Comments From the Ring

Tournament Scam

2025-02-10T22:26:00.000-05:00

ENTRY 543|FEBRUARY 8/2025

TOURNAMENTS ARE A SCAM

Let me inform you of something shocking, or maybe not...

Boxing Ontario made over $36,000 on the Brampton Cup, and many bouts didn't happen, including mine.

To put it the best I can, this year's Brampton Cup was a shitshow.

I was ticked because after all that time preparing my bout was cancelled for a "technical reason".

Of course I can't get an explanation from Boxing Ontario. Even my coach wants me to move on.

What is everyone trying to hide?

I know what's going on. Boxing Ontario made a mistake but won't admit if because Boxing Ontario never makes mistakes.

I spent three months preparing for that tournament. I put so much time, effort, money, and made sacrifices.

I almost lost my job over it, and, well, I kind of did.

I was going to become supervisor but due to requesting too much time off for the tournament they decided to not make me supervisor. That's fine. Who needs a $3 increase? Certainly not me. At least that's what Boxing Ontario thinks.

I won't make that mistake again. This is a hobby and all else needs to be first.

This was the second time I paid for a tournament and never set foot in the ring. If that isn't a scam what is it?

To my fellow boxers, forget tournaments. They are stressful and disruptive. Concentate on you work and education and family. A gold medal is not going to do squat for your future. Stick with local club shows. Support the local clubs instead of lining Boxing Ontario's pockets for no reason.

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ABOUT 'The Brick;

'The Brick' is a competitive boxer, training since 1982.

Political lean: None. (middle)

Personality Type (Myers-Briggs): INTJ

Education: College Diploma (Applied Arts)

Lives in: Toronto, Ontario, Canada (The Junction/Stockyards Village)

Born in: Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

Entertainment Likes: Rock music and psychological drama films

Favorite books: Fahrenheit 451, The Catcher In the Rye, Slaughterhouse-Five, Of Mice and Men, 1984

BOXING STATS

9 bouts (Boxing Ontario)
2 bouts (Ontario Boxing Association)
1 bout (Florida State Athletic Commission)

DIVISION:
Masters Novice

CURRENT WEIGHT:
77 kg (173 lbs.)

STANCE:
Orthodox (left lead)
Southpaw (right lead)

TRAINING STATUS:
ACTIVE

TRAINING SCHEDULE:
Mon: 0900-1100
Wed 0900-1100
Fri 0900-1100

COMPETITION STATUS:
ACTIVE

NEXT SCHEDULED BOUTS:
TBA

CURRENT TEAM/CLUB:
Cabbagetown Boxing Club
Toronto

COACH:
Johnny Kalbhenn

LBrampton Cup...Take Threee

2025-01-31T11:39:00.000-05:00

ENTRY 542 | JANUARY 31/2025

THE BRAMPTON CUP BLEW UP AGAIN, BUT...

.I made it in!

The Brampton Cup is now on and this time I might actually make it to the ring.

The last Brampton Cup I didn't get in due to a web site problem that I won't go into again since I have already complained enough

The time before that I was disqualified due to being overweight. Actually both boxers were over, so double disqualification.

I am scheduled for the Sunday session and I got a bye to the Final so my opponent will be whomever wins the Semi on Friday. You can be sure I will be there to watch that one.

That's all for this entry as Iust prepare for Sunday's battle.

I will update everyone next week.

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ABOUT 'The Brick;

'The Brick' is a competitive boxer, training since 1982.

Political lean: None. (middle)

Personality Type (Myers-Briggs): INTJ

Education: College Diploma (Applied Arts)

Lives in: Toronto, Ontario, Canada (The Junction/Stockyards Village)

Born in: Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

Entertainment Likes: Rock music and psychological drama films

Favorite books: Fahrenheit 451, The Catcher In the Rye, Slaughterhouse-Five, Of Mice and Men, 1984

BOXING STATS

9 bouts (Boxing Ontario)
2 bouts (Ontario Boxing Association)
1 bout (Florida State Athletic Commission)

DIVISION:
Masters Novice

CURRENT WEIGHT:
78 kg (174 lbs.)

STANCE:
Orthodox (left lead)
Southpaw (right lead)

TRAINING STATUS:
ACTIVE--ENHANCED

TRAINING SCHEDULE:
Mon: 0900-1115
Wed: 0900-1115
Fri: 0900-1115
Sat: 1130-1300

COMPETITION STATUS:
ACTIVE

NEXT SCHEDULED BOUTS:
Brampton Cup Tournament
Jan 29 -Feb 1
Scheduled opponent: Winner of semi final
(Gold medal bout)

CURRENT TEAM/CLUB:
Cabbagetown Boxing Club
Toronto

COACH:
Johnny Kalbhenn

Mike Tyson's Disappointing Piss-Poor Performance

2024-11-16T09:39:00.001-05:00

ENTRY 541| BOVEMBER 16/2024

I EXPECTED MORE: MIKE TYSON'S PISS-POOR PERFORMANCE

He boxed like shit.

I expected a lot more from Mike Tyson.

This event was very i,portant to me since Mike Tyson and I are close to the same age and I felt that a victory by him was a victory for all older boxers.

He won the first rwo rounds but Jake Paul dominated the folowing six.

I don't understand why Mike Tyson diidn't just flurry right from the beginning?

One thing that I did notice about Jake Paul is that he managed to somehow pick up som boxing skills.

He had some good techniques which his wa not known for.

At last he is making an attempt to be a good boxer. Unlike his brotherm Logan, who realized he sucked a boxing and somehow kiss-assed his way into professional wrestling, buyt somehow manages to also suck at that.

At the end of last night's bout, Mike Tyson was asked who he wanted nest, and he said he wanted a go at Logan Paul. Of course, Logan siad, "I'll kill you." Yeah, that was na expected and typical Logan Paul answer,

Bpth Logan and Jake are cocky and annoying, but that is their preferred public persona. People like to dislike tham and they like beig disliked, and it works for them. It maked them popular by being unpopular. It is not something I would ever try. I have enough trouble getting people to like me the way I am.

In conclusion, I feel that Mike Tyson should have tried a bit harder. Although, I am impressed with the improvements made by Jake Paul.

I am disappointed in Mike's performance and a bit angry. I think Mike Tyson disappointed his fan base. Howeferm I'm sure we will all eventually spring back.

I Also, I hope he tries again. Perhaps he sould try to kick Logan's butt.

One positive thing this even did accomplish was rekindle the popularity od the sport of boxing which seemed to be dying lately.

This event was so popular that there were reports of Netflix in the U.S. crashing and booting people off the platform.

That is also a good sign, because it opens up the possibility of more such events on Netflix.

Cheers to the new life od boxing and thank you to Netflix for bringing it to us.

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ABOUT 'The Brick;

'The Brick' is a competitive boxer, training since 1982.

Political lean: None. (middle)

Personality Type (Myers-Briggs): INTJ

Education: College Diploma (Applied Arts)

Lives in: Toronto, Ontario, Canada (The Junction/Stockyards Village)

Born in: Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

Entertainment Likes: Rock music and psychological drama films

Favorite books: Fahrenheit 451, The Catcher In the Rye, Slaughterhouse-Five, Of Mice and Men, 1984

BOXING STATS

9 bouts (Boxing Ontario)
2 bouts (Ontario Boxing Association)
1 bout (Florida State Athletic Commission)

DIVISION:
Masters Novice

CURRENT WEIGHT:
76 kg (170 lbs.)

STANCE:
Orthodox (left lead)
Southpaw (right lead)

TRAINING STATUS:
ACTIVE

TRAINING SCHEDULE:
Mon: 0900-1100
Wed 0900-1100
Fri 0900-1100

COMPETITION STATUS:
ACTIVE

NEXT SCHEDULED BOUTS:
TBA

CURRENT TEAM/CLUB:
Cabbagetown Boxing Club
Toronto

COACH:
Johnny Kalbhenn

'The Brick' Is Tournament Bound!

2024-05-31T18:23:00.001-04:00

ENTRY 540| MAY 31/2024

CHANGES TO TRAINING FOR UPCOMING TOURNAMENT

You will have noticed that there was no entry fir a while.

I was taking a break and also I didn't have much to report, until now.

I have been registered to compete in the Boomerz Boxing Novive Tournament, being held this August in London, ON.

Although it is more than two months away, it really isn't a long time, and I still have a lot to work on.

I am not going to walk away from this tournament with anything other than Gold.

Together, my coach and I are going to be concentrating on some specifics and I am going to attend the morning sessions as often as I can since there are more people in my classification at that time.

I cannot get decent sparring on the evening sessions since the young guys, full of testosterone, only want to kill. They don't seem to understand the concept of good technical boxing.

