I showed my chin was fine when I fought Tim Sylvia in the Philippines, when our fight was a no contest. He landed a good straight right hand at the end of the first round and I was fine. I survived and knocked him out.
In the ring, if someone hits you too hard, you can only take so many of those, and you have to send back a receipt, meaning ‘Hey, settle down.’ If a guy has a bad night at the office and catches you in the chin, you pop him so he knows what’s going on.
Does anybody remember, back in the depths of the recession of 1981-82, how President Reagan kept his chin up and exhorted American businesses to work hard and produce an economic recovery?
I think it’s something you learn over a period of time; you learn to be more comfortable within yourself, appreciative of what you’ve got and what you haven’t, you realise the talents you have and what you can do and you take on the chin the things that you have to. It’s part and parcel of growing up.
Yes, the hunky barista looks even more terrifically masculine with three days’ growth on his chin. Guys under 50 mostly do. But when your beard is partly or largely grey, that stubble can just look a little unwashed. Sadly, when you’re over 50, different rules apply.
I’m not cynical or bitter in any way. Life’s too short; you get ripped off, but if you hold a grudge, it’s going to affect you. You take it on the chin, you learn, you try not to make the same mistakes.
You just take your hits on the chin and move on, that’s life.
You need to be a complete fighter – the heart, the chin, the toughness. You’ve got to have it all.
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