Watch Muhammad Al-Awadhi.
The last thing his father told him before he left Kuwait to study in the States was, "If you're going to keep boxing, don't ever talk to me again." His father thinks it's dangerous. All he knows are those Hollywood boxing matches that leave both fighters bloody. They still talk. Just not about boxing.
Watch Muhammad Al-Awadhi train. Watch him sprint up "A" Mountain.
Since he came to Arizona for his degree in geographic information systems, he's fought in 10 matches. He's won half of them. He says that's "not very good." He'll get better. Bit by bit, he already has.
Watch Muhammad Al-Awadhi get ready for a match. Watch him slice the air with his fists.
He boxes Olympic-style. It's not like what you see when you turn on the TV, the kind where a referee counts down as a guy struggles to get back up. There are points assigned based on the number of clean blows each one lands. Just because you're standing in the end doesn't mean you've won.
Watch Muhammad Al-Awadhi enter the ring. Watch him dance.
He does it for the sport, to test himself. When you're in the ring, he says, all you have is yourself. There's no "team," there's only "me." "The more you put into it, the more you get. There's no limit."
Watch Muhammad Al-Awadhi throw his first punch. Watch the fear melt away.
"You don't plan on getting punched in the face," he says. He's not really afraid of getting too hurt anyway. It's dangerous, but only if you don't know what you're doing. He's more afraid of losing. He doesn't like to lose.
Watch Muhammad Al-Awadhi lose. Watch him get up and try again.
This is all just training. He doesn't want to lose, but it's good practice. "Right now," he says, "it's not about winning, it's about experience." The real goal is Arizona Golden Gloves. He lost there once before. In March, he's going back.
Keep watching Muhammad Al-Awadhi.