"Killing" doesn't always seem to work in the Masters division. I want to focus on impressing the judges with good-quality boxing.

I have a strategy that I want to use, but I can't reveal it, of course, but it is a good one.

I think. I hope.

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ABOUT 'The Brick;

'The Brick' is a competitive boxer, training since 1982.

Political lean: None. (middle)

Personality Type (Myers-Briggs): INTJ

Education: College Diploma (Applied Arts)

Lives in: Toronto, Ontario, Canada (The Junction/Stockyards Village)

Born in: Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

Entertainment Likes: Rock music and psychological drama films

Favorite books: Fahrenheit 451, The Catcher In the Rye, Slaughterhouse-Five, Of Mice and Men, 1984

BOXING STATS

9 bouts (Boxing Ontario)
2 bouts (Ontario Boxing Association)
1 bout (Florida State Athletic Commission)

DIVISION:
Masters Novice

CURRENT WEIGHT:
77 kg (173 lbs.)

STANCE:
Orthodox (left lead)
Southpaw (right lead)

TRAINING STATUS:
ACTIVE

TRAINING SCHEDULE:
Mon: 0930-1100
Tue 1030-1200
Thu 1030-1200
Fri 093000-1100

COMPETITION STATUS:
ACTIVE

NEXT SCHEDULED BOUTS:
BOOMERZ NOVICE TOURNAMENT
Aug, 23,24,25

CURRENT TEAM/CLUB:
Cabbagetown Boxing Club
Toronto

COACH:
Johnny Kalbhenn

Boxing On the Screen--Part One

2024-04-07T18:34:00.000-04:00

SPECIAL ENTRY | APRIL 7/2024

BOXING ON THE SCREEN--PART ONE

This is a project I have been working on for a while.

IO am presenting this time part one because there will for sure be more to this.

It has for a long while a pet peeve of mine how older TV and films depicted the sport of boxing. In most cases, it was quite inaccurate. As if they couldn't consult with someone to make an attempt at accuracy. I realize most of them are fictional stories, but they should have at least tried for some accuracy.

In this first special feature, I will discuss episodes from three well-known sitcoms from the past.

"FAME" (1984) S3:E5 "Knockout"

As part of this overall unfunny and underdramatic series about the students of a performing arts school, this episode features one of the main characters, Christopher, who decided to take a "break" from performing and return to the Sweet Science.

There is very little information about this episode but upon being able to watch it again I remember how terrible it was.

It was obvious that neither actor knew quat about how to box, but one line in the script sent up a flag for me.

When Christopher was talking to the other students about their upcoming performance versus his upcoming "performance he said, "What I am doing is not a show. There is a bloody guy on the canvas who isn't going anywhere for quite a while,"

That is rarely true in boxing, especially at the amateur level. Whoever wrote that into the script was making a rather poor attempt of making an underdramatic show more dramatic by adding a ridiculous;ine.

As it turned out, we don't get to even see the ending of the bout, nor much of the middle, or the beginning. All the audience sees is a grand total of about a minute of two actors pretending to bo and doing a terrible;e job at it.

"LAVERNE AND SHIRLEY " (1977) S3:E2 "Tag Team Wrestling"

As per the title this episode was mainly about wrestling but there was a boxing aspect.

The character Carmine was apparently a Golden Gloves champion so that was used some times in the series.

Although, as expected the actor really wasn't a champion of anything, although I was surprised to see that he did have a bit of boxing skill.

That being said, in addition to the entire boxing sequence being rather silly ('70s sitcom style), there was once major flaw.

The ring they used was both for a professional wrestling match and a boxing bout. That would never happen since they are two entirely different rings.

Both the surfaces are different as well as the rope tension.

Therefore you can not use the same ring for both.

"THE FACTS OF LIFE" (1982) S4:E9 "Academy II"

This was a rather odd episode in the series as it was one of very few that did not take place at the girls' school.

It turns out that this was the second attempt at a series spin-off called "The Academy", thus the title. This episode was later renamed "The Big Fight".

This one took place at a boy's military academy where Natalie's boyfriend, Alfred, attends. Odd also since Natalie didn't have any known boyfriend up to this point.

The academy was having a boxing tournament and Natalie wanted to attend so she could write an article about it.

As we soon learn though, Alfred has his work cut out for him since his opponent turns out to be a "tough guy" with boxing experience as a --you guessed it-- a Golden Gloves champion.

A Golden Gloves champion with an obviously poor defense. I' 'm not sure how he made it all the way through the tournament lie that.

During the introduction to the bout the "referee" explained the rules, but of course one thing he said was completely and totally wrong.

He said that a knockdown would result in a standing 8 count. That is of course incorrect and doesn't even sound right. How can there be a stand-8 council after a knockdown? In amateur boxing, a knockdown will result in an RSC. A boxer will not be allowed to continue. A standing 8 is issued by the referee for other reasons where the bout can continue.

The oddest part is that the bout did end by knockdown so that inaccurate line didn't even have anything to do with the story.

Another mistake was that the ring surface was made up of exercise mats. That would never be allowed. The ring surface must be a non-slip, smooth surface which exercise mats are not.

Despite the inaccuracies, that was a "not bad" episode of this series compared to the rest, and I don't know why "The Academy" was never produced into its own series.

NEXT ENTRY: April 13 /2024

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ABOUT 'The Brick;

'The Brick' is a competitive boxer, training since 1982.

Political lean: None. (middle)

Personality Type (Myers-Briggs): INTJ

Education: College Diploma (Applied Arts)

Lives in: Toronto, Ontario, Canada (The Junction/Stockyards Village)

Born in: Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

Entertainment Likes: Rock music and psychological drama films

Favorite books: Fahrenheit 451, The Catcher In the Rye, Slaughterhouse-Five, Of Mice and Men, 1984

BOXING STATS

9 bouts (Boxing Ontario)
2 bouts (Ontario Boxing Association)
1 bout (Florida State Athletic Commission)

DIVISION:
Masters Novice

CURRENT WEIGHT:
77 kg (173 lbs.)

STANCE:
Orthodox (left lead)
Southpaw (right lead)

TRAINING STATUS:
ACTIVE

TRAINING SCHEDULE:
Mon: 0930-1100
Tue 1700-1900
Thu 1700-1900
Sat 1100-1230

COMPETITION STATUS:
ACTIVE

NEXT SCHEDULED BOUTS:
TBA

CURRENT TEAM/CLUB:
Cabbagetown Boxing Club
Toronto

COACH:
Johnny Kalbhenn

Report For the First Week of April

2024-04-06T20:51:00.005-04:00

ENTRY 539| APRIL 6/2024

WEEKLY SPARRING REPORT

THIS WEEK; 10 ROUNDS

FOCUS: FOOTWORK

This week I did a total of 10 rounds of good sparring with the coach wanting me to concentrate on moving around the ring.

It went well.

During Tuesday's session, I struck my sparing partner in the liver. Yes. A nice liver shot. He didn't like that, I made the mistake of trying to do it again but as I was on my way in he nailed me in the forehead with a nice stiff jab that threw my head back.

Okay. Lucky punch. That's all.

SPECIAL ENTRY TOMORROW

I will have a special blog tomorrow. It will be part one of a series about how poorly boxing is portrayed in movies and TV.

NEXT ENTRY: April 7 /2024 (SPECIAL)

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ABOUT 'The Brick;

'The Brick' is a competitive boxer, training since 1982.

Political lean: None. (middle)

Personality Type (Myers-Briggs): INTJ

Education: College Diploma (Applied Arts)

Lives in: Toronto, Ontario, Canada (The Junction/Stockyards Village)

Born in: Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

Entertainment Likes: Rock music and psychological drama films

Favorite books: Fahrenheit 451, The Catcher In the Rye, Slaughterhouse-Five, Of Mice and Men, 1984

BOXING STATS

9 bouts (Boxing Ontario)
2 bouts (Ontario Boxing Association)
1 bout (Florida State Athletic Commission)

DIVISION:
Masters Novice

CURRENT WEIGHT:
77 kg (173 lbs.)

STANCE:
Orthodox (left lead)
Southpaw (right lead)

TRAINING STATUS:
ACTIVE

TRAINING SCHEDULE:
Mon: 0930-1100
Tue 1700-1900
Thu 1700-1900
Sat 1100-1230

COMPETITION STATUS:
ACTIVE

NEXT SCHEDULED BOUTS:
TBA

CURRENT TEAM/CLUB:
Cabbagetown Boxing Club
Toronto

COACH:
Johnny Kalbhenn

Big Talk From 400 km Away

2024-03-30T20:04:00.001-04:00

ENTRY 538| MARCH 30/2024

WEEKLY SPARRING REPORT

THIS WEEK; 15 ROUNDS

FOCUS: MULTIPLE JAB/PUSHBACK

I originally wasn't going to do an entry this week being that it is a holiday weekend, but...here is one anyway...

