Did Well:
-Uppercuts and hooks. I used a lot more of them today, and worked them into a few combos.
-Movement, I stayed on my toes the whole time and used my feet to get away from punches and pivot.
-Catching. I had to rely on this through the last two rounds as I worked on not losing my stamina. It helped keep me in the rounds and working on timing and finding openings.

THings I Did Not So Well:
-Move my head. I was gettin hit to the head too much today.
-Defending the body. Liu's been attacking more to the body, and that means that I have to think more about where my hands and arms are in relation to my body. If not, he checks me on it with a nice lil upper to the ribs.
-Not throw up.

After the 4th round, I had to stop and heave a little. But hey, it's not a good workout till you puke. Gotta work like this so I can be used to the heat for next weeks sparring.
2 rounds speed bag.
2 rounds skip rope.

Conditioning:
3x10 ab machine.
3x10 twistups.
3x10 leg lifts.

So ya it was fun to puke in the ring. Did the sparring today since the gym's closed for the 4th. I'll definitely make weight at this rate...

[5acrossYOeye]

Originally Posted by Diego Lara

Too tired to do shit else. But on a great note, as I was gettin ready to spar, Bill, the veteran who I sparred about 2 weeks ago, came up to Mike and asked to spar me next week for his upcoming fight. Mike's response was: "How much you paying?" Bill thought he was joking, but Mike didn't change his tune, he was like "20 bucks a round", and Bill ended up agreeing to 50 for the days sparring. I dunno if Mike's really gonna make him pay, but I'm glad that he liked my style enough to pick me to prep him for his fight. It says I must be doing something right. So ya, I'm a paid sparring partner now bitches!! Next stop is my pro debut, cuz I'll be damned if sparring partner is as far as I go in this sport. Firefox out.

congrats Diego.

[mschatz]

Nice! Congrats dude.

[Diego Lara]

Tanks guys. Sorry for the delay, but lemme tell u guys about some adventures I had this week...

[Diego Lara]

Mon 7/7: No videos today, that I leave up to Liu with his savvy for the sport & its history.
1.5 m run.


Gym Time:
So today was my day to spar Bill, the vet with a fight on the 19th. As soon as I got there, he was there with Jesse Reid & Mario, with a Latino looking fighter I'd never seen, so I assume Bill brought him in for this job. Of course, Mike, not used to us training on Mondays, wasn't even planning on coming to the gym, but I called him & reminded him that we had a sparring date today. Honestly, it wasn't that big of a deal, just 3 rounds of good, hard work in which I managed to surprise myself with my strength, skill, and guts. Anyhow, I warmed up with my usual stretching, ringjacks, & shadowboxing. I practiced lightly on the bags & did some more shadowboxing while I waited for Mike to show up. Here's how it went:

Things I Did Well:
-Intelligent pressure. Bill is also a pressure fighter, only he's had many more years to hone his skill. So I had to quickly learn when it was wise to engage, and when I was better off playing defense and looking to sneak my way inside to unload. I found myself a little more defensive at times than I would have liked to have been, so it'll take some more work before I trust my instincts & skill enough to be more daring. I've got great strength and stamina, but my footwork and defense are often lacking, and blending these elements together is the key to overcoming my trepidation about coming in with other brawlers.
-Catching & countering, a fine example of a great way to mix defense & offense.
-Combos. I threw simple 3 & 4 punch combos, but they were effective. Near the end of the third, I caught one of his power jabs, then countered with a jab-left hook- straight right that sent him reeling towards the ropes. He recovered instantly, but I knew I had rocked him, and it was moves like this that frustrated him visibly during the second and third, when I started to find my rhythm.
-Footwork was a lot better. I used it to get out of the way of several potentially devastating rights, and left hooks.

Things I Did Not So Well:
-Head movement. I got caught in the nose & temple more than I would've liked to on account of not moving my head, & that continues to be one of my biggest problems in the ring.
-Slipping. Not too much of that going on. I'm having trouble "breaking the waist" as they say. Maybe a salsa class would help.
-Countering with more than a jab. I did counter with a few combos (see my comments on round 3 above), but there needs to be more of this, it should be a regular thing, not a fluke.
-Standing my ground against other pressure fighters. Like I said earlier, I played defensive a bit more than I would have liked to, & this I mostly attribute to the fact that I'm not as used to fighting a guy with my style, who comes forward with as much, if not more ferocity than I have. This is why I'd like to spar Bill more, but in any case Liu seems to be shaping up to be all the pressure fighter I need to work with.

So ya, that was the short but sweet session. Bill did another 3 rounds with the other guy, but afterwards he was talking all about me to Jesse Reid Jr., telling him how I got him good to the face and that I was real strong. It was a hell of a compliment, and afterwards I felt like there were a lot more eyes on me now. Even Rafael Garcia couldn't help but yelll "Olivares!!!" after the rounds were over.

2 rounds double end.
2 round speed bag.
2 rounds skip rope.

Conditioning:
2x10 pushup circuit.
2x10 dips.
3x5 pullups.
That did it for Monday. I have to say I was really happy about my performance, and I know I got Bill's respect, and got Mike real excited about the prospect of me fighting soon. He kept commenting in between the rounds that I had Bill frustrated. If I can do that to a grizzled old vet, imagine what I'll do to the young scrappy mofos at 135. Firefox out.

[Liu Jin]

Also seems like you beat Bill clear out the Gym. lol He has yet to return that I know of.

Oh and nothing of your new-found love for handball?

[Diego Lara]

Oh that's right, the official sport of ethnic. We started playing this lovely version of tennis with hands for rackets and a wall for opposition las Sat., and from the backs of churches to the local Vons at 1 in the morning, I've been goin crazy over this game. It's great for hand eye coordination and footwork as well..... Try this one yo.

[Diego Lara]

Tue 7/8: Watched a couple highlights of Mexican fighters, the best of the brawlers and the unexpected boxer punchers. Gotta add my name to the list soon.
2m run.

Gym Time:
1 round ringjacks.
2 rounds shadowboxing.
2 1/2 rounds heavybag.
3 rounds bodysnatcher.
2 rounds speedbag.
2 rounds skip rope.

Conditioning:
3 sets ab machine circuit.
3x10 leg lifts.
3x10 balance ball v-ups. These suck.
Twas all for today, folks. Man, I didn't realize how hard I sparred Bill the day before, but today I felt like an old man. Great work, hope I get to see more of him soon.