|What is fighting spirit?|
|Around the Academy:
The Academy asked one of the country's leading trainers to sum up the qualities you need to succeed in boxing.
Read on - and then decide if you've got what it takes!
Boxing's the toughest sport of all and it takes a special kind of person to succeed.
The best boxers have an aura about them that can sometimes be difficult to describe.
It's something within them - a fighting spirit. Somehow you can just tell they've got what it takes to be the best.
And it's not always about brute strength.
Dedication is perhaps the most important quality in a boxer.
If you want to be a champ, don't expect it to come easy.
You've got to be a grafter.
Physically, boxers need to be at the peak of fitness heading into a fight.
Forget even stepping into the ring otherwise!
Regardless of their size or shape, boxers have tremendous strength and stamina, combined with lightning-quick reactions.
To get all that rolled into one, you'll need to put in hours of hard work every day - on the road, in the gym and in the ring.
So be prepared for blood, sweat and tears!
Remember boxers need brains as well as brawn.
In the ring they're always looking to land that big punch. And to do that they need to be able to outsmart their opponent.
That means sizing up the other fighter and exposing their weaknesses.
Boxing's not like football where you've got 10 team-mates around you to share the burden.
When you're in the ring - you're on your own. It can be a very lonely place.
There's a yellow streak in every fighter and it takes a heart of steel to overcome that.
Bravery is a trait all the world's best boxers share.
Most boxers I've known have a one track mind. They eat, sleep and drink boxing.
They're keen to learn, to master their trade. And it's this drive and ambition that spurs them on.
You can sum it up with one word. Hunger.
They've got a burning desire to be the best.
And to be the best you need to be prepared to give your whole life over to the sport.
Remember, while the desire to succeed is great - so too are the rewards when you reach the pinnacle.
It helps when you have that in the back of your mind.