This week I was able to get in 15 rounds including on my birthday Friday.

That coach wanted me to focus on using my jab as a way to force my opponent back to the ropes.

The technique works quite well and seemed to work better while I was in the Southpaw stance,

I am still training at least 90 minutes per session four times a week and I have a feeling that Cabbagetown Boxing Club is planning something. I don't know when but I am staying in my game to be ready. As the coach has said, "Always be ready".

BIG TALK

I have been having some joker from Ottawa trash-talking me through social media.

I realize this is a "thing" in combat sports, but it is usually at the professional level intended to gain exposure and a larger audience interest. This case is none of that.

He told me that he wanted to meet me in the ring but Boxing Ontario wouldn't sanction it and that we good news for me...

...the fuck?

Big talk from 400 km away.

I have absolutely no problem at all traveling to Ottawa to kick some butt.

I have spoken with a Boxing Ontario official and considering the circumstances in this case, officials are allowed to override the rules.

Getting Boxing Ontario to sanction a bout is the easy part. Getting my coach to travel to Ottawa just for one bout is the difficult part.

By the way this guy trains at the Beaver Boxing Club/ I will let you figure out why it is called Beaver.

(Oooo...!)

NEXT ENTRY: April 6 /2024

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ABOUT 'The Brick;

'The Brick' is a competitive boxer, training since 1982.

Political lean: None. (middle)

Personality Type (Myers-Briggs): INTJ

Education: College Diploma (Applied Arts)

Lives in: Toronto, Ontario, Canada (The Junction/Stockyards Village)

Born in: Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

Entertainment Likes: Rock music and psychological drama films

Favorite books: Fahrenheit 451, The Catcher In the Rye, Slaughterhouse-Five, Of Mice and Men, 1984

BOXING STATS

9 bouts (Boxing Ontario)
2 bouts (Ontario Boxing Association)
1 bout (Florida State Athletic Commission)

DIVISION:
Masters Novice

CURRENT WEIGHT:
77 kg (173 lbs.)

STANCE:
Orthodox (left lead)
Southpaw (right lead)

TRAINING STATUS:
ACTIVE

TRAINING SCHEDULE:
Mon: 0930-1100
Tue 1700-1900
Thu 1700-1900
Sat 1100-1230

COMPETITION STATUS:
ACTIVE

NEXT SCHEDULED BOUTS:
TBA

CURRENT TEAM/CLUB:
Cabbagetown Boxing Club
Toronto

COACH:
Johnny Kalbhenn

Working the Offense

2024-03-23T19:45:00.001-04:00

ENTRY 537| MARCH 23/2024

WEEKLY SPARRING REPORT

THIS WEEK; 13 ROUNDS

FOCUS: OFFENSE

Nothing special happened this week so I only have a sparring report.

This week the coach wanted me to work with helping some of the other boxers with defence. That means that my main focus this week was offense.

The coach wants me to work on jabbing more by keeping my opponent away and forcing him to the ropes.I have also been working on this technique while shadowboxing.

That is all I have this week except that next Friday is not only Good Friday but it is also my birthday. If the gym is open I might go in for my "Birthday Beating". A Cabbagetown tradition.

I might also do a special blog entry. I am not yet sure but check here and social media for updates.

NEXT ENTRY: March 30 /2024

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ABOUT 'The Brick;

'The Brick' is a competitive boxer, training since 1982.

Political lean: None. (middle)

Personality Type (Myers-Briggs): INTJ

Education: College Diploma (Applied Arts)

Lives in: Toronto, Ontario, Canada (The Junction/Stockyards Village)

Born in: Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

Entertainment Likes: Rock music and psychological drama films

Favorite books: Fahrenheit 451, The Catcher In the Rye, Slaughterhouse-Five, Of Mice and Men, 1984

BOXING STATS

9 bouts (Boxing Ontario)
2 bouts (Ontario Boxing Association)
1 bout (Florida State Athletic Commission)

DIVISION:
Masters Novice

CURRENT WEIGHT:
77 kg (173 lbs.)

STANCE:
Orthodox (left lead)
Southpaw (right lead)

TRAINING STATUS:
ACTIVE

TRAINING SCHEDULE:
Mon: 0930-1100
Tue 1700-1900
Thu 1700-1900
Sat 1100-1230

COMPETITION STATUS:
ACTIVE

NEXT SCHEDULED BOUTS:
TBA

CURRENT TEAM/CLUB:
Cabbagetown Boxing Club
Toronto

COACH:
Johnny Kalbhenn

Checking the Hook (Again

2024-03-16T19:53:00.002-04:00

ENTRY 536| MARCH 16/2024

WEEKLY SPARRING REPORT

THIS WEEK; 15 ROUNDS

FOCUS: GENERAL TECHNIQUES

15 rounds this week with some very close observation by the coach.

This week the coach wanted us to focus on specific techniques, such as using only the left, working on the inside, and working off the ropes.

Open sparring is great but it is helpful occasionally to incorporate some drills.

CHECKING THE HOOK (AGAIN)

have been practicing the check hook again.

There is a coach at Cabbagetown that really likes it and so do I, but I don't like using it when my opponent is standing in an Orthodox stance. The problem is that the technique requires you to pivot to your opponent's right, so what is to stop him from flicking out a right cross while you are pivoting right into it?

I think I am going to ask that coach more about it. I really want to use it more in the rig.

It is easy to practice on the bag when you don't have a Right coming at you.

NEXT ENTRY: March 23 /2024

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ABOUT 'The Brick;

'The Brick' is a competitive boxer, training since 1982.

Political lean: None. (middle)

Personality Type (Myers-Briggs): INTJ

Education: College Diploma (Applied Arts)

Lives in: Toronto, Ontario, Canada (The Junction/Stockyards Village)

Born in: Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

Entertainment Likes: Rock music and psychological drama films

Favorite books: Fahrenheit 451, The Catcher In the Rye, Slaughterhouse-Five, Of Mice and Men, 1984

BOXING STATS

9 bouts (Boxing Ontario)
2 bouts (Ontario Boxing Association)
1 bout (Florida State Athletic Commission)

DIVISION:
Masters Novice

CURRENT WEIGHT:
76 kg (170 lbs.)

STANCE:
Orthodox (left lead)
Southpaw (right lead)

TRAINING STATUS:
ACTIVE

TRAINING SCHEDULE:
Mon: 0900-1100
Tue 1730-1900
Thu 1730-1900
Sat 1100-1300

COMPETITION STATUS:
ACTIVE

NEXT SCHEDULED BOUTS:
TBA

CURRENT TEAM/CLUB:
Cabbagetown Boxing Club
Toronto

COACH:
Johnny Kalbhenn

"Open House" -and- If Mike Tyson Can Do It...

2024-03-09T20:17:00.002-05:00

ENTRY 534| MARCH 9/2024

"OPEN HOUSE"

The Cabbagetown Boxing Club had its "Member Appreciation" on Thursday, and I have to say that as a member i didn't feel appreciated.

I was asked to attend to participate in the boxing demonstration, but once I was there I was snubbed along with several others. Apparently, the demonstration coach only asked his "favorites" to participate.

They wouldn't even let me help with the setup. I arrived early to help only to be told "Don't touch anything".

Basucally, I did diddly, so why did they ask me to be there? Sure, I got in a bit of training, but that isn't the point.

Can you understand why that would be frustrating?

I think it will be a while before I do another one of those.

WEEKLY SPARRING REPORT

THIS WEEK; 7 ROUNDS

FOCUS: CHANGING STANCE

I was able to do seven rounds on Tuesday with the expectation of doing a bit on Thursday during the demonstration, but you already know how that turned out.

However, seven rounds in one session is really good and I was able to work on the switch between Orthodox and Southpaw stances. It. seems to work well for me and my coach loves it.

IF MIKE TYSON CAN...

Big news in the boxing community right now is Mike Tyson's comeback versus Jake Paul.

My regulars will already know how I feel about Jake Paul.

You also know that it is my feeling that Mike Tyson is one of the best boxers of all time and that it was him that got me interested in the sport in the first place.

Some have been saying that Mike is too old to be a boxer and you all definitely know how I feel about that so don't go there. As a matter of fact, Mike Tyson and I are the same age.

I have seen him train. He is still fast and can still kick butt.

I have also seen Jake Paul train. He is not taking it very seriously, but he never has. He thinks boxing is a big joke. He's the joke

This is going to be on Netflix and although I am a Netflix subscriber, I don't think there is any point in watching, I think we already know the outcome. What do you think will happen when you match one of the world's biggest boxers with one of the world's biggest fools?

