Ron Lipton: Q & A Thread

[Ron Lipton]

I will answer on both his and my thread and I have always admired Jimmy Young's courage and skill, I just did not like his tactics in the Ali bout.

best always,
Ron

[Ron Lipton]

Does anyone know how I can get a variety of great DVD footage I have of me training fighters, TV interviews, training footage, onto You Tube. How is this done, tell the old Neanderthal. I also have some nice stuff with me, Angelo Dundee, Carlos Ortiz, Carter, Randy Gordon and others on film which I would like to get up on a link onto Cyberboxingzone. How should this be done?

thanks,
Ron

[Chris Nagel]

Hi Ron,

I had a question before that I wasn't sure if it was worth asking you. It was how do you develope mental toughness in your fighters?

I've thought that alot of it had to do with starting out the fighter right, and knowing how hard to push them in order for them to bring out their best efforts. Emile Griffith from what I heard was a tough taskmaster as well as a good trainer. Other ex-fighters turned trainers such as Mike McCallum push their fighters to where it really takes toughness and serious commitment to continue to push on through. Sparring with a higher level of competition takes toughness knowing that they have an edge on you and will be take advantage of your weaknesses and openings. As the fighter improves, so will his workload increase as well as their opponents.

I guess ththat a lot of this has to do with a "fighter's mentality", a professional mindset to do what you gotta do, to always keep your composure and constantly improve no matter what.

On a similar vein I found a lot of truth in some of the words by Arnold Schwarzenegger.
"Experiencing this pain in my muscles and aching and going on and on is my challenge. The last three or four reps is what makes the muscles grow. This area of pain divides a champion from someone who is not a champion. That's what most people lack, having the guts to go on and just say they'll go through the pain no matter what happens. I have no fear of fainting. I do squats until I fall over and pass out. So what? It's not going to kill me. I wake up five minutes later and I'm OK. A lot of other athletes are afraid of this. So they don't pass out. They don't go on."

It's not strange that many other great athletes and champs share a similar viewpoint. From Marciano going the extra mile, to Lance Armstrong fighting through the burning pain in his legs, and many others. One interesting philosophy that I picked up from an in-flight magazine was from an interview with world skating champion, Apolo Ohno. Some powerful words that added more fire to his strong willpower was from the words of a greek writer by the name Nikkos Kazantzakis (sp?). Here's pretty much what he said, "We should not be concerned with either winning or losing, rather what is really important is to carry on the struggle. It's a chilling truth that touches my soul and one that I've used when I needed it. Now I don't think about the words, yet the effect is with me when I grit my teeth and do what I set out to do.

Anyways at the risk of turning your tread into something that looks even more like a training montage I'm posting a picture of myself from a few weeks back which will also serve as my new "before" picture.


I'm the guy on the right.

I mentioned before that I have some training ideas that I'd like to share. One idea is by pacing your workout according to heart rate, an idea I took from training for running. This is also goes with a modified circuit training approach geared towards improving your endurance, speed, and of course strength. You'll be among the first to know when it's all put together.

By the way, I wish that I could help you with getting your stuff out on Youtube, but the truth is that it'd be just as much of a learning curve for me as it is for you.


All the best,
Chris

[Ron Lipton]

Chris,


This is one of my favorite posts of all time.

You look like you are in fantastic shape too. Very good dedication and understanding of the necessity of aerobic health and conditioning.

What a great question laced with diamonds of examples.

My sincere deep beliefs in creating a mental path to successful fighting fury, sustained punching power under fire, conquering negative anxiety either induced by a Pandora's box release of demons or feeling physically unprepared at a given moment can be overcome by my methods of triggering deadly focus and fury. Seconds count and believe me I have spent a lifetime of delivering the goods in megaton doses.

Whatever the momentary lack of foucs causing self doubt while dealing with confrontation, aggressive opponents in life or in the ring is based on a lack of mental control and tappiing into your personal power. My mehtods are steeped in a real not feigned mental attitude. It can only in my opinion be attained in several ways.

You have seen many male specimens of confidence walking through life, some bullies, some true warriors. each man has a well of fury and a scratch line drawn within his soul that no one can step over.

Some male creatures are baked in an oven of confusion since childhood, victims of abuse, anger, chemical imbalance or just always having their way as a big strong healthy athlete or powerful male creature.

In combat sports like MMA and boxing, they all are tough, all want to fight and whether it be the Golden Gloves or a street fight, all opponents of a warrior will bring wildness, verve and energy into the frey once they decide to fight.

Long ago I have mastered a thing I call taking them over the line. Whatever your crazy thing is, jailhouse punk, roundhouse swinging biker, steroid freak powerlifter in a bar, or seasoned pro fighter, I train my guys to break them with sustained and anatomically correct punching power that never stops until they are laying senseless at your feet.

I have to get to know each of my fighters deeply and understand them once I get them into fighting shape. Then I know what buttons to push. I never have to say "Think of this guy raping your wife," to make them want to destroy. Thats bush league to a man like me who studied Judo so long.

I talk to them like a Demon whispering to them in their ear after a long and arduous training regimen together. I give them a well of confidence based on real conditioning and living a life of integrity. I make them believe in their punching power and hand speed. We never give up, and until that bell rings ending things we will be trying to rip your head clean off and stove your ribs in.

