In this final entry of his blog, Tony "The Tiger" Thompson gives his thoughts on the championship experience as well as his future plans.
By the way, Thompson is slated to be a guest on "The Ballroom Boxing Report" tomorrow morning on ESPN 1300 AM in Baltimore. The show, hosted by Scott Wagner and Scotty Crouse, begins at 9 AM ET and can also be heard on www.espn1300.com and -- for the first time -- on www.GoFightLive.tv. You can also see classic Ballroom Boxing bouts on GoFightLive.tv.
Hello fellow bloggers and blog readers. No one asked me to write this addition but I found it therapeutic and I am hoping it has the same effect because if I ever needed therapy it would be now but since I still can’t afford it this will have to do. (See its working already)
I’m now of course at home and have been getting a lot of positive feed back of a lot of “atta boys” and we will get him next time. (Why do people always say we? “We” don’t have the headaches or the gash over our eye or look we’ve been in a car accident! Lol.) I do appreciate the support and pep talks. I just can’t feel them just yet.
I feel like I had a dream that my heart held but never actually grasped and had to let go. I don’t know if that makes any sense to anybody the only thing I can compare it to is that high school girl that we wanted but realized she had a boyfriend or and was crushed but to the tenth power to say the least I am hurting.
But as I sit and write I have to admit I am feeling a little better sometimes you have to look at the things you do have instead of the things that you don’t have (Sounds like I am talking to my wife) and I realize that I was blessed to have that opportunity and blessed to get out of there alive! Damn!!!!
I was blessed to have people take a healthy interest in me and finally get to see me fight for the first time and see I was not a fictional character that some one told them about like some kind of a Bigfoot (even though I do have big feet). So having come to all of these conclusions, I think I am ready for my next act. You have heard of Bruce Lee in the Return of the Dragon? Well I am going to be Bruce “Tee” in the “Return of the Tiger.” I can see it now I come back after a few weeks off. Of course I have some promises to keep to the little ones and the wifey pooh. After that I begin an extensive and intensive training, then I knock off some very worthy opponents -- maybe three or four -- then I get to meet the monster that stopped my very impressive streak of wins. Again, I won’t give you the ending because I want you to watch, but I will give you a hint -- the good guys always win in the sequel, so stay tuned.
Now on a more positive note I don’t want this letter to sound too much like a suicide note. I had a great time in Hamburg, Germany. Don’t get me wrong I love the USA of course and Im never leaving the DMV area but Hamburg was special. First of all the weather was crazy you go over there in July you expect to be hot but if feels like a nice warm fall day with just the right amount of breeze. The city did have its fair share of raining, but what place doesn’t this time of year. Then the people were awesome! You would think that they would be mad at you for coming to try and take their champ’s belt, but I had a surprising amount of fans and supporters. It was crazy! Even the people that didn’t want me to win seemed like they loved me. They were very passionate. We had open workouts at one of their biggest sport stores called Kardstadt (don’t ask me to pronounce that but I thought it was great to go out there) both fighters interacted with the fans and let them see you in your routine at least parts of it and take pictures. You would be surprised how many people wanted my autograph. I know you would have been because I was. It was incredible! Everywhere I went people would recognize me and stop me and ask me to take a picture with them and their kids or mate.
When one person stopped me, the floodgates opened. Everyone would run over and it seemed liked everyone had a damn camera and at first I would be in a crowd I would say the German phrase “ Ich Ben Kin Basketball Spieler” because last time I came to fight Luan Krasniqi everyone mistook me for a a basketball player. So I would let the crowd gather and I would say that really loud for everyone to hear (by the way, the phrase means “I am not a basketball player”). The people were very knowledgeable about what was going on and who I was and the fifty-foot likeness of me and Wladimir didn’t hurt either. They remembered me from last year and they were anticipating my return so no matter where I went I was mobbed. People even started to ask my brother for his autograph thinking he was me, of course. I had to use that to my advantage a few times with some very timely escapes because the crowd will not let you go and I wanted to accommodate everyone’s wish. But that was impossible because we had other obligations and I had to eat and rest and work out sometimes. I had to pull the okey doke but it was all in fun. Even the crowds had fun with it when they realized that my brother was not me (even though I wish I could have tagged his ass in about the tenth round. On second thought I couldn’t do that to my man I don’t think.) But the people where genuinely excited about seeing me which was pumping me up even more than I already was.
The craziest thing was when this man said, “He wanted to have a baby for me.” I didn’t stick around for him to try. I quickly exited that part of the crowd and the Africans would come up and grab me and say “Tony” in that deep African voice “You must kill him! And I would say “no man, that’s too much. I just want to knock him out for 15 seconds or so!” (15 seconds because we were in Germany and you never can tell) I’d say okay. Just win man. They were extreme. Believe it or not, man, I had to get security! Yes, that’s right, security. My man Nate hired a big ass dude named Reggie. Now I have always been the type to go where I want when I want. At first, I was a little naïve about needing a bodyguard, but as we got closer to the fight, I understood his purpose and was glad he was there not so much in terms of I thought I was in danger but it was hard to do anything without being interrupted even go to out and have something to eat. Reggie did a great job of being a gentleman yet keeping some sort of boundaries while I was busy not to mention he made a great scapegoat because I tried my damndest to give everyone an autograph and picture, but as soon as he saw that I was getting tired or overwhelmed, he stepped in and took the heat while getting me back to the hotel. So the people might not have liked Reggie to much but my wife and I loved him.
But, all in all, despite the outcome of the fight, I must admit I had a good time. I'm not through in this sport. I will be champ of the world! So thanks blog world. I'll see you after Disney World.
Big Guy, you did a helluva job in Hamburg. You went 11 rounds with a heavyweight champion and have nothing to be ashamed of. Seeing that you had very little amatuer experience, you carried yourself well. Now you have tasted the "Big time", so you will do much better when you get your next shot.
ReplyDeleteI spent four years fighting in Europe as an amatuer boxer, while I was in the military; they love african-american boxers there (they paid us very well too.) and the country is great, but they water is terrible. I know you found that out. Anyway, look froward to seeing you get another shot within a year.
Note: When you fight European fighters, put pressure on them. They are straight up boxers and don't respond to pressure well at all..