NEXT ENTRY: March 15 /2024

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ABOUT 'The Brick;

'The Brick' is a competitive boxer, training since 1982.

Political lean: None. (middle)

Personality Type (Myers-Briggs): INTJ

Education: College Diploma (Applied Arts)

Lives in: Toronto, Ontario, Canada (The Junction/Stockyards Village)

Born in: Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

Entertainment Likes: Rock music and psychological drama films

Favorite books: Fahrenheit 451, The Catcher In the Rye, Slaughterhouse-Five, Of Mice and Men, 1984

BOXING STATS

9 bouts (Boxing Ontario)
2 bouts (Ontario Boxing Association)
1 bout (Florida State Athletic Commission)

DIVISION:
Masters Novice

CURRENT WEIGHT:
76 kg (170 lbs.)

STANCE:
Orthodox (left lead)
Southpaw (right lead)

TRAINING STATUS:
ACTIVE

TRAINING SCHEDULE:
Mon: 0900-1100
Tue 1730-1900
Thu 1730-1900
Sat 1100-1300

COMPETITION STATUS:
ACTIVE

NEXT SCHEDULED BOUTS:
TBA

CURRENT TEAM/CLUB:
Cabbagetown Boxing Club
Toronto

COACH:
Johnny Kalbhenn

Sparring Report For the Last Week of February -and- Open House

2024-03-02T13:58:00.003-05:00

ENTRY 533| MARCH 2 /2024

WEEKLY SPARRING REPORT

THIS WEEK; 10 ROUNDS

FOCUS: SOUTHPAW STANCE AND CHANGING STANCE

There was nothing new in training this past week.

During sparring I continued to practice Southpaw and changing between stances. It is easy to do while shadow boxing but much more difficult while sparring.

That being said, if you would like to see a sparring and training demonstration, including myself and other Cabbagetown boxers, drop by our Open House on March 7 at 6PM.

There will be music, peaches, and of course, demonstrations.

Cabbagetown Boxing Club is located at 2 Lancaster Ave. second floor.

Parliament Street at Winchester St.

NEXT ENTRY: March 9 /2024

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ABOUT 'The Brick;

'The Brick' is a competitive boxer, training since 1982.

Political lean: None. (middle)

Personality Type (Myers-Briggs): INTJ

Education: College Diploma (Applied Arts)

Lives in: Toronto, Ontario, Canada (The Junction/Stockyards Village)

Born in: Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

Entertainment Likes: Rock music and psychological drama films

Favorite books: Fahrenheit 451, The Catcher In the Rye, Slaughterhouse-Five, Of Mice and Men, 1984

BOXING STATS

9 bouts (Boxing Ontario)
2 bouts (Ontario Boxing Association)
1 bout (Florida State Athletic Commission)

DIVISION:
Masters Novice

CURRENT WEIGHT:
76 kg (170 lbs.)

STANCE:
Orthodox (left lead)
Southpaw (right lead)

TRAINING STATUS:
ACTIVE

TRAINING SCHEDULE:
Mon: 0900-1100
Tue 1730-1900
Thu 1730-1900
Sat 1100-1300

COMPETITION STATUS:
ACTIVE

NEXT SCHEDULED BOUTS:
TBA

CURRENT TEAM/CLUB:
Cabbagetown Boxing Club
Toronto

COACH:
Johnny Kalbhenn

"Always Be Ready"

2024-02-24T20:00:00.002-05:00

ENTRY 533| FEBRUARY 24 /2024

WEEKLY SPARRING REPORT

THIS WEEK; 10 ROUNDS

FOCUS: CHANGING STANCE

Nothing special happened this week so I only have a spring report, and I only did 10 rounds this week. Although that has been my goal, my coach has me do at least 4 rounds per session. For one of those sessions another coach was in charge of sparring and that particular coach generally only allows me two rounds which is completely and totally useless. I can do two rounds in my sleep.

Anyway, my focus was on switching between Orthodox and Southpaw. Although I have managed to get the Southpaw stance itself, I needed some help switching stances. The biggest being that I was dropping defense during the switchover process, so I put a big emphasis on that this week.

Otherwise, there was nothing much different.

I asked the coach to keep an eye out for any upcoming bouts and he told me to "always be ready".

NEXT ENTRY: March 2 /2024

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ABOUT 'The Brick;

'The Brick' is a competitive boxer, training since 1982.

Political lean: None. (middle)

Personality Type (Myers-Briggs): INTJ

Education: College Diploma (Applied Arts)

Lives in: Toronto, Ontario, Canada (The Junction/Stockyards Village)

Born in: Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

Entertainment Likes: Rock music and psychological drama films

Favorite books: Fahrenheit 451, The Catcher In the Rye, Slaughterhouse-Five, Of Mice and Men, 1984

BOXING STATS

9 bouts (Boxing Ontario)
2 bouts (Ontario Boxing Association)
1 bout (Florida State Athletic Commission)

DIVISION:
Masters Novice

CURRENT WEIGHT:
76 kg (170 lbs.)

STANCE:
Orthodox (left lead)
Southpaw (right lead)

TRAINING STATUS:
ACTIVE

TRAINING SCHEDULE:
Mon: 0900-1100
Tue 1730-1900
Thu 1730-1900
Sat 1100-1300

COMPETITION STATUS:
ACTIVE

NEXT SCHEDULED BOUTS:
TBA

CURRENT TEAM/CLUB:
Cabbagetown Boxing Club
Toronto

COACH:
Johnny Kalbhenn

Southpaw???

2024-02-17T20:19:00.000-05:00

ENTRY 532| FEBRUARY 17 /2024

SOUTHPAW???

Earlier in the week I had the joy of sparring a Southpaw.

For those who don't know, the Southpaw stance is when you stand with your right foot forward and you generally lead with your right, as opposed to the Orthodox stance which is the opposite.

Having an opponent who is in a Southpaw stance and you are in an Orthodox stance makes things very difficult, awkward, and sloppy.

I asked the coach what I could do and he said to try switch in Southpaw. I practiced it fow a while and it really did;t take long for me to cath on.

Then it was time to try it while sparring...

WEEKLY SPARRING REPORT

THIS WEEK; 14 ROUNDS

FOCUS: SOUTHPAW STANCE

During sparring this week I did exactly what the coach suggested and I switched to a Southpaw stance.

It worked quite well, until I decided to switch back to Orthodax. hen I did, my right guard dropped and I got smacked right in the kisser with a straight left.

Note to self" Don't get punched on the mouth.

Okay, so I made a mistake. It was my first time sparring in Southpaw's stance. I know what I need to work on.

NEXT ENTRY: February 24 /2024

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ABOUT 'The Brick;

'The Brick' is a competitive boxer, training since 1982.

Political lean: None. (middle)

Personality Type (Myers-Briggs): INTJ

Education: College Diploma (Applied Arts)

Lives in: Toronto, Ontario, Canada (The Junction/Stockyards Village)

Born in: Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

Entertainment Likes: Rock music and psychological drama films

Favorite books: Fahrenheit 451, The Catcher In the Rye, Slaughterhouse-Five, Of Mice and Men, 1984

BOXING STATS

9 bouts (Boxing Ontario)
2 bouts (Ontario Boxing Association)
1 bout (Florida State Athletic Commission)

DIVISION:
Masters Novice

CURRENT WEIGHT:
76 kg (170 lbs.)

STANCE:
Orthodox (left lead)
Southpaw (right lead)

TRAINING STATUS:
ACTIVE

TRAINING SCHEDULE:
Mon: 0900-1100
Tue 1730-1900
Thu 1730-1900
Sat 1100-1300

COMPETITION STATUS:
ACTIVE

NEXT SCHEDULED BOUTS:
TBA

CURRENT TEAM/CLUB:
Cabbagetown Boxing Club
Toronto

COACH:
Johnny Kalbhenn

A Banner Day For 'The Brick' -and- "The Incident"

2024-02-10T19:19:00.001-05:00

ENTRY 531| FEBRUARY 10 /2024

A BANNER FREAKING DAY FOR 'THE BRICK'

Tuesday was an exciting day.

It started out fairly normal, but that all changed when I left for the boxing gym at 4:15.

ned about making it to the next bus.I was very early so I was relaxed about making it to the next bus.

I have to cross the street to get to the bus stop and there is this stupid pushbutton crosswalk that I hate because it takes about two minutes for the pedestrian signal to come on. I have complained to the city about it but they don't care because it has nothing to do with money.

Anyway, I am waiting to cross and I see a bus coming, but in this case, I don't care.