It is that simple, I make them love to fight, believe in the honor of doing their best, and dealing with the pain and going for the glory. I have become according to my guys a master at bringing that out and I always try to improve it.

If I had DLH for example he would have KO's PBF, but he would work like he never did before and in training he would be no Golden Boy to me, but a machine of destruction I would be preparing.

I don't play when it comes to training and I train shoulder to shoulder with my guys including diet and sacrifice. It is all mental to me but that comes from training hard, and creating a well of confidence from just that.

"I AM STRONGER THAN YOU, FASTER THAN YOU, MEANER THAN YOU AND I AM TRAINING WHILE YOU ARE SLEEPING."

When it is all over we will shake hands. My guys can hardly hear the referee speak we are so deeply in foucs of what we are going to do. That is how I train them to keep staying frosty, focused and most importantly EXECUTE WHAT WE DID IN THE GYM, we memorize all angles, all possible positions to punch and it never has failed me, not once.

I make their hands hard, abs like rock, and I am very big on hand speed and adapting to anything. It is all mental and hard work. I talk to them constantly planting examples, ideas, and techinique and ways to focus on delivery while in pain and tired.

best,

Ron

Before I get to that, the examples you gave of Arnold are very accurate and I remember vividly him saying that. I was lucky to have spent some time with him alone back in the 1970's when I was an Investigator with the Prosecutor's Office in Jersey City NJ and he would visit Joe Weider in Union City part of my jurisdiction, at his warehouse. God almighty he was something back then.

[Ron Lipton]

10-8
Registered User


Join Date: Jun 2006 Re: Q & A for Randy Gordon

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Randy, I asked Ron about this a little while ago. Here was his take:

Quote:
Originally Posted by 10-8
Ron,

I rewatched the Muhammad Ali Jimmy Young fight the other day and while it was a sloppy performance by an out of shape Ali I was wondering how as a referee you would have handled Jimmy's annoying and multiple "stick my head through the ropes so Ali won't hit me" tactics. To me it's almost an act of surrender, like taking a knee to avoid punishment, although Young was never hurt.

I always thought that Jimmy may have deserved a warning for the first time but what about each subsequent time. I think if the referee had have deducted a point after one warning Young would have stopped the annoying tactic.

What would you have done as the third man?


Reply: April 30, 76 I was there, and that was the time Rubin Carter was acused of beating Carlolyn Kelly, the head of his defense campaign while out on bail. Never forget that night in and out of the ring.

I would have warned Young with several hard warnings maybe 2-3, then deducted a point for failing to obey the referee's warnings. I would have said if you keep turning your back and hiding outside the ropes you will be disqualified. If it kept up he would have been DQ'd. Jimmy rest his soul did some job on Lyle and Foreman and was very clever in his fights with Norton and others. That hiding outside the ropes is not acceptable in a pro fight.

best,
Ron


10-8
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06-28-2008, 10:25 PM #465
Ron Lipton
Registered User


Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: New York Re: Q & A for Randy Gordon

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I guess me and my old boss are still on the same page on the way we believe a fight should be handled. I remember you asking me long ago 10-8, and Randy's and my answers turned out to be the same

Thanks for writing 10-8, I am surprised you remembered that one.

best,
Ron

[Chris Nagel]

Ron,

I like your thinking. I always get a confidence boost out of being of the few willing to push themselves ad-nauseum. I gotta say that being able to do more than the other guy, picking the best exercises and doing them right makes me feel in a league of my own. Yet when it comes to boxing I'm not far away from square one.

Lately, I've getting myself into shape so that I'll be closer to getting in fighting shape when that day comes. As for boxing, I've just been practicing how to throw my punches correctly in coordination with my feet. I'd like to compete when I'm ready, and I'd like to hook up with a trainer that'll help guide me as well a devil that whispers in my ear when I need it.

I've moved back to Michigan last month and I plan on going to college in Detroit. I remember reading a year ago that Bill Miller is teaching boxing in Royal Oak which just a short drive away from Detroit. Bill Miller did good work with James Toney to the point that his guy thought that he born that way. On the flipside, there's Joe Byrd's gym which isn't along the way, but he's done well getting his guys ready for the Golden Gloves, and his son Chris despite lacking the big guns was a champ. Until then I want to get myself in terrific shape, with the fundamentals under my belt so I can truely make the most of it when I step into the gym. I just wish that your gym was in my backyard so that I could go there everyday.

On a different note, I was wondering if there's any additional homework that you would advise your fighters to do. I think that tape watching should be part of a training regimen anyone that wants to compete. I'm starting out so I'm not ready to accumulate a big bag of tricks until I get a good foundation on everything else. I'd like to improve my punching, and two fighters that come to mind is Joe Louis and Rubin Carter. I'm just a little unsure how I should go about it.

Anyways, I found a piece of software that's supposed to help convert DVD's to something that Youtube can swallow. I'll test it out, and if all goes well I can email it to you later today.


Chris

[Ron Lipton]

Ron,

I like your thinking. I always get a confidence boost out of being of the few willing to push themselves ad-nauseum. I gotta say that being able to do more than the other guy, picking the best exercises and doing them right makes me feel in a league of my own. Yet when it comes to boxing I'm not far away from square one.

Lately, I've getting myself into shape so that I'll be closer to getting in fighting shape when that day comes. As for boxing, I've just been practicing how to throw my punches correctly in coordination with my feet. I'd like to compete when I'm ready, and I'd like to hook up with a trainer that'll help guide me as well a devil that whispers in my ear when I need it.

