Subject: The indominable spirit From:
Rastus
Date: 02-Sep-00 | 03:54 AM
In each championship fight, with or without a title on the line are two champions, to men who believe the victory is his. These fights are the stuff of legend - Hearns vs Leonard, Ali vs Frazier, Ike Williams vs Beau Jack. All these fights pitted two champions with consummate skill agaist each other, and the better man won.
Each young fighter holds a champion close to him, that the hero's spirit may, by some divine decree of focus, enter him, possess him, that the master's skills, his power and his indomitable will may be acquired in focused aspirations of a young fighter's imagination.
It's a spiritual passing of the torch, when past greatness becomes the lantern held before us on our trek towards beyond and what has been achieved before us.
I thought it would be inspiring for each of us to name a fight and a fighter who sticks out in our mind, some man who possessed within him the heart, the toughness, the skill and that intangible but quickly recognizable attribute of greatness, the magic presence, which shows itself in the trenches, when all the human powers must show themselves for the fight to be won.
I’ll start with Archie Moore, the old Mongoose. I’ve chosen him, partially because he was a San Diego native like myself, but he holds that aura of the crafty, durable and dangerous champion we all feel like an ember burning within us, waiting for that breath of moment for the bonfire to burn.
A few statistics are in order: he pioneered the cross armed style. He holds the record for the most knockouts, he holds the record for the oldest man at 48 to hold a World Championship Title. He first attained a world title at 39. In his epic battle with Yvon Durelle, Archie was floored three times in the first round, and a fourth time in the fifth. He never lost faith, his heart was never knocked down to the canvas. It was just a matter of getting his body back up to follow his heart and his focused eyes which were just waiting for his body to stand up and fight. He was a Christian man, he trained George Foreman, he had eight children and many grandchildren. He started his “Any Boy Can” program to take at risk kids off the street and put a better vision in their eyes.
After coming back, he returned the knockdowns to Durelle four times, finishing in the 11th round. In Archie’s own words, “This was my finest moment.”
Why this moment? He had plenty of ring victories before this. What’s so special about this fight?
He was tested in this fight, “My head is bloodied, but unbowed.” To get back up…that quality is a powerful metaphor perfectly and directly expressed by a fighter. I will not stay down, I am the champion…I am…
Durelle had this to say of the old Mongoose: “He was the best man I ever knew. I was not ashamed to lose to him. He was a champion long before he fought me.”
His wife said of her husband after his passing, “My husband set high standards for his children and for others. He was an extraordinary man who celebrated life and lived it well. We were fortunate to have him.” Yes we were, Mrs. Moore. I hope that the few people who read this post will remember a past champion, in and out of the ring and ask themselves…since greatness is in the ring for but a passing collection of seconds, how much more could be our lives should we will that greatness to every second of our many years on this earth. With that will, with that indominable spirit, what an amazingly powerful torch we can hand to each person in our lives. All life is is what we give to others. Think you’re irreplaceable? Stick your finger in a glass of water, pull it out and see how long it takes for the hole to be filled.
Though the drama of greatness puts us on the edge and shooting out of our seats while a great man is in the ring…if we aspire to match and exceed those feats of athleticism, durability and will within the layered roped square… how much more can we achieve with that will in our many years outside of that square dangerous square?
Archie Moore is a champion because of who he was, in the ring for the photographs, outside the ring without the flashing lights. It simply was him. Let us find our best and never stay down…never give in, graciously be us without bowing our head to adversity, feeling small while a giant inside us stirs… to be the best we can be, and without ever yielding….ever.
I think this is the stuff of which champions are made. It happens inside the ring and out. Let's let it happen in our lives this day...just this day! And if we can do it this day, why not tomorrow?