Well, this one and only time, the light changed for me right away and the bus has to stop, so I made it to that bus.

On the way to the subway station, there was hardly any traffic in a city with the worst traffic in North America. I made it to the station in record time, and instead of waiting the usual 3-4 minutes for a subway, there was one entering the station as I arrived at the platform.

Then there was an incident on the subway, prompting a service suspension at Castle FDrank. That is my stop, so it didn't affect me.

I had to take another bus, the 65 Parliament. There was one just pulling in, but these buses usually wait there for about five minutes. Again, I was very early so I didn't care. I boarded the bus expecting to wait, but it didn't. It departed immediately after loading passengers.

In all, I managed to make it from the Stockyards to Cabbegtown in 35 minutes. It usually takes an hour.

That was a "never happen again" event.

"THE INCIDENT"

I was there.

It happened on the way to boxing on Tuesday.

It kind of reminded me of the film "The Incident" (967), which also occurred on a subway, but not to the same extent.

What happened was that some crazy guy boarded at Sherbourne station and began yelling and treating other passengers. He was very aggressive. It didn't bother me, and I found it very odd that he had absolutely nothing to see to me.

He bothered someone and somebody pressed the Emergeny button forcing the vehicle out of service at Castle Frank which was my stop, so it didn't affect me.

The thing that really pisses me off is how people these days have no respect for other people. This is a common problem in Toronto especially on the subway. Every day there is a service stoppage due to a "security incident" or an "emergency alarm" It is caused by people who think the rules don't apply to them and that they can do anything they want with full disregard for everyone else.

That delay was five minutes long. People have places to go and some may have missed their connecting buses.

Our society is going to shit.

Grow up.

WEEKLY SPARRING REPORT

THIS WEEK; 15 ROUNDS

FOCUS: FOOTWORK AND BODY DEFENSE

Welcome to the new weekly sparring report.

This week I did 5 rounds on each day, Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday.

The coach wanted me to work on footwork and I also wanted to improve my body defense.

The coach told my sparring partners who were all mostly younger, to move around a lot and he wanted me to cut off the ring.

That is a lot of work. Especially since these guys are smaller than I am, and smaller generally means faster.

I think I did fairly well. The coach was happy.

Then there was this guy who was fairly new to boxing, but not that new. I'd say he's been training with us for about six months...

I sparred with him last week during two sessions, and well, I popped him in the nose with a jab and he started bleeding. He dropped his guard again, so I popped him a second time.

That was apparently not enough for him because he came back for a second session, and did the same again, so I popped him again, and he once again began to bleed.

When is he going to learn?

I told my wife and she asked me if I felt bad about it, and to be honest, I didn't.

It is a combat sport and it could have easily been the other way. Although, I really get struck in the nose because I don;t allow it. Still, it is how you learn. You get hit. It hurts. You bleed. You learn to not let it happen. That is a combat sport.

Learn to defend yourself. That is the idea.

NEXT ENTRY: February 17 /2024

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ABOUT 'The Brick;

'The Brick' is a competitive boxer, training since 1982.

Political lean: None. (middle)

Personality Type (Myers-Briggs): INTJ

Education: College Diploma (Applied Arts)

Lives in: Toronto, Ontario, Canada (The Junction/Stockyards Village)

Born in: Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

Entertainment Likes: Rock music and psychological drama films

Favorite books: Fahrenheit 451, The Catcher In the Rye, Slaughterhouse-Five, Of Mice and Men, 1984

BOXING STATS

9 bouts (Boxing Ontario)
2 bouts (Ontario Boxing Association)
1 bout (Florida State Athletic Commission)

DIVISION:
Masters Novice

CURRENT WEIGHT:
76 kg (170 lbs.)

STANCE:
Orthodox (left lead)

TRAINING STATUS:
ACTIVE

TRAINING SCHEDULE:
Mon: 0900-1100
Tue 1730-1900
Thu 1730-1900
Sat 1100-1300

COMPETITION STATUS:
ACTIVE

NEXT SCHEDULED BOUTS:
TBA

CURRENT TEAM/CLUB:
Cabbagetown Boxing Club
Toronto

COACH:
Johnny Kalbhenn

The Brampton Cup

2024-02-03T20:24:00.004-05:00

ENTRY 530| FEBRUARY 3 /2024

THE BRAMPTON CUP

It is happening right now. The Brampton Cup is currently happening without me, and many others.

I don't like to keep dwelling on this but it does piss me right off.

Those who have never been an athlete may not understand and those who are/were athletes do understand the frustration of this. You work so hard and sacrifice so much for your sport to go out there and give it your all only to discover that you can't for some stupid reason.

It has not stopped me. I am still training hard and I am going to get past this. All I can do is keep working and get even better for the next one.

Although I have yet to find out when is the next tournament, I am also hoping for a local show.

It has now been over five years since I have been in the ring for competition...

...it's time.

NEXT ENTRY: February 10 /2024

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ABOUT 'The Brick;

'The Brick' is a competitive boxer, training since 1982.

Political lean: None. (middle)

Personality Type (Myers-Briggs): INTJ

Education: College Diploma (Applied Arts)

Lives in: Toronto, Ontario, Canada (The Junction/Stockyards Village)

Born in: Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

Entertainment Likes: Rock music and psychological drama films

Favorite books: Fahrenheit 451, The Catcher In the Rye, Slaughterhouse-Five, Of Mice and Men, 1984

BOXING STATS

9 bouts (Boxing Ontario)
2 bouts (Ontario Boxing Association)
1 bout (Florida State Athletic Commission)

DIVISION:
Masters Novice

CURRENT WEIGHT:
76 kg (170 lbs.)

STANCE:
Orthodox (left lead)

TRAINING STATUS:
ACTIVE

TRAINING SCHEDULE:
Mon: 0900-1100
Tue 1730-1900
Thu 1730-1900
Sat 1100-1300

COMPETITION STATUS:
ACTIVE

NEXT SCHEDULED BOUTS:
TBA

CURRENT TEAM/CLUB:
Cabbagetown Boxing Club
Toronto

COACH:
Johnny Kalbhenn

If Yo0u Can't Take A Punch...

2024-01-27T20:54:00.003-05:00

ENTRY 529| JANUARY 27 /2024

...YOU SHOULDN'T BE A BOXER

Words of wisdom from my coach.

He said that during a sparring session last week.

That statement can't be more true.

He said it after my sparring partner landed a good uppercut to my body and a let out a rather interesting heaving sound. However, it didn't phase me. I just kept right on going.

Getting struck is fine for me. If it did I wouldn't be involved in a combat sport, just as the coach said. That all-important phrase: "If you can't take a punch, you shouldn't be a boxer".

He is absolutely right, but after he said I wasn't doing sit-ups. I do. Every day even when I am not at the gym. When I do them at the gym, I purposely do them right in from of the coach.

He knows I work hard. He just likes to bust my ass, and I really don't mind that he does that. He does it because he cares about his athletes and only wants the best for them.

I appreciate and respect my coach a lot and as I keep mentioning here, he has done a lot for me and I work very hard in return.

I really want to compete again sometime this year.

As I had mentioned in a previous post, my next bout will be my last in the Novice Division. After that, a whole new chapter in my boing life will open.

Therefore, I am continuing to work very hard and follow the coach's instructions.

I continue to train four time per week of at least 90 minutes each time although I now have no chance of going to the Brampton Cup, I hope something else comes along.

You know that I won't come right out and ask. I will just give subtle hints.

Like this one.

NEXT ENTRY: January 27 /2024

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ABOUT 'The Brick;

'The Brick' is a competitive boxer, training since 1982.

Political lean: None. (middle)

Personality Type (Myers-Briggs): INTJ

Education: College Diploma (Applied Arts)

Lives in: Toronto, Ontario, Canada (The Junction/Stockyards Village)

Born in: Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

Entertainment Likes: Rock music and psychological drama films

Favorite books: Fahrenheit 451, The Catcher In the Rye, Slaughterhouse-Five, Of Mice and Men, 1984

BOXING STATS

9 bouts (Boxing Ontario)
2 bouts (Ontario Boxing Association)
1 bout (Florida State Athletic Commission)

DIVISION:
Masters Novice

CURRENT WEIGHT:
76 kg (170 lbs.)

STANCE:
Orthodox (left lead)

TRAINING STATUS:
ACTIVE

TRAINING SCHEDULE:
Mon: 0900-1100
Tue 1730-1900
Thu 1730-1900
Sat 1100-1300

COMPETITION STATUS:
ACTIVE

NEXT SCHEDULED BOUTS:
TBA

CURRENT TEAM/CLUB:
Cabbagetown Boxing Club
Toronto

COACH:
Johnny Kalbhenn

"The Rope"

2024-01-20T20:49:00.001-05:00

ENTRY 528| JANUARY 20 /2024

INTRODUCING: THE ROPE

The coach had me do a bit of sparring this week and pad work.