I've moved back to Michigan last month and I plan on going to college in Detroit. I remember reading a year ago that Bill Miller is teaching boxing in Royal Oak which just a short drive away from Detroit. Bill Miller did good work with James Toney to the point that his guy thought that he born that way. On the flipside, there's Joe Byrd's gym which isn't along the way, but he's done well getting his guys ready for the Golden Gloves, and his son Chris despite lacking the big guns was a champ.

Reply: You are on the right track and both Miller and Byrd know what they are doing.


Until then I want to get myself in terrific shape, with the fundamentals under my belt so I can truely make the most of it when I step into the gym. I just wish that your gym was in my backyard so that I could go there everyday.

Reply: It would be my pleasure to have you here, we are at it everyday!

On a different note, I was wondering if there's any additional homework that you would advise your fighters to do. I think that tape watching should be part of a training regimen anyone that wants to compete. I'm starting out so I'm not ready to accumulate a big bag of tricks until I get a good foundation on everything else. I'd like to improve my punching, and two fighters that come to mind is Joe Louis and Rubin Carter. I'm just a little unsure how I should go about it.

Reply: Do not neglect aerobic conditioning for at least 30 minutes a day,
eliptical, treadmill, walking, running, circuit training with little rest between sets etc. Louis and Carter were amazing athletes in their own right. One a fistic legend with a Hall of Fame record, and voted the hardest puncher of all time by some, and the other a sketchy record of consistency but an amazing example of physical power, ferocity and explosiveness in his early career.
Watching the entire Carter V Benton fight is a must for moves and responses by Carter that are just amazing. Despite being a mere mortal who loved Louis I never liked the habit of fighters from that era of keeping their left hand so low. Joe was the man though for all eternity, just a fistic God.

Anyways, I found a piece of software that's supposed to help convert DVD's to something that Youtube can swallow. I'll test it out, and if all goes well I can email it to you later today.

Thank you very much,
RLipt8@aol.com


Chris

Good hearing from you and please let me know how you are doing.

Ron

[Chris Nagel]

Hey Ron,

I've been busy today, so I haven't been able to test out that software that I mentioned, but I'll get on it tomorrow morning since everything is closed on July 4th.

I had a very good training session today. I believe that everyone needs a few exercises that they can do very well, and one of mine so happens to be the dips. I was able to do 3 sets of 40 which is a new B-all for me, I was surprised because just a month ago, 3 sets of 25 was all that I could handle.

I've been doing well with my aerobic conditioning but I'm always looking for more ways to improve. I weigh about 148 lbs, but I'd really like to get at 148 lbs ripped to the bone. Tomorrow I plan on closely monitoring my food intake, I've been eating a good clean diet, but I know I'm eating enough that I'm not going to be losing much fat at this rate.

Another idea that I have to help is walking about 30 minutes twice a day if I can. I was thinking about Marciano, who ontop of his long stretches of roadwork, and spartan like conditioning would walk everywhere. A book that I started reading called "Lean for Life" by a guy named Clarence Bass advocates the three pronged approach of diet, weightlifting, and aerobics. He also has a lot of good advice which includes walking. He says that a 154-lb person burns about 90 calories. If you just walk 1.5 miles twice a day, you burn 270 calories. Doing that everyday ontop of everything else helps.

Anyways I'd love to go over the Carter/Benton fight. From what I remember, I think that if Rubin went against today's Floyd Jr, that he'd demolish him.

I gotta get up in 6 hours so I'll pick this up tomorrow. It's always my pleasure talking with you.

Chris

[Ron Lipton]

Hey Ron,

I've been busy today, so I haven't been able to test out that software that I mentioned, but I'll get on it tomorrow morning since everything is closed on July 4th.

Reply: Thanks Chris, I have a bunch of stuff I would like to get onto You Tube but do not know how.

I had a very good training session today. I believe that everyone needs a few exercises that they can do very well, and one of mine so happens to be the dips. I was able to do 3 sets of 40 which is a new B-all for me, I was surprised because just a month ago, 3 sets of 25 was all that I could handle.

Reply: Believe me that is good, and besides defining the pec-delt tie in like a sculpture, it blows out that lateral tricep head beautifully. In my Jack La Lane days at age 40, I was doing the 82 wide grip chins, full hang, then a chin up to my upper chest and down again, in one set as a daily thing. I had dipping bars in my home in a combination incline bench set and I would do my max after warming up which was a set of full no cheating 101, going one over a hundred for luck, then rest one minute and put my 110lb son on my back and knock out 25. My arms responded and looked like William Smith's the actor. I would then do 2 more sets. There is a picture of me at this time, so you know if I'm lying I'm dying. I was deep into it and it kept a rugged foundation for me among other Jack LaLane type exercises. It always helped with my punching power. Now I do other things instead working around old injures.

I've been doing well with my aerobic conditioning but I'm always looking for more ways to improve. I weigh about 148 lbs, but I'd really like to get at 148 lbs ripped to the bone. Tomorrow I plan on closely monitoring my food intake, I've been eating a good clean diet, but I know I'm eating enough that I'm not going to be losing much fat at this rate.

Reply: What do you eat?

Another idea that I have to help is walking about 30 minutes twice a day if I can. I was thinking about Marciano, who ontop of his long stretches of roadwork, and spartan like conditioning would walk everywhere.

