Sparring Poem by Randy McClave

You can be king of the heavy bag
And the master on the punch mitts,
You can shadowbox in and around the ring
On the speed bag you can count your hundred hits.
But, if you don't ever spar,
In boxing you will not ever go far.

You can wrap your hands with fancy hand-wraps
Then you can lace on your finest shoes,
You can wear endorsed bag gloves
A motivational song on the radio you can then choose.
But, if you don't ever spar,
In boxing you will not ever go far.

In front of a mirror you can throw your jab
Then with speed and power you can toss your right,
Then you can throw your uppercuts and your hooks
All with preciseness and speed and might.
But, if you don't ever spar,
In boxing you will not ever go far.

You can enter into that 16 x 16 ring
With not one sparring session underneath your belt,
Whereas your opponent has sparred and trained in his workout
His professionalism will be seen by you, and also felt.
But, if you don't ever spar
In boxing you can't and won't go far.

Randy L. McClave