Why I Said Yes To A Boxing Match

Soooo I said yes to a boxing match. No headgear, 3:00 rounds. Bigger opponent. Lotta people have been asking why? My answer has just been "why not?" But I figured I’d lean into the thought process of why I actually said yes! 

I’ve always tried to hold a couple of core values: say what you mean, mean what you say, and tough people do tough things. So when the offer came up, I knew I had to step up. If I believe in that, then when I say I’d be up for a fight, it’s only right I actually step into the ring.

Why I said yes

When I was first approached about a boxing match, there was definitely a part of me that was nervous. I think that’s normal. You’re talking about walking into a ring one-on-one with another person and testing yourself in a completely different environment. But at the same time, that’s exactly what intrigued me about it. It’s exciting. It’s scary. It’s unpredictable. And honestly, I think there’s something really powerful about saying yes to opportunities that make you feel all three of those things at once.

A different kind of challenge

What interests me most is how similar, yet different, it is to CrossFit®. In CrossFit®, it’s often you versus the workout. You prepare for movements, time domains, strategies and outputs. Boxing feels different because now you’re preparing for another human being. There’s another person in front of you trying to solve the same puzzle, and that creates a completely different level of pressure and preparation. It becomes a chess match. There are unknowns that you can’t fully control, and I think that challenge is something I’ve become really excited by.

Controlling what I can

Mentally, my approach is pretty simple. I’m not trying to obsess over how good my opponent might be. I can’t control that. What I can control is how prepared I become. My job now is to SHOW UP as the absolute best version of myself. That mindset has honestly helped me a lot throughout my athletic career. Focus on your lane, prepare properly, trust the work and live with the result.

The interesting part is that my preparation for this fight will probably look a little different depending on how my CrossFit® season shapes up. Right now, I’m one week out from competing at the Torian Pro trying to punch my ticket to the CrossFit Games. If I don’t qualify, then I’ll likely roll straight into a full boxing camp after XENOM and spend the next couple of months fully focused on the fight. If I do qualify for the Games, then it adds another layer entirely. It could mean balancing some boxing prep while I’m overseas in America preparing for the Games, before coming back to Australia and locking into a hard four-week fight camp.

The real reason I'm doing it

At the end of the day, I think this whole thing comes back to growth. I’m excited to learn something new about myself. I’m excited to be uncomfortable again. And honestly, I want my kids to see that. I want them to see that you can be scared of something and still do it anyway. Too many people wait until they feel fully ready before they take a chance on something meaningful, but I don’t think life works like that. Sometimes you just have to say yes, prepare as hard as you can and figure it out along the way.

Will it all go perfectly? Maybe not. But I know I’ll come out the other side with experience, lessons and a version of myself that’s grown from doing something difficult. 

And I think there’s real value in that.