Reply: Good idea, many female bodybuilders I dated did a double aerobic session while living on egg whites for their contests, one hour twice a day.
I walk my 2 miles a day now up and down hills with my 11 year old half black panther and half black wolf sweetheart of a pit bull, "Sweetie," who stops to kiss every human and dog we run into. I raised her to be like that with all living things and she is a blessing to watch.



A book that I started reading called "Lean for Life" by a guy named Clarence Bass advocates the three pronged approach of diet, weightlifting, and aerobics. He also has a lot of good advice which includes walking. He says that a 154-lb person burns about 90 calories. If you just walk 1.5 miles twice a day, you burn 270 calories. Doing that everyday ontop of everything else helps.

Reply: Clarence Bass is the man, I have 100% respect and admiration for his knowledge and discipline, you cannot go wrong with him. He charges a tremendous amount of money for people to just call him up for advice. Smart man, smarter than me.

Anyways I'd love to go over the Carter/Benton fight. From what I remember, I think that if Rubin went against today's Floyd Jr, that he'd demolish him.

Reply: The reason I love that fight is that it showcases the fluid movement and vicious torque Carter responds with in the fight against the master boxer puncher Benton, who became a good buddy of mine and was in Alex Stewart's corner when I refereed him. We had a nice reunion joking about the Carter fight while I busted Georgie up imitating both their moves.

Carter was an on and off moody athlete, whose lifestyle and mental attitude could range from frightening and deadly focus in camp and in the ring, to not caring about prizefighting at all. When on, despite his detractors who hate him for his personality, out of the ring behavior, past, and dropping decisions to guys who he should have destroyed, when, and I do say when he was focused, he was a great, NOT A GOOD, BUT A GREAT puncher with the short right and short and long left hook, vicious jab and vicous left uppercut/1/2 hook to the body then to the head, he did this so fast it was nothing short of paralyizing. Despite my past brotherhood and then tensions with him, he was trully something to watch in that ring. Do you know one of the most amazing things he did, to me that is, is that in the Dick Tiger fight where he never recovered from the 2nd round blasting and the 4th round knockdowns too, he came back in the 7th round to rock Tiger and have him wobbling for a moment. He never gave up in that ring, tough, tough, man.

Lil PBF, would run, run, run, until the Nikes label burned down to just Ni from the flames of running. Carter would hurt him soooo damn bad his moves could never save him. Florentino Fernandez was one of the strongest guys I ever saw, the night he fought Fullmer, Carter blasted him out like nothing.

Joey Archer outboxed him but guys like Archer were made out of absolute steel, iron jaw, iron balls, just like Mims. PBF is a creature of today. Punch mitts, razzle dazzle and as soon as he is hurt he covers up like an armadillo.
Would not save him in a 20x20 ring, as he really is a blown up 135lb guy.
Carter, Tiger, Fernandez, Archer, Mims, Benton, Giardello are full sized solid middles. PBF would be shitting green at the weighin when he would get a real close up look at Carter glaring at him, and see those shoulder, arms and back.

I gotta get up in 6 hours so I'll pick this up tomorrow. It's always my pleasure talking with you.

Chris

thanks again Chris,

Ron

[Ron Lipton]

I am so sorry for him and his family, he would E-mail me quite a bit at home, and keep asking me to continue writing him back. This is a total shock for everyone. R.I.P. great warrior.

[Chris Nagel]

Hi Ron,

I'm back with some more big questions for you, and to start this off I'll begin with the biggest first. From a fighter's perspective, how do you watch a fight?

I've come to realize that there are a lot of ways to about it, and each trainer and fighter has their own take when it comes to watching a fight. I'm told that how you watch a fight is the way you'll watch and figure out an opponent. As for an important reference point that a good fighter said to me, "What you do = what your opponent will do."

This can be seen on different levels. A lot of fighters do well with good reactions cut and pasted from training, while on a higher level some fighters seemlessly navigate through their opponent's plans and actions while making them fight their fight. This can be as broad as a general strategy to gain the upperhand, setting up your shots, to dictating what your opponent's actions.

Even while keeping this is mind it's difficult for me to see what going on when watching a fight. I often find myself rewinding everytime a nice counter or finisher lands just to see what lead up to it. Sometimes it's simple, but usually I have trouble when there some sort of set up takes place. In that regard, how do train yourself to see things in a more predictable way?

Dempsey would say look at the distance in between the fighters, which gets confusing at the amount of things going on all at once. The approach of putting yourself in one of the fighter's shoes is the one that I like because then I'm able to get a feel for what's going on more than just seeing what's happening. What my grandfather said which was told to me by my dad was look at how they are standing and where they are trying to move. This boils down to reading a guy's intentions. I see how that can help when trying to figure out what one guy is thinking, but to me I'm still having trouble seeing exactly how things are enfolding, and the reasons if any are behind them.

I'd like to hear your thoughts on this because it's a fascinating subject for me. I feel that much of this represents a big chunk of what makes a good thinking fighter. One day I'd like to step into the ring and be able to think on my feet myself.

In regards to training I have another thing that I've been thinking about lately. I've seen amazing examples of people demonstrating muscular control particularly in their abs. You're familiar with Joe Weider's isometric idea on flexing a muscle right? If practicing different flexing exercises allows for more muscular control, wouldn't that be benificial for you in taking a punch on the stomach should your opponent penentrate your guard. It couldn't hurt, it can be done as a supplement to your regular abdominal exercises. I was thinking about adding stomach vacuums, and perhaps some other exercises that I can draw from some of the old-time strongmen.