I like doing the target pad work with the coach but the gym recently acquired 'the rope'.

Some of you may already know what that is. The heavy exercise rope.

For those who don't, let me explain quickly. It is a large heavy rope with grips on both ends that you hold and while leaning back with legs slightly bent, you make waves in the rope by flinging your arms...how else?

This is great for strengthening the upper body, particularly the biceps.

A lot of people don't like this exercise but I enjoy it. I generally do three 60-second rounds of it throughout each training session.

That is another exercise added to my training.

In all I generally spend about 90 minutes four times per week at the boxing gym and that is a good amount for a competitive boxer.

Now all I need is some competition.

NEXT ENTRY: January 27 /2024

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ABOUT 'The Brick;

'The Brick' is a competitive boxer, training since 1982.

Political lean: None. (middle)

Personality Type (Myers-Briggs): INTJ

Education: College Diploma (Applied Arts)

Lives in: Toronto, Ontario, Canada (The Junction/Stockyards Village)

Born in: Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

Entertainment Likes: Rock music and psychological drama films

Favorite books: Fahrenheit 451, The Catcher In the Rye, Slaughterhouse-Five, Of Mice and Men, 1984

BOXING STATS

9 bouts (Boxing Ontario)
2 bouts (Ontario Boxing Association)
1 bout (Florida State Athletic Commission)

DIVISION:
Masters Novice

CURRENT WEIGHT:
76 kg (170 lbs.)

STANCE:
Orthodox (left lead)

TRAINING STATUS:
ACTIVE

TRAINING SCHEDULE:
Mon: 0900-1100
Tue 1730-1900
Thu 1730-1900
Sat 1100-1300

COMPETITION STATUS:
ACTIVE

NEXT SCHEDULED BOUTS:
TBA

CURRENT TEAM/CLUB:
Cabbagetown Boxing Club
Toronto

COACH:
Johnny Kalbhenn

The New Sparring Partner: Younger and Smaller, but Can Really Swat Hard!

2024-01-13T21:30:00.000-05:00

ENTRY 527| JANUARY 13 /2024

THAT SMALLER GUY HITS REALLY FREAKING HARD

Now that my chances of going to the Brampton Cup have dwindled to practically nothing, I can now look forward to preparing for the next event, whatever that may be.

My coach and I are still working on a ramped-up training model which includes regular sparring.

With that, the coach has found me a new guy to work with. Although he is half my age and a lot smaller, I was sure[raised how hard he can hit. It threw me off a bit the first time, but I am now used to it, and it appears that we work great with each other. The coach is pleased with the outcome and we are both learning and improving our boxing skills.

We generally work Tuesday and Thursday evenings by doing 3 x 3 rounds each session.

That is a long round for me since the Masters' rounds are half that length, but as with every sport, one should practice longer and harder than an actual competition (Of course).

Other than the new sparring partner, not much has changed. As I have mentioned earlier, I am going to keep ramped-up training for the time-being and hope that another chance to step into the ring comes along soon.

NEXT ENTRY: January 20 /2024

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ABOUT 'The Brick;

'The Brick' is a competitive boxer, training since 1982.

Political lean: None. (middle)

Personality Type (Myers-Briggs): INTJ

Education: College Diploma (Applied Arts)

Lives in: Toronto, Ontario, Canada (The Junction/Stockyards Village)

Born in: Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

Entertainment Likes: Rock music and psychological drama films

Favorite books: Fahrenheit 451, The Catcher In the Rye, Slaughterhouse-Five, Of Mice and Men, 1984

BOXING STATS

9 bouts (Boxing Ontario)
2 bouts (Ontario Boxing Association)
1 bout (Florida State Athletic Commission)

DIVISION:
Masters Novice

CURRENT WEIGHT:
76 kg (170 lbs.)

STANCE:
Orthodox (left lead)

TRAINING STATUS:
ACTIVE

TRAINING SCHEDULE:
Mon: 0900-1100
Tue 1730-1900
Thu 1730-1900
Sat 1100-1300

COMPETITION STATUS:
ACTIVE

NEXT SCHEDULED BOUTS:
TBA

CURRENT TEAM/CLUB:
Cabbagetown Boxing Club
Toronto

COACH:
Johnny Kalbhenn

Someone "Blew Up" the Brampton Cup

2024-01-06T20:57:00.001-05:00

ENTRY 526| JANUARY 6 /2024

WHO BLEW UP THE BRAMPTON CUP???

It was back-to-work training for the Brampton Cup this week, but has it all been for nothing?

On Thursday I checked the Brampton Cup entries and there were 317. Keeping in mind that there was a cutoff at 480 I figured I still had a lot of time so on Friday after confirming with my coach that I was going to put in my name for the tournament, I couldn't because the registration had been closed to due reaching the cap in registrants.

I was a bit pissed because I didn't understand how they could get over 100 registrants in less than a day. Somebody ble up the Brampton cup and screwed a lot of us out of the chance.

The Cabbagetown Boxing Club only managed to get three in, and two are in the Funbbox category. I noticed that some clubs didn't get any. For example, I didn't see any entries for the Stockyards Boxing Club and they usually have at least a couple of entrants.

The coaches are going to try to get me and at least another Cabbagetown boxer into the tournament as "late entries", but even if it doesn't happen, it gives me more time to train for the next one. I will be better next time.

Part of the reason for the "blow up|" was the number of entries from outside of Ontario. I have even seen boxers from the U.S. wanting to get in.

The problem is that a lot of these boxers don't qualify and will end up having to drop out.

I have a suggestion for Boxing Ontario (not that they take any of my suggestions), but here it is anyway: Since this is an Ontario event, they should restrict entries to Ontario boxers only at

first. After that, if they still need more athletes, open it up to everyone.

That will ensure that local athletes can have a fair try at it.

That makes sense, doesn't it?

Of course, it does, which is exactly why Boxing Ontario won't ever consider doing it.

NEXT ENTRY: January 13 /2024

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ABOUT 'The Brick;

'The Brick' is a competitive boxer, training since 1982.

Political lean: None. (middle)

Personality Type (Myers-Briggs): INTJ

Education: College Diploma (Applied Arts)

Lives in: Toronto, Ontario, Canada (The Junction/Stockyards Village)

Born in: Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

Entertainment Likes: Rock music and psychological drama films

Favorite books: Fahrenheit 451, The Catcher In the Rye, Slaughterhouse-Five, Of Mice and Men, 1984

BOXING STATS

9 bouts (Boxing Ontario)
2 bouts (Ontario Boxing Association)
1 bout (Florida State Athletic Commission)

DIVISION:
Masters Novice

CURRENT WEIGHT:
76 kg (170 lbs.)

STANCE:
Orthodox (left lead)

TRAINING STATUS:
ACTIVE

TRAINING SCHEDULE:
Mon: 0900-1100
Tue 1730-1900
Thu 1730-1900
Sat 1100-1300

COMPETITION STATUS:
ACTIVE

NEXT SCHEDULED BOUTS:
Brampton Cup Tournament
February 1,2,3,4 (TENTATIVE)

CURRENT TEAM/CLUB:
Cabbagetown Boxing Club
Toronto

COACH:
Johnny Kalbhenn

I Can See Clearly Now--The Year In Review

2023-12-23T16:20:00.001-05:00

ENTRY 525| DECEMBER 23 /2023

I CAN SEE CLEARLY NOW

Welcome to the last entry for the year 2023.

This past year has been a real game-changer for me in various ways.

One big one was that I realized that the Cabbagetown Boxing Club is really not that different to any other boxing gym that I have attended as far as the treatment of the Masters boxers.

You already know the story of Rey. but another coach pulled one on Thursday.

The coach in question has had a history of never giving me very much sparring time and I never knew the reason, so on that particular occasion I asked, and his reply was"We need to give more time to the guys who are competing."

Well, what the hell am I doing? Wasting time?

Now two coaches at Cabbagetown are not taking me seriously. One thinks I am "Too old" and the other thinks I am just there because I have nothing better to do with my time.

What the hell is going on? The Cabbagetown Boxing Club was not like that pre-pandemic. It has just been this year.

It does not make sense that someone would take the time to go to a coaching seminar and then not want to coach.

Coach Johnny on the other hand told me that he likes coaching and it shows.

That is the reason why I am so particular about who I allow to coach me. There are still many coaches who do not want to coach Masters for ridiculous reasons. To put it bluntly, it doesn't matter how you feel. You are a certified coach so do your fucking job!

