When I first tell people that I used to be a boxer, or own a boxing gym, some of the responses I usually get are rather repulsive if you ask me. Normally I have a pretty thick skin when it comes to things like this, but when I hear some of these resplies, I can't help to think what people say about boxers when they're not around. Some typical responses I get are, "You must like getting punched!" (They say that with a smirk on their face as they're punching me on my arm). Or even better yet, "If I punched you in the face would it hurt?" The answers to both of these questions are obvious, "Who likes getting punched?!" and, "Would it hurt if I punched you in the face?!" Granted I take their responses very lightly and with some humor, I then take the time to explain what boxing is all about. Being that I have decided to make living out of running a boxing gym, I resume to tell them that boxing at its most basic form is about not getting hit. I tell them that the sweet science of boxing is to hit and not get hit, and when you think about boxing in this basic concept, if you hit your opponent more times than they hit you, it is most likely that you will end up being the winner (excluding corruption and maybe some other factors). After this explanation, I then think boxing begins to make a little more sense to the untrained eye. I can see the wheels turning inside of their head. And then when I least expect it, all of a sudden, I see an "Aha!" moment in the face of their eyes! They then say, "Well if you did get punched, it doesn't hurt as much as it would non-boxers because you're used to it right?" At this point I just laugh, smile and tell them not to quit their day job.