That's all for now, I have a lot of other interesting ideas I'd like to talk to you about soon.


Best Wishes,
Chris

[Mike DeLisa]

The old timers would use a medicine ball for toughening up the abs in order to withstand punches.

I don't know if that still is the norm.

[10-8]

Hey Mike that reminds me of the time Angelo Dundee was watching Willie Reddish throwing a medicine ball at Sonny Liston's mid section during training for the up-coming Ali fight.

Angie reportedly said, "They should be throwing that at his head, since that's where my guy's gonna be hitting him."

[Chris Nagel]

The old timers would use a medicine ball for toughening up the abs in order to withstand punches.

I don't know if that still is the norm.

Some fighters today still do it.

Another old exercise that I've heard of on a similar thread is lying prone, stomach down with a medicine ball placed underneath your midsection. You keep your abs tight and your back straight as you roll over the ball. It's not as extreme as other methods, but it's easier on your insides.

[Ron Lipton]

Hi Ron,

I'm back with some more big questions for you, and to start this off I'll begin with the biggest first. From a fighter's perspective, how do you watch a fight?

I've come to realize that there are a lot of ways to about it, and each trainer and fighter has their own take when it comes to watching a fight. I'm told that how you watch a fight is the way you'll watch and figure out an opponent. As for an important reference point that a good fighter said to me, "What you do = what your opponent will do."


REPLY: If taken at face value the knee jerk reaction from me to your question would embrace me as a fan who watches fights and scores at home while assimilating everything I can learn from what I see. I am a creature who has chosen to watch fights from the Gillete Calvalcade of Sports era to present day as towhat I do with my own free time once I am done with work, family, exercise and family responsibilities. All those in my inner circle have accepted this and either watch them with me or leave me be to do it.
I watched Joey Archer V Holly Mims the other night and dissected it until it was enshrined in my Doctor Lecter memory palace under boxer v boxer puncher room. When I was around 10 yrs old, it was new to me, how to watch a fight, how to tell who won, what the hell just happened in there ad infinitum.

Then the old Eddie Futch, Ray Arcel, Mannie Seamon, Chappie Blackburn, Angelo Dundee, Freddie Brown, Chickie Ferrara, Teddy Bentham, Charlie Goldman eyeballs started to click in and I see everything like the Palantir in Lord of the Rings or if you wish Sauron with his all seeing eyeball.

Instead of watching what one fighter does, and then the other taking adopting their respective roles separately, I see the whole picture and watch it unfold. At all times having respect for all their different abilities and appreciating every fine nuance of a slip, counter or courage under fire displayed. The fighters know in their hearts who won and so do I, the judges do not it seems at times though.

This can be seen on different levels. A lot of fighters do well with good reactions cut and pasted from training, while on a higher level some fighters seemlessly navigate through their opponent's plans and actions while making them fight their fight. This can be as broad as a general strategy to gain the upperhand, setting up your shots, to dictating what your opponent's actions.

Reply: Long ago after advocating watching films of your opponents, studying them if you have the chance on film, doing all your homework in training camp and having the right people with you to plan for every possible contingency IF THEY KNOW HOW, AND I DO, you DO ALL YOUR HOMEWORK IN CAMP. A man must be a professional fighter and do the job on the guy once in there. You must know what to do rather and execute it with speed, power and conditioning and most of all FOCUS once in there.

Confidence in your abilities and preparation come with being on time for the contest as to conditioning and skill.

How can either Danny Nardico or Charlie Norkus plan for each other, it was a fight to the death with grit and conditioning and desire as the determining factors.

The training camp is a factory for producing men with iron wills Norman Mailer once wrote.

My philosophy is simple, put your body parts, legs, arms, aerobics into such condition they will never get tired and you know that in your heart. Secondly,
accept your role as a fighting animal, like they said in "The Curse of The Demon," YOU HAVE BEEN CHOSEN.

If you are one of those who fate and God has chosen for this bloodsport, NEVER THINK, WORRY, OR SUBMIT to what the other guy is going to do, you plant in your head and BELIEVE, WHAT YOU ARE GOING TO DO TO THEM.

I am not being flippant here, you will never know how much value I put into mental determination and believe in yourself. I know how to get it, how to keep it and how to teach it. Once there, you will have some fun my friend and you will never even think about what to do again. You will be busy doing it to the other guy and reacting viciously to whatever he does.

His arms, shoulders, ribs are there for the taking with the chin as the plumb and brass ring to be struck when the striking is good. Henry Armstrong output, Joe Frazier determination, Joey Archer footwork, and punch to hurt.
Train for it, sacrifice for it and if you do not, then mediocrity is the legacy for the boxer who does not.

When two A+ fighters go at it, DLH V PBF, then it is simple, you must break PBF in half or lose on points, or get chopped to pieces from the in and out attacks.

If you fight Cotto you have to cut him to pieces or knock him out or lose.
There is being in shape and there is being in shape to really put out for 12 rounds. It is that simple, train longer, eat right, live clean and have the best trainer with you shoulder to shoulder every day, you will really have some fun and win.