That being said, I am still very happy with the quality of coaching I get from Johnny, so I am going to keep training to the best I can. I am going to the Brampton Cup, and I am going to win Gold at the Brampton Cup---for Johnny.

For Masters boxers out there, be very careful when choosing a coach.

I suggest not even telling the coach you are a Master until it is absolutely necessary.

THE YEAR IN REVIEW

Despite the few problems, I feel that 2023 was a very productive year in boxing for me.

That is thanks mostly to Coach Johnny, but also to other boxers who have worked with me.

I could not have done it without you.

THE FUTURE: LOOKING TO 2024

I predict a more positive 2024. I will keep training with Coach Johnny as long as he remains at the Cabbagetown Boxing Club and if he leaves, so will I, but I don't see that happening soon.

After my next bout, I will be moved automatically into the Open division. That will mean longer rounds and different rules but I feel that with Johnny's continuous help, I will get by just fine.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS

Merry Christmas/Happy New Year/Happy Holidays to all my readers.

Please join me here again in 2024.

--'The Brick'

NEXT ENTRY: January 6 /2024

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ABOUT 'The Brick;

'The Brick' is a competitive boxer, training since 1982.

Political lean: None. (middle)

Personality Type (Myers-Briggs): INTJ

Education: College Diploma (Applied Arts)

Lives in: Toronto, Ontario, Canada (The Junction/Stockyards Village)

Born in: Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

Entertainment Likes: Rock music and psychological drama films

Favorite books: Fahrenheit 451, The Catcher In the Rye, Slaughterhouse-Five, Of Mice and Men, 1984

BOXING STATS

9 bouts (Boxing Ontario)
2 bouts (Ontario Boxing Association)
1 bout (Florida State Athletic Commission)

DIVISION:
Masters Novice

CURRENT WEIGHT:
76 kg (170 lbs.)

STANCE:
Orthodox (left lead)

TRAINING STATUS:
PAUSED (Holidays)

TRAINING SCHEDULE:
Mon: 0900-1100
Tue 1730-1900
Thu 1730-1900
Sat 1100-1300

COMPETITION STATUS:
ACTIVE

NEXT SCHEDULED BOUTS:
Brampton Cup Tournament
February 1,2,3,4 (TENTATIVE)

CURRENT TEAM/CLUB:
Cabbagetown Boxing Club
Toronto

COACH:
Johnny Kalbhenn

Back To (Modified) Training

2023-12-16T22:02:00.004-05:00

ENTRY 524| DECEMBER 16 /2023

MODIFIED TRAINING

I have returned to training this week after a short break.

There is not much to report this week, but leading up to the Brampton Cup I have modified my training schedule to allow for more intense training while allowing for more rest time between sessions.

My coach wants me doing more work with the competitive boxers.so that means fewer mornings and more evenings.

Beginning next week I will only be attending one morning.

I will be attending on Monday mornings, Tuesday evenings, Thursday evenings, and Saturday afternoons until at least the end of January.

Thios will give me a good balance between competitive training and a rest period between sessions to help prevent injury from overexertion.

As a reminder, the next entry, December 23, will be the last entry for 2023 and will cover a review of the year.

NEXT ENTRY: December 23/2023

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ABOUT 'The Brick;

'The Brick' is a competitive boxer, training since 1982.

Political lean: None. (middle)

Personality Type (Myers-Briggs): INTJ

Education: College Diploma (Applied Arts)

Lives in: Toronto, Ontario, Canada (The Junction/Stockyards Village)

Born in: Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

Entertainment Likes: Rock music and psychological drama films

Favorite books: Fahrenheit 451, The Catcher In the Rye, Slaughterhouse-Five, Of Mice and Men, 1984

BOXING STATS

9 bouts (Boxing Ontario)
2 bouts (Ontario Boxing Association)
1 bout (Florida State Athletic Commission)

DIVISION:
Masters Novice

CURRENT WEIGHT:
76 kg (170 lbs.)

STANCE:
Orthodox (left lead)

TRAINING STATUS:
ACTIVE--MODIFIED

TRAINING SCHEDULE:
Mon: 0900-1100
Tue 1730-1900
Thu 1730-1900
Sat 1100-1300

COMPETITION STATUS:
ACTIVE

NEXT SCHEDULED BOUTS:
Brampton Cup Tournament
February 1,2,3,4 (TENTATIVE)

CURRENT TEAM/CLUB:
Cabbagetown Boxing Club
Toronto

COACH:
Johnny Kalbhenn

An Unexpected Obstical

2023-12-09T17:43:00.003-05:00

ENTRY 523| DECEMBER 9 /2023

NEW DAY, SAME BLOG

Welcome to a new day.

A new blogging day, that id.

The blog will remain weekly (excluding holidays and events), but will new be on Saturdays. There are several reasons for this change.

Also, remember that there will be no blog during the holidays, so the last entry for the year will be on December 23.

IT WOULD NOT BE MY LIFE WITHOUT DRAMA

I was unexpectedly "forced" to stop training for a while due to some drama around the Cabbagetown Boxing Club involving a specific coach. If you read my entries regularly, you already know who I am talking about.

Okay, so this is basically what happened.

One of the coaches, not my coach, falsified an injury. The fact is that I wasn't injured and there was no report from a medical professional stating otherwise. As a matter of fact, my own physician was able to verify that there wasn't an injury, but of course, all of the other coaches including my own, told me that I had to take time off from training.

I can understand that there are unfortunate situations where an athlete gets injured and has to take time off. That wouldn't bother me, but for the fact that in my case the injury was "made up" by a coach who already thinks that I am "too old to be a boxer".

Yes.

Do you understand my point now?

The most disturbing thing about this is that I am concerned about the impact this is going to have on my training for the Brampton Cup.

I have been off for two weeks, so that means that my opponent is already going to have two weeks on me before anything else.

The one good thing about it is that the gym is investigating the "ageism" of that particular coach as this was not an isolated incident.

I will be able to train again starting next week, but I have a lot to do. The tournament will be here soon. The Brampton Cup starts on February 1. That really isn't that far away. Registration is already open.

As you can imagine, this is a very nig thing for me.

The last time I competed was in December of 2018 and it was a piss-poor performance.

For five years that poor performance has been staring in my face, so the fact that my coach invited me to go to this one was a big deal. It means that he trusts me that I am not going to screw up and I absolutely can not do that.

I am going to settle for nothing less than Gold.

NEXT ENTRY: December 16/2023

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ABOUT 'The Brick;

'The Brick' is a competitive boxer, training since 1982.

Political lean: None. (middle)

Personality Type (Myers-Briggs): INTJ

Education: College Diploma (Applied Arts)

Lives in: Toronto, Ontario, Canada (The Junction/Stockyards Village)

Born in: Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

Entertainment Likes: Rock music and psychological drama films

Favorite books: Fahrenheit 451, The Catcher In the Rye, Slaughterhouse-Five, Of Mice and Men, 1984

BOXING STATS

9 bouts (Boxing Ontario)
2 bouts (Ontario Boxing Association)
1 bout (Florida State Athletic Commission)

DIVISION:
Masters Novice

CURRENT WEIGHT:
76 kg (170 lbs.)

STANCE:
Orthodox (left lead)

TRAINING STATUS:
ON HIATUS

TRAINING SCHEDULE:
Mon: 0900-1100
Wed. 0900-1030
Fri. 0900-1100

COMPETITION STATUS:
ACTIVE

NEXT SCHEDULED BOUTS:
Brampton Cup Tournament (TENTATIVE)

CURRENT TEAM/CLUB:
Cabbagetown Boxing Club
Toronto

COACH:
Johnny Kalbhenn

Why I Will Never Spar A Young Guy Again

2023-12-01T19:57:00.002-05:00

ENTRY 522| DECEMBER 1 /2023

NO MORE SPARRING THE YOUNG GUYS

Tuesday produced a very interesting sparring session.

It was interesting enough to cause me to rethink my training schedule.

The coaches liked me coming in the evenings to help the younger guys, However, some Masters do not like doing that and I found out the reason.

Some of them lack self-control.

Here is the thing, in amateur boxing there is a weight differential and an age differential. It is 10 pounds and 10 years between boxers. However, that is not always possible while sparing. Therefore, the heavier boxer should adjust accordingly. That is not a problem with the guys who are closer to my age, but the younger guys don't do that.

I am tired of risking injury from doing something that really does not benefit me. It helps the younger, newer guys, but does diddly squat for me.

I am currently training for the Brampton Cup tournament. I am not going to ever have an opponent who is half my age and 50 lbs. heavier. There is no way that is going to happen so I need more realistic training.

Therefore, at least until the Brampton Cup, I will not be sparring the younger guys on the evening sessions.

