How (Title) Boxing changed our lives- Jose Garcia

Jose Garcia Written by Alfredo B.

“I’ll get there with hard work” My name is Jose Garcia, I’m 31 years old and I just got out of the military and right now I’m taking advantage of the G.I bill so I’m a full time student. I have been boxing for a year and some change. I had done it before, just for fun when I was younger and I also boxed in 2

the military on and off. But it was nothing serious. At first I was a little turned off when I went to Title for the first time because the gyms I was used to were all beat up and the fitness class aspect threw me off.

I didn’t really like it at first to be honest with you. The thing that got me hooked with the environment and the trainers. One of the classes I took was with Troy and I could tell that he came from a boxing background and that the fitness side wasn’t really his thing. I started going to the night classes and I met a bunch of other people and they were all cool. Everyone that was there at Title is there to put in the work and t was a great atmosphere and very welcoming.

The warm-up honestly sucked man, I could tell I was definitely out of shape. I was tired before we started boxing. The 15 minute warm-up could have been the whole workout for me! The first

Training and mitt work with Trainers Eddie and Troy. class I had to push myself pretty hard but I didn’t let anyone see because I didn’t want anyone thinking I was weak or anything.

I was tired and by the third round I was thinking of ways to fake an injury or something. By the ab part I was thinking I could pretend to have a phone call and just walkout, but I got through it! At Title I

learned that I had a lot more to me and that I can push myself further.

When I started sparring and actually competing that’s when I realized what I could take and what I can do with my body as long as I worked hard everytime. I’ve always liked boxing, I grew up watching boxing with friends and family.

As a kid I played soccer in middle school and on the last day of 7th grade I got scared to fight this one kid which never happened to me. So I didn’t want that to happen to me again, to fear of anyone. I also was getting a little bit chunky so I wanted to do something different from soccer. I didn’t start boxing as a kid to fight anyone, I did it to not have fear of fighting anyone and to lose weight. When I started boxing at Title it was around a time where things were messed up in my life.

I was supposed to get married and I didn’t. I moved from California to North Carolina and got heavy 3

Bag work with Trainer Eddie. into drugs and really lost control of myself. Then when I went to Title I told myself “I needed to do something different.” From then on I got hooked on Title. The trainers felt like they were strangers for the first time and I don’t know what they saw in me like with Troy said that “you can compete.” They just came at the right moment in my life where I need someone to see 4

something in me. I felt guilty about a lot of things I’ve done and when I was boxing all the guilt went away.

Before Boxing I didn’t want to do anything and if I did exercise I would go to the gym every two weeks. I didn’t have any motivation to do anything and I didn’t have confidence in myself. Once I started boxing both things changed.

My routine before boxing was, I would drink a lot and I worked for a construction company and once school started it was just, go to school and come back home.

Because of boxing it feels weird to step a day of training cause I’ll feel completely off. I try to run everyday and do some type of exercise, whatever it is as long as I’m sweating. Boxing definitely helped me in more aspects than just staying in shape and overall gave me motivation to do good in life.

The thing that keeps me coming back is I always want to be at Title

and even if it’s just to say hi to the trainers like Eddie or Troy. I see a lot of the trainers and members like family now. My confidence is a lot higher because of boxing and I wouldn’t say cocky. I would say I have more confidence in my ability to accomplish things.

I don’t doubt myself now even if someone is better than me.

Like in school there are some people that get stuff right away and I have to work harder to understand some things. Now because boxing I have that confidence of knowing that I’ll get there with hard work.

I got a little annoying for a while talking to people about boxing cause it’s a big chunk of my life now. Some people think I’m crazy or other people think it’s really cool when I tell them I box. My favorite combination would have to be 1,2,3,3

(jab,cross,hook,hook to the liver).

They’re definitely times where I have to drag myself to Title and sometimes I park in front of Title and say “nah I’m just gonna leave.”

But once I’m in there my whole mood changes which feels weird. There has been times where I feel like I need to sit out for a workout, but then I look at Kim or Ed Wallace (they are members) who is like in his seventies and I shouldn’t be complaining or wanting to quit cause they’re half my age and they go through the whole thing.

I surprise myself when I throw faster combinations and I could feel my stamina getting better. I think that surprises me the most is my stamina getting better cause there are some 5

In a charity boxing event and Jose’s first boxing match. workouts where I’m dead tired and now I’m a lot better.

Sparring is great and the way I would describe sparring for the first time is when you see your crush and you get all nervous when you 6

see her/him and your heart would beat super fast. It feels just like that!

Once it starts and you get hit hard for the first time and you know you can take it and you start landing punches and it almost feels like you belong there. You get inside your own head and you get nervous, but you can’t show that cause you can’t for the lack of a better word look like a bitch. The first fight I had was for charity and it was the closest thing I ever feel like to a pro, it was dope. During the fight I wish I could remember what my cornerman said cause you get in the zone and you try to listen and that one minute rest you get feels like 10 seconds. Once you’re in there it’s a rollercoaster of emotions, you feel excited then you’re nervous.

While I was fighting I could hear the screams but then you don’t hear them. I could hear my cornerman yelling at me but half the time I didn’t know what he was saying.

I feel a lot more confident and I feel I was able to let go of a lot of guilt because of boxing. So yea I feel like a different person.

Without boxing I think I would still be a little lost and probably 30 to 40 pounds overweight.

Everything just happened at the right time in my life when I met everybody, started boxing, and I just needed all that because it was a good change. For sure I would recommend boxing to anyone because you should learn what you have in you. You just need to challenge yourself to see what you really have deep down inside yourself. Boxing changed the direction I was going at the time and changed my direction in a positive way and it had a huge impact in my life when there was a life of negative stuff going on.

I never wanted to hit a punching bag or hug everyone at Title so bad in life and I regret not buying a

punch bag before this virus. I miss everything about Title. I’ll never take for granted being able to spar or do mitt work with somebody ever again.

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