MAMEWorld Forums - The Loony Bin - Re: Is there anything left I'm not too old for?

> Got my bell rung bigtime today, and only by luck did I save face. I train regularly,
> but never fight... just to stay in shape. Today, a guy about half my age and a head
> taller wanted to spar with me. I haven't sparred in years... so I'm like, what the
> hell, right? It might be fun, and I'll just stay out of his way and see how long I
> can go. Gatinha's not here to talk sense into me, so I glove up.
>
> Half way through the second round I am WINDED... I could not breath. Then it
> happened, we both threw literally simultaneous devastating punches to the face, and
> we both connected solid, but he knocked me back with stars in my eyes... I literally
> heard a popping noise and saw sparklers everwhere, and as I was reeling backwards I
> saw him reeling backwards too. I could hear people cheering, because it must have
> been something to watch. Though our punches may have been exactly landed at the same
> time, he caught my jaw perfectly, and I was spinning. I was having a hard time
> focusing and I knew I couldn't go on. All I could think about was to protect my face
> from what I was sure would be the follow-up knock-out punch, but it never came. I was
> trying hard to focus as the ref called us each to our corners. I thought for sure it
> was because the ref could tell I wouldn't be able to defend myself anymore, so I
> tried to walk to my corner with as much dignity as I could while the floor was moving
> all around under my feet, knowing there's no way I could continue. I was just this
> side of knocked-out, and I knew I was beat. He rang my bell good.
>
> Then they called the fight, and I thought I had lost because I wasn't able to focus
> on what was going on. When I got a good focus on what was really going on, the other
> guy had a gushing bloody nose, and they called it because of him! Wow. Everyone's
> patting me on the back and giving me props for taking out the young guy. And he comes
> over with cotton up his nose all like, "Good fight man, I thought I could take you,
> but you got me good." I kept it to myself that I was too winded to carry on even
> before the last punch, and then he damn near knocked me out entirely and only by pure
> luck that he got a bloody nose did I not go down in flames.
>
> I left the gym with everyone fist bumping me, and asking about a rematch. No Way.
> Anybody paying attention would have noticed he cleaned my clock.
>
> Yeah... too old for yet another thing. Don't know what I was thinking. Whew.

Not that I'm one to be taking advice from, in that of all things, but I'd say the best you could do if you're giving it up is make sure you see him again, and tell him what you didn't.

But then, I just spent the night watching movies featuring Bob Hope, Kirk Douglas, and Harry Carey as young men. They might be influencing my thought processes.