It's On!!!

I arrived in Florida this morning, beautiful weather…what an oasis from the cold and snow up in Toronto. It almost felt like I’m vacationing here for a second…but I quickly reminded myself that the sole reason to be here was simply – to win. While my team and I were on the way to the hotel, we passed by a giant billboard in downtown Miami that had a picture of me and Clifton on each end of the billboard which entitled champion vs champion with our country’s flags in the background. For the first time in a long while, I felt fear…the kind of fear nobody likes to talk about…fear that I have come this far and it could all end…but I kind of like the fear…means that I’m close…it means I’m ready…
We quickly checked into the hotel and headed to the press conference.
When we got to the press conference, the sports media already descended on Florida to cover the bout. Every seat was filled in the auditorium; first 8 rows were all sports journalists. The rest seemed to be a few hundred of Clifton’s adoring fans and supporters. As our promoter, Clifton and I took our seats, at the front table. First off our promoter James Jardine acknowledged everyone’s presence. Then he introduced me and asked me to walk to the podium and say a few words….I thanked everyone for coming out and the opportunity to be here and may the best man win…when it was Clifton’s turn, he was welcomed with a thunderous roar from his fans. He assured everyone that he’ll knock me out in 6 rounds or less. The media and sports reporters grilled us on questions while taking pictures and video recording us. One comment that really stood out was when Clifton was asked what strategy he would implement in this match…he replied, “I’m gonna whoop that chink’s ass! This isn’t some kung fu match it’s boxing!” followed by “ohs” and laughter from the audience. I clenched my jaw. I grabbed the microphone in front of me and turned to Clifton and replied, “You ever get your ass whooped by an Asian dude before…trust me it hurts!” The audience was getting amped up. This is America they love drama…they love controversy. The rest of the press conference was nothing more than trash talking from Clifton’s mouth to a point where his voice became an annoyance to me.
We checked back into the hotel room, stepped on the scale and weighed 148 lbs….1 point over the limit. I sat 45 minutes in the sauna alone trying to sweat out the last pound off. I thought of the comments he made at the press conference, words of encouragement from my friends and recent events that happened in Toronto. All those thoughts made me nervous, angry, determined and confused all at the same time.
I spent the rest of the day relaxing on the beautiful sunny beaches. Weather is perfect not too hot not too cold. People here seem to be more friendly…many approached me and asked where I’m from…what I do and what I like…all of them said I look familiar as though they’ve seen me somewhere before…I also overheard somebody’s conversation on how Clifton was going to kill that kid coming from Canada to fight him. As I heard it I smiled. It gives me more motivation to prove them all wrong.
The evening was the weigh-ins. Again all the media and fans were taking pictures as we tipped the scale. He weighed in at 146.5 lbs while I was 147 lbs on the dot. He walked up to me flashed his abs and said, “I’m ready pretty boy…are you?” He walked closer to me until his face was an inch or two away from mine. The crowd went crazy with roars and screams as camera flashes lit up the whole stadium. He stared viciously into my eyes and muttered “You’re fighting the best muthafucka out there…you know that right? You ready to die?” I stared furiously into his eyes “If you even dream of beating me you’d better wake up and apologize.” He took a step back and said “Fuck you!” and gave me the finger and walked off the stage. The crowds chanted his name and were going berserk as they see the tension between me and Clifton erupts. Everyone was eager to see tomorrow’s match and it seems like we got the whole city buzzing about the match.
When I headed back to my hotel room, I sat in the middle of the bed. All the camera flashes were hurting my eyes to the point where time I blink I see another flash…I promised myself no matter how much Clifton gets under my skin with the comments he makes…win or lose I’ll shake his hand at the end of the fight and have a drink with him at the after party.
Boxing requires a delicate balance…accepting the embrace of those closest to you while stealing the force of your opponent that seek to destroy you. But as months become weeks, the countdown to urgency spawns tension and that balance begins to skew…whether you’ve been to this point many times before or traversing unfamiliar territory…as the fight draws near pressure further intensifies…fueled the desire to win or simple instinct to survive...its been said that in this ring the truth will eventually find you…for Kelton and Clifton the moment of truth is looming…24 hours until the opening bell sounds and a fire stoke through months of training ignites with a hellish flurry…24 hours until the balance between rage and humanity to disappear….
But meanwhile this fight isn’t just a stepping stone for the Olympics anymore…it’s for honor and pride…