Even while keeping this is mind it's difficult for me to see what going on when watching a fight. I often find myself rewinding everytime a nice counter or finisher lands just to see what lead up to it. Sometimes it's simple, but usually I have trouble when there some sort of set up takes place. In that regard, how do train yourself to see things in a more predictable way?


Reply: NO. Keep doing what you are doing. You are tomorrow's afficionado being baked in the oven of time. It will come to you like Russell Crowe "In a Beautiful Mind," looking at the equations on the blackboard illuminate with insight.

Dempsey would say look at the distance in between the fighters, which gets confusing at the amount of things going on all at once. The approach of putting yourself in one of the fighter's shoes is the one that I like because then I'm able to get a feel for what's going on more than just seeing what's happening.

Reply: That is one way. To look at one POV of one fighter, then use the luxury of rewind and do it the other way. You learn things quickly and appreciate the fine nuances of the boxing contest that way.


What my grandfather said which was told to me by my dad was look at how they are standing and where they are trying to move. This boils down to reading a guy's intentions. I see how that can help when trying to figure out what one guy is thinking, but to me I'm still having trouble seeing exactly how things are enfolding, and the reasons if any are behind them.

Reply: I am in the gym every damn day. I referee sparring sessions all the time. I study human reactions in combat all the time. Every great move, slip, weave, counter, comes from practice and being in shape in all ways. You would be suprised at how Matrix like you can become from training hard and living clean. Your eyes will see what I see in time if you love boxing, which I do with all my heart.

I'd like to hear your thoughts on this because it's a fascinating subject for me. I feel that much of this represents a big chunk of what makes a good thinking fighter. One day I'd like to step into the ring and be able to think on my feet myself.

Reply: You will and you have the intelligence and love of the sport to be another Randy Gordon if you stick with it and study the game from all aspects. respect and love the fighters, appreciate that they are the greatest athletes in the world, and once you get the eye, you can be a great boxing judge, boxer, and leave the refereeing to me, if they ever let the old war dog back in .(Smile)

In regards to training I have another thing that I've been thinking about lately. I've seen amazing examples of people demonstrating muscular control particularly in their abs. You're familiar with Joe Weider's isometric idea on flexing a muscle right? If practicing different flexing exercises allows for more muscular control, wouldn't that be benificial for you in taking a punch on the stomach should your opponent penentrate your guard.

Reply: It certainly could and the old time bodybuilding pioneers like Eugene Sandow all the way up to Jack LaLane, knew that. Yoga is a great thing for boxers for breathing and flexability and the method you speak of is one that I use besides my blistering abdominal routine which makes most fighters I train either love me or hate me. Yet, today my British fighter after going 6 rounds said, "Ron, thank God you put me through that ab training, I took a hard body shot and did not even feel it mate."
(He weighs 124lbs and his opponent was a muscular 160lbs)



It couldn't hurt, it can be done as a supplement to your regular abdominal exercises. I was thinking about adding stomach vacuums, and perhaps some other exercises that I can draw from some of the old-time strongmen.

Reply: Old law can be good law, and the old ways can be good, I believe in them.

That's all for now, I have a lot of other interesting ideas I'd like to talk to you about soon.


Best Wishes,
Chris

My Pleasure,

Ron Lipton

[mike casey]

Ron, I was fascinated by your praise of the greatly underrated Luis Rodriguez on the 'Sugar Ramos' thread.

Luis was indeed a wonder - thanks for doing him justice. By God, mate, you read these guys so well. But then I guess you fought nearly all of 'em!

My dad sends his very best to you, champ - he was greatly moved by the support you gave to our old pal, Emile Griffith.

Take good care,

Mike C

[Ron Lipton]

Ron, I was fascinated by your praise of the greatly underrated Luis Rodriguez on the 'Sugar Ramos' thread.

Luis was indeed a wonder - thanks for doing him justice. By God, mate, you read these guys so well. But then I guess you fought nearly all of 'em!

My dad sends his very best to you, champ - he was greatly moved by the support you gave to our old pal, Emile Griffith.

Take good care,

Mike C

Most kind of you Mike and thank you.
It has been my privilege to have remained friends with Emile since we were kids in the gym, both of us NY City guys for a long time. Luis Rodriquez's boxing record makes him quite superior to most of the welterweight champions in history outside of the immortals. Even the fight Doctor said Luis had the best pair of legs he ever saw, that one could make use of in that boxing ring.

I never had the chance to box with some of Angelo's other guys like Gomeo Brennan, Pastrano and Florentino Fernandez. I saw Fernandez hit the heavy bag and his left hook was like a bomb exploding, one of the hardest I ever saw on anyone under 200lbs. I saw Floro box in the gym with Luis Rodriguez and Luis was absolutely dazzling and handled him with ease.

Luis actually knocked out rugged Jose Monon Gonzalez with such fast combinations. How many times can a man go to the well to draw reserves from? Luis fought and beat everyone in two divisions. Nino Benvenuti's ko over him to this day is something that is hard for me to believe, a fight I will never forget because it was so sad and Luis was not fighting like his usual self although ahead. What a left hook though, out of nowhere and amazing.

Ali really had great admiration for Luis Rodriquez. When Luis died he was on a kidney machine and he had balooned up to 250lbs prior to that. Florentino Fernandez was always so powerful he kept his teenage looks and build up until 1994 and from then I don't know.

The 1960's were my favorite for boxing stars.

