Chapter 63: Mentality

"Aragorn will win!"

The Cuban spectators continued to shout loudly during the match.

Someone in the audience unfurled the blue, white and red Cuban flag and waved it vigorously.

Someone placed several crocodile skin drums on the second floor, beating them hard, and a group of Cuban dancers performed a unique song and dance performance for the audience in the open space in the middle.

Especially when a group of Cuban girls in cool clothes stepped onto the ring, twisting their waists and performing Cuban tropical dances, the cheers almost lifted the roof.

"Aragorn, don't be nervous and relax in the game. We have already qualified for the Olympics. It doesn't matter if we lose. Do you understand?"

In the rest area of ​​the boxing ring, Felix Savon was doing pre-match psychological counseling with Aragon.

For an elite boxer, strong physical fitness and superb boxing skills are not enough.

There is also a more important boxing quality - mentality, which can also be called psychological quality. It can often become the key to winning a game.

Boxers with good psychological quality can exert 100% or 120% of their strength during competitions. Boxers with poor psychological quality will be very anxious before the game, develop "competition anxiety", and often perform abnormally after taking the stage.

Take Tyson for example. Although Tyson has a strong body and violent fists, people in the industry generally believe that his mental quality limits his development in boxing.

In Tyson's career, he was defeated by five people: James Douglas, Holyfield, Lennox Lewis, Danny Williams, and Kevin McBride, and he never succeeded in revenge.

In addition, in boxing matches, if each match exceeds five rounds, Tyson will start to become impatient and his condition will decline. These have a lot to do with psychological quality.

Compared with Tyson, Muhammad Ali's psychological quality is admirable. Ali was defeated by Joe Frazier, Ken Norton, Leon Spinks and others, but soon after, Ali defeated these opponents in the second round.

Ali's spirit of never admitting defeat is also one of the reasons why he is praised.

According to research by "Boxing Ring" magazine, a boxer like Ali who has a strong psychological quality is not only related to his personal growth environment, but also to the competition experience he has participated in. People who have participated in many large-scale competitions often have a good psychological quality. , which is called competition experience in the boxing world.

For example, boxing champions such as Ali, Sugar Ray Leonard, Holyfield, and Knox Lewis have all participated in the Olympics. Tyson has participated in the Olympic trials, is a two-time U.S. Youth Olympic boxing champion, and won the 1984 Golden Gloves Championship. Heavyweight champion.

These are all experiences for the competition.

If a person with no competition experience is allowed to suddenly compete in a boxing ring with thousands of people watching, his performance will not be very good.

Lorenzo Aragon has participated in many large-scale boxing competitions such as the Olympic Games, World Championships, and Pan American Games, so his mental quality is naturally not bad.

But the problem is that this is the first time for Aragon to participate in a large-scale boxing match in Cuba.

Out of this consideration, Felix Savon decided to provide more psychological counseling to his disciples before the competition to prevent him from developing ‘competition anxiety’.

"Felix, don't worry, I will definitely beat that guy and win the Americas Championship."

Lorenzo Aragon said as he wiped the sweat from his head with a towel.

"Stop! Please stop thinking like that, Lorenzo!"

Savon put his hands on Aragorn's shoulders, stared into his bright eyes and said, "Remember my request, I'm not asking you to win the Americas Championship, my request is not to get hurt, protect yourself, understand. ?"

"I understand, but I will win."

Aragorn said with a firm voice.

Savon patted him on the shoulder and encouraged him silently.

"Come on Aragorn!"

"Aragorn will win!"

shouted the surrounding Cuban boxers, pumping their fists.

——

"Link, don't be too nervous. You really don't have to be too nervous. We have already obtained the Olympic quota. This game is dispensable. What you need to do is to complete this game, no matter you win or lose."

In the red rest area, coach Ed was doing ideological work for Link again. There was nothing new in his words, they were all the same old stuff.

Link glanced at Ed, who was sweating profusely, and said with a smile: "Ed, I understand, you are the one who doesn't need to be nervous. This game only lasts 8 minutes. Maybe you can go to the toilet and wait until you come back." Of course, you can know the result without going there, because there is only one result, I am the champion.”

Coach Ed laughed.

Having been a boxing coach for decades and having more than ten years of experience as a boxing coach for the national team, Link is the strangest boxer he has ever seen. This guy debuted for less than two months. Before the qualifying round, he only Experienced more than ten amateur competitions.

But during the game, the psychological quality he displayed was astonishingly strong. No matter how large-scale the game was, no matter how strong the opponent was, he was always so confident, always so relaxed and comfortable, and always so arrogant.

Ed studied for several days, but still couldn't figure out how a rookie boxer could have such good, even abnormal, psychological quality.

After analysis by colleagues, everyone felt that he should belong to that kind of acting personality. The bigger the scene, the more open-minded he is. He is a star material.

"Okay, since you're not nervous, I won't say anything more, come on!"

Coach Ed patted his shoulder.

"Come on Link!"

"Link will win!"

Morales, Anderzej and others clenched their fists and shouted at him.

Ding ding ding!

When the opening bell rang, Link put on his braces, took off the thermal blanket on his body, moved his arms a few times in a cart-like posture, and ran and jumped onto the boxing ring.

"Aragon will win!"

"Aragon champion!"

When he stepped onto the boxing ring, the audience's shouting became clearer and brighter, deafening, but Link was not timid at all. A truly strong person is from the inside out. Even if a person faces thousands of enemies, when his heart is strong enough, thousands of enemies are like grass.

"Link!!!"

Suddenly, a sharp, high-pitched, and even slightly broken shout came from the stands.

"Champion!!"

A group of people followed and shouted.

Link turned around and saw Fatty James holding a red flag in the middle of the second floor of the audience, waving it vigorously in the air. Next to him sat hundreds of people wearing red T-shirts, including Daniel, Michael, Resas, Franco Duva, and many familiar faces.

They stood among the Cubans, waving their arms like waves, with very exaggerated movements.

"Link!!"

Fat James waved the flag and shouted.

"Champion!!!"

The group raised their arms and shook exaggeratedly again.

Link laughed, raised his fist, and waved at them.

"Aragon! Champion!!"

The Cuban audience was very dissatisfied that their voices were suppressed by a small group of Americans, and they also shouted in unison.

Link smiled lightly and looked back at his opponent Lorenzo Aragon who was walking towards him.