The ups and downs of 2009 continued to up and down in a suitably confusing manner. Originally I was supposed to be fighting Dan Edwards, then I wasn’t, then he wasn’t, then we both weren’t, then I was again... against someone else. Confused? So was everyone who I tried to explain it to. Last Monday I got a call from a slightly stressed Ross Pointon asking if I would want to fight Steve Douglas from Team Machine – he was originally on the card in an 80kg catchweight fight but was prepared to fight at 84kg, so in principle it seemed straightforward, until I hopped on the scales and weighed 86.6kg. Now I realise this is a small amount of weight to cut but it was a same day weigh in which makes it unwise to sweat off the weight so Mr Carbohydrate had to go and instead I made close friends with Mr Wheat Bran-Fibre and my toilet... I shan’t go any further with that aspect of the cut. Lewis James from Leicester Shoot gave me some great advice and I weighed in at 2pm Saturday at 83.6kg feeling absolutely fine. How he found the time to help me out I don’t know as he’s working 19 hour days at the moment!!!
At the weigh in I got on the scales, weighed 83.6kg got off and started drinking my Lucosade only to be called back to weigh in again so they could video it for proof for ‘Team Machine’ when they arrived. This time 83.8kg. I carried on sipping my Lucosade and had a bite to eat... only to be called back again as ‘Team Machine’ had arrived. On the scales again – this time 84.0kg, phew! Glad I didn’t get stuck into my chicken pasta too quick! Stare down and photos were done then back to Cookie’s house for some food and a relax in front of the rugby.
On the way back to venue Ross rang me to ask why I’m was not at the rules meeting. Simply put the traffic was awful, but the real delay was trying to find the warm up area in the rabbit warren that is The Queen’s Theatre. It’s also colder inside that it is outside. Medicals completed all I had to do then is to kill time till the warm up... some 5 hours away at that point. An iPod can only entertain you for so long. Thankfully Pep, Jon and Will turned up to provide some company and conversation. During this time I felt strangely detached from the event. I couldn’t muster up any adrenaline and was completely nerve free. This may seem like an advantage but I was worried in case all the adrenaline came at once just before the fight, which would be a very bad thing. I’m good at keeping calm but this was ridiculous, I may as well have been going for a stroll in the park rather than getting in a cage to fight another man in front of over a thousand people!
We went down to watch a few fights and enjoyed the crowd’s reaction to the local lads’ appearances. A great atmosphere had built up and some of the lads were really hyped up going out. This did the trick in tickling my adrenal gland and I had a brief ‘jelly leg’ moment when it dawned on me that I’d be making the same journey in a few short hours.
Back upstairs I gradually warmed up and stretched off. Then I had a light roll with Jon and hit the pads with Pep. We talked through our basic gameplan and ran over a few bits and pieces. Then we got called to go down. Walking down the stairs the crowd noise got louder and louder and that adrenal gland kicked in a little again. We got backstage and watched the previous fight finishing off with the crowd going crackers with a local lad Ian Thomas fighting. Stood there in the dark I wondered again why I wasn’t nervous, but shrugged it off and tried to focus on how I was going to start the fight. Ian Freeman came on the mic “Ladies and Gentlemen are you ready for the professionals?”, crowd screams, “In the blue corner, fighting out of Grindhouse Fight Team in Burton... lets hear it for Dave Bownds!”
Smoke machine, ring girls, music, walk out and hear Cookie and his mates.. “Come on Bowndsy!” Cage door, hoody and t shirt off, shake hands with Pep and Jon, walk to corner, Marc Goddard checks box, gumshield, fingernails and gloves. Pep talking to me from the corner, I’m listening but I’m not. The lights are bright and I notice silly little things like a loose bit of tape on the padding and wonder why the ring girl is grabbing the cage (doesn’t she know it’s illegal?). I smile wryly to myself and try and focus. Steve enters the ring, Ian Freeman shakes my hand and says “Good luck” smirk inwardly because I half expect him to add “cos you’ll need it...” but of course he doesn’t. Marc calls us in and runs through some rules. Again I’m listening but I’m not, Steve looks nervous and I wonder if I do too, so I look him in the eye and I think I see him falter slightly... or is it adrenaline?
Ding, ding round one. Touch gloves separate. First jab snaps his head back and I immediately feel confident. Second lands sort of. I throw a 1-2 and he reacts with a combination I back away covering up and we separate again. I throw another 1-2 and he clinches pushing me against the fence. I counter with a heel trip and we go down, I think I’ve got control but he starts to scramble up, I pressure him and I fall into his guard. I control his hips and posture up and try to throw an elbow which misses, I try a few more shots and push him up against the fence. From here I land a couple of solid shots, one of which seems to cut his forehead, though it may be blood from his nose. He spins for a leg and I drill him with a few more heavy shots... he’s a brave lad cos he doesn’t cover up. Eventually we end up stood up again. We exchange a few more times and I’m landing more jabs and the odd right hand again we clinch against the fence this time me pressing him and there is a slight pause, I can hear his breathing over mine and it occurs to me that he is tiring.
Read Part 2 here