[tedsares]

The 1960's (and '50s) were my favorite for boxing stars as well, though I loved the '70s for heavies and the '80s for welters..

[Ron Lipton]

The 1960's (and '50s) were my favorite for boxing stars as well, though I loved the '70s for heavies and the '80s for welters..

Reply: Can't agrue with that good call, Ted "The Bull."

[tedsares]

Did you get something in the mail, mate?

[walshb]

Hi Ron,

I wondered did you happen to see or read about the Williams fiasco from his
bout with Konstantin Airich from Spain a couple of months back, What a fiasco!
It's on youtube I think

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/boxing/7431510.stm

[TDKO]

Ron,

Did you see the Toney / Rahman fiasco? and what are your thoughts on the
TKO decison?

It seemed VERY Bogus and suspicious, come on, Accidental headbut, blood dripping in his eye, and only three rounds completed, doctor stops the fight,
(even though Rahman complained he couldn't see clearly from that eye).

TKO victory for Toney????????

[Ron Lipton]

Ron,

Did you see the Toney / Rahman fiasco? and what are your thoughts on the
TKO decison?

It seemed VERY Bogus and suspicious, come on, Accidental headbut, blood dripping in his eye, and only three rounds completed, doctor stops the fight,
(even though Rahman complained he couldn't see clearly from that eye).

TKO victory for Toney????????

Hi buddy,
I did not see it but I saw the pictures of them and how fat they both looked even at 226 for Toney or thereabouts. When a cut is caused by an unintentional clash of heads and is ruled so, if 4 rounds have not been completed and the bout has to be stopped due to that cut, it is not ruled a tko but a no contest or a technical draw.

Very strange ruling. Even if a cut caused by an accidental head butt is then exacerbated by legal punches causing a later stoppage they must go to the score cards instead of a tko as the initial injury was ruled an unintentional head butt.

Decisive actions by professional referees is always helps in preventing controversy. I hear the referee in the Delvin Rodriquez bout let a bout go on much to long as did the stricken fighter's corner.

Some people should not be in charge of other person's lives, they are too stupid, selfish or unprofessional.

I still cannot fathom how Cortez was given the bout overseas after what he did in Vegas leaving a fighter lying on the canvas bleeding and alone.

A powerful new broom should come in and sweep boxing clean like Hercules flooding the Aegean stables in Mythology.

[Ron Lipton]

Hi Ron,

I wondered did you happen to see or read about the Williams fiasco from his
bout with Konstantin Airich from Spain a couple of months back, What a fiasco!
It's on youtube I think

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/boxing/7431510.stm

Hi walshb,

I will definitely check it out and get back to you.

thank you Sir,

Ron

[TDKO]

Thanks Ron!

I hope you get to see the fight sometime,
no doubt it will get your blood pressure up......

[Ron Lipton]

I saw it and it was disgraceful.

Where did this fight take place and what moron appointed this clown of a referee?

They were throwing some hard hits in there too.

Fights handled like that absolutely demand justice and this referee being sat down forever. What a total Schmuck!

[10-8]

Ron, I have a question regarding psychological techniques and methods of training and motivating boxers for peak performance.

Years ago I read a study (I was very interested in sports psychology and read whatever I could) that pointed out that there were basically two types of motivation that leaders deployed:

1) Negative reinforcement which was basically punishment for poor performance and

2) Positive reinforcement which was basically being praised and rewarded for good performance

The study showed that both methods had major shortcomings, mainly that the leader's reponse was predictable. As a result it was determined that the most effective way to motivate and consistently get the best performance from an individual was to reward and praise at unexpected times and to be critical and hard at unexpected times.

I coached hockey for the better part of 25 years and found that this method often worked (I used to call it pulling a mind-fuck). In other words sometimes a poor performance was met with a verbal lashing or other times emphasizing the positive things that I saw. Ditto for an excellent performance which could be received with high praise from me or instead acting unsatisfied by highlighting the negatives of that particular performance. The idea was to keep the athlete on his toes and not know what to expect from me. Sometimes after a great performance I would drill the shit out of the players and be very hard on them next practice, or after a poor performance I might take a step back and lighten it up the next practice session.

Since we are all motivated by praise and reward, I found this method to be effective in that the athlete was always reaching for that praise and reward because they were never quite sure when or where it was going to come.

Now I realize a team dynamic with so many different personalities is going to differ greatly from training an individual in a sport such as boxing (you live and die on your own in that ring). I was curious then if you deploy any particular psychological games/tricks on you athletes to push them towards their maximum performance and what some of those techniques might be.

Peace,

Bill

[Ron Lipton]

Ron, I have a question regarding psychological techniques and methods of training and motivating boxers for peak performance.

Years ago I read a study (I was very interested in sports psychology and read whatever I could) that pointed out that there were basically two types of motivation that leaders deployed:

1) Negative reinforcement which was basically punishment for poor performance and

2) Positive reinforcement which was basically being praised and rewarded for good performance

The study showed that both methods had major shortcomings, mainly that the leader's reponse was predictable. As a result it was determined that the most effective way to motivate and consistently get the best performance from an individual was to reward and praise at unexpected times and to be critical and hard at unexpected times.