NOT EXACTLY A REY OF SUNSHINE

Coach Rey is...Coach Rey. He is known to be somewhat abrupt and abrasive with his boxers and I have got used to that. Also, he is not my coach so I don't have to deal with him very often but he recently pushed one of my buttons.

I have a lot of buttons that people try to push and most of the time they don't do anything, but there is one button that if pushed will make me very angry, and you won't like me when I am angry.

DO NOT EVER ATTEMPT TO PUSH THIS BUTTON:

I am very proud to be able to do what I do at my age--any age-- age doesn't matter. I respect all boxers. Boxing is a difficult sport so anyone who tries it and is serious about it deserves respect. Mentioning someone's age is disrespectful.

Rey, for some reason, "went off: on me about my age. It initially made me really upset. He pressed the forbidden button.

I don't think he intended to press that button, but he did. Regardless of his intentions, coaches are very much aware that they are not allowed to make statements to their athletes that may come across as being discriminatory. This is true with any sport not just boxing.

I was so furious at first that I wanted to file a grievance with Boxing Ontario, but then I realized that it would be pointless because they wouldn't care about that since it has nothing to do with money.

Ultimately, I have decided to stay away from the gym when I know Rey is going to be there for the time being. I am still a bit annoyed.

MY FACE (FINALLY) IN THE NEWSLETTER

For months I have been trying to figure out how I can get my handsome mug in the Cabbagetown Boxing newsletter, and I finally did.

I had to model one of their hoodies.

Yes. That is me in the red trunks.

This photo appears in the December newsletter, but they didn't let me keep the hoodie.

Really?

I also thought that this next photo would appear as well.

My wife and I gave the gyn this diamond painting of the Cabbagetown Boxing logo.

I added the boxing gloves as a nice touch.

There was interest by some other members in purchasing one as well.

If anyone from the Cabbagetown Boxing Club would like one of these, let me know.

NEXT ENTRY: December 9/2023

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ABOUT 'The Brick;

'The Brick' is a competitive boxer, training since 1982.

Political lean: None. (middle)

Personality Type (Myers-Briggs): INTJ

Education: College Diploma (Applied Arts)

Lives in: Toronto, Ontario, Canada (The Junction/Stockyards Village)

Born in: Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

Entertainment Likes: Rock music and psychological drama films

Favorite books: Fahrenheit 451, The Catcher In the Rye, Slaughterhouse-Five, Of Mice and Men, 1984

BOXING STATS

9 bouts (Boxing Ontario)
2 bouts (Ontario Boxing Association)
1 bout (Florida State Athletic Commission)

DIVISION:
Masters Novice

CURRENT WEIGHT:
76 kg (170 lbs.)

STANCE:
Orthodox (left lead)

TRAINING STATUS:
ACTIVE

TRAINING SCHEDULE:
Mon: 0900-1100
Wed. 0900-1030
Fri. 0900-1100

COMPETITION STATUS:
ACTIVE

NEXT SCHEDULED BOUTS:
Brampton Cup Tournament (TENTATIVE)

CURRENT TEAM/CLUB:
Cabbagetown Boxing Club
Toronto

COACH:
Johnny Kalbhenn

Me and the Brampton Cup

2023-11-24T21:17:00.001-05:00

ENTRY 520| NOVEMBER 24 /2023

ME AND THE BRAMPTON CUP

On Friday the coach asked me if I wanted to be in the Brampton Cup.

It didn't take me long to think about an answer. Well, I actually didn't think about an answer, "Yes" automatically came out of my mouth.

I know that I have been saying that I didn't want to be in tournaments anymore, but I felt appreciated when the coach asked me. Besides, I had never been in a Brampton Cup. It is the only tournament that I have never attended as an athlete or otherwise.

I am taking this very seriously. I have just over two months to prepare and I am not going there to lose. The Cabbagetown Boxing Club does not create losers, only winners. That club and its coaches have been very good to me and I am not going to pay them back by being a loser.

Over the next couple of months, I will be very focused on winning. I will be asking anyone who works with me in the ring or on any drills to work me very hard.

The Brampton Cup is tough as boxers from all around North America are in attendance.

My coach and I will be working rigorously on a few techniques.

Jab, L Upper, Hook
Jab, R Upper, Hook, Right
Block, Jab, Right
Check Hook
Jab, Step-Back, Right
Slip, Slip, Duck, Duck
Slip, Slip, Duck, Duck, Right
Slip, Body Jab, Right
Double Jab
Step Right, Right, Double Jab
Double Jab, Right
Double Right
Right To the Body
Right, Hook, Right
Jab, Duck, Right

I think that's about it, for now.

I tell you, they are turning me into a mean machine.

Thank you to Coach Johnny and the Cabbagetown Boxing Club for continuously making me a better athlete.

For anyone out there wishing to be a better boxer, I can not recommend the Cabbagetown Boxing Clun enough.

NEXT ENTRY: December 1/2023

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ABOUT 'The Brick;

'The Brick' is a competitive boxer, training since 1982.

Political lean: None. (middle)

Personality Type (Myers-Briggs): INTJ

Education: College Diploma (Applied Arts)

Lives in: Toronto, Ontario, Canada (The Junction/Stockyards Village)

Born in: Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

Entertainment Likes: Rock music and psychological drama films

Favorite books: Fahrenheit 451, The Catcher In the Rye, Slaughterhouse-Five, Of Mice and Men, 1984

BOXING STATS

9 bouts (Boxing Ontario)
2 bouts (Ontario Boxing Association)
1 bout (Florida State Athletic Commission)

DIVISION:
Masters Novice

CURRENT WEIGHT:
75 kg (168 lbs.)

STANCE:
Orthodox (left lead)

TRAINING STATUS:
ACTIVE

TRAINING SCHEDULE:
Mon: 0900-1030
Tue: 1730 -1930
Wed. 0900-1030
Thu. 1730-1930
Fri. 0900-1100
Holidays 0900-1030

COMPETITION STATUS:
ACTIVE

NEXT SCHEDULED BOUTS:
Brampton Cup Tournament (TENTATIVE)

CURRENT TEAM/CLUB:
Cabbagetown Boxing Club
Toronto

COACH:
Johnny Kalbhenn

How Dangerous Is Boxing?

2023-11-17T18:30:00.000-05:00

ENTRY 519| NOVEMBER 17 /2023

HOW DANGEROUS IS BOXING?

A recent study compared the dangers of sports.

I found the results very interesting and somewhat surprising.

One would think that the most dangerous sports are the contact sports. However, the two most dangerous sports are in fact not contact sports at all.

They are basketball and European football (soccer).

Keeping in mind that this study was based on statistics from reports of injuries caused while participating in said sport that required hospitalization.

The most dangerous contact sport is American football.

Some of the safest sports are baseball, swimming, ice hockey, and tennis.

Where does boxing fit into all of this? You may be surprised.

It is dead last.

So, in addition to being the hardest sport, it is also the safest.

That is not to say that there are not any injuries, but it means that you are highly unlikely to receive an injury that is severe enough to need to go to the hospital.

Strict safety protocols are one of the main reasons.

For example, in most places in North America, boxers must have an annual check-up with a cardiologist.

That is the definition of irony to me. One of the reasons why I exercise is for a strong heart, but yet once a year I have to be tested to make sure that my heart is strong enough so I can exercise.

Okay, then.

For all those basketball players out there...switch to boxing. It is safer.

NEXT ENTRY: November 24/2023

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ABOUT 'The Brick;

'The Brick' is a competitive boxer, training since 1982.

Political lean: None. (middle)

Personality Type (Myers-Briggs): INTJ

Education: College Diploma (Applied Arts)

Lives in: Toronto, Ontario, Canada (The Junction/Stockyards Village)

Born in: Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

Entertainment Likes: Rock music and psychological drama films

Favorite books: Fahrenheit 451, The Catcher In the Rye, Slaughterhouse-Five, Of Mice and Men, 1984

BOXING STATS

9 bouts (Boxing Ontario)
2 bouts (Ontario Boxing Association)
1 bout (Florida State Athletic Commission)

DIVISION:
Masters Novice

CURRENT WEIGHT:
74 kg (167 lbs.)

STANCE:
Orthodox (left lead)

TRAINING STATUS:
ACTIVE

TRAINING SCHEDULE:
Mon: 0900-1030
Tue: 1730 -1930
Wed. 0900-1030
Thu. 1730-1930
Fri. 0900-1100
Holidays 0900-1030

COMPETITION STATUS:
ACTIVE

NEXT SCHEDULED BOUTS:
TBA

CURRENT TEAM/CLUB:
Cabbagetown Boxing Club
Toronto

COACH:
Johnny Kalbhenn