I coached hockey for the better part of 25 years and found that this method often worked (I used to call it pulling a mind-fuck). In other words sometimes a poor performance was met with a verbal lashing or other times emphasizing the positive things that I saw. Ditto for an excellent performance which could be received with high praise from me or instead acting unsatisfied by highlighting the negatives of that particular performance. The idea was to keep the athlete on his toes and not know what to expect from me. Sometimes after a great performance I would drill the shit out of the players and be very hard on them next practice, or after a poor performance I might take a step back and lighten it up the next practice session.

Since we are all motivated by praise and reward, I found this method to be effective in that the athlete was always reaching for that praise and reward because they were never quite sure when or where it was going to come.

Now I realize a team dynamic with so many different personalities is going to differ greatly from training an individual in a sport such as boxing (you live and die on your own in that ring). I was curious then if you deploy any particular psychological games/tricks on you athletes to push them towards their maximum performance and what some of those techniques might be.

Peace,

Bill

Reply:

Hi Bill and thank you for asking me my opinion on such an important issue which impacts so deeply on the relationship between a boxing trainer and his charge.

I seemed to be blessed at least seem to be by what my fighters-students over the years tell me, unless they have been bullshitting me for 40 years.
We seem to hit it off right away and only the real headcases and there have been many who have crossed my lifepath in boxing, are shaken out of their focus by outside forces once I get my boxing talons into them.

In all good humor meant there are those who believe we are all hairless talking apes who have evolved with such messed up Mommy and Daddy patterns, multidimensional sexuality, a bottomless abyss of fire and ice motivations fueled by life experiences, that by the time some brave crazy bastard has chosen the ring of sport to unleash his fury and aspirations in, that individual with his body of youth is moldable clay in the hands of a boxing Michaelangelo.

Griffith needed a strong paternal figure in Clancy with a slap in the corner frin "His favorite Irishman." Tyson's misguided spirit needed the stern and caring father figure of Cus and the honesty and pillar of strength of Jimmy Jacobs. Loyalty, unison, bonding in sincerity and care between a Kelly Pavlik and his trainer, Roy Jones Jr and his Coach etc.

I am somewhat different and somewhat the same. With me it is more like a Marciano with Allie Comumbo training shoulderto shoulder with my guys. They see the old man doing most everything they do and punching harder than them most of the time. The ab work that I have them do, I do, the exercises and boxing too. They know I am for real. I never lie to them or use psychology on them. I always tell them the brutal truth and when my praise comes you can build a house on it because it is real.

I have a boy now named Marcus Randle, an amateur from England who is about 5'7" 126lbs. The bravest, most dedicated kid I have ever seen in my entire life. When I tell him something he does it like Griffith said once, "If Clancy tell me to jump out of the ring, I will do it."

If he does something wrong I tell him, if he looks at me while he is hitting the bag and I say don't fucking look at me, stay in character and keep punching, he does it. If in a 6 punch combination his right hand is too high, I tell him.
We have an agreement written in blood and stone. Tell me if you are in pain and separate that pain from muscle fatigue and injury. If it is injury tell me immediately.

Do not fight to impress me, or you will lose focus. Fight and train to have FUN WITH THIS. Lets go for the brass ring, lets do the best we can, lets break through the pain barrier, stick with me and I will show you how to punch so much harder, faster and I will pass on the secrets of the greatest fighters I have worked with and watched up close.

They all trust me, and when they stray outside the gym, with head problems, girl problems, legal problems, booze problems, family problems it shows up in the gym with me very quickly.

I never bother with too much psychology, I get them so ready to fight, that to keep up with me, they develope sincere, deep and powerful confidence which comes from being in shape and knowing we are the best. We study films like Archer V Mims, Carter V Benton, and all the present day fights too.
We pick them apart frame by frame, we study our opponents, we have plan A, plan B and then some.

If I had a Ricky Hatton or DLH I would add to them not change them.
I criticize and compliment only with the truth. I am too set in my ways as the worst nasty old war dog to humor, placate or tweak another males ego.

I know how to do it like the best whore you could buy in Vegas, BUT I will not curry for favor even if it means putting salve on another man's fragile ego.

It goes against my inherent grain. Like Angelo Dundee did once which is cool, he said he could never tell Ali what to do, so to get him to throw more to the body, he would say, "What a great body shot that was," Ali would say, "Yeah," and then throw a few more which he rarely did.

Thats cool and I am with that 100%. My thing is I train them to death, let them know I truly care and love them and when we go into battle my spirit is with them. They know I love and care for them, and am vicious with them in training. The truth takes care of the rest.

best always,
Ron

[Ron Lipton]

Damn, sorry for the spelling errors, my post looked like Clyde from Every Which Way But Loose typed it with his foot. Struggle through great Ape spelling class 101 and you get the gist of it.

Sorry

[10-8]

Thanks Ron for that great in-depth resonse as usual.

As expected, the intimacy and closeness of working one on one with an athlete is certainly a different dynamic from working with a group of 20 different individuals who respond differently, not to mention being able to spot the charcter traits which you require to work with. The right clay to mold the finished product which you envision. Under that environment you really get to know that athlete close-up and read him like a book, and know how to make him tick.

I think in the case of Dundee working with Ali, he had a headstrong and stubborn guy who needed to believe he was the boss. In that situation Angie tugged the right strings on a complex guy like Ali. We know that when Archie Moore tried working with a young Cassius Clay the dynamic didn't pan out with Moore in the role of taskmaster.

I will be remembering the name Marcus Randle and look forward to seeing this young man in the ring.

Regards,

Bill