Two Cities, One Fight Camp: Lisbon and Las Vegas
Midnight Mayhem fighters trained at 7:30am in Lisbon during SBC Summit while others did the same at G2E in Las Vegas. Curfews, kit bags and a Bout 1 face-off.
At the end of September the gaming industry split in two: half of it in Lisbon for SBC Summit, the other half in Las Vegas for G2E. So did our fighters, and both camps kept training.
Lisbon: 7:30am, every morning
WBC Cares UK ran 7:30am sessions in Lisbon on the Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, with between eight and eleven fighters signed up for each. Before anyone arrived, Matt from WBC Cares UK confirmed what they were bringing for every fighter to keep: 12oz WBC Cares gloves, hand wraps, a gumshield, skipping rope, training top and mesh bag. Plus two pairs of 16s for sparring: “Get used to sweaty gloves if you go last. It’s normal on fight night.”
There were rules, too. After day one, Matt was clear: “Boxing and drinking don’t mix. If you are fighting, and that’s all of you, we expect you to be in a fit state each morning to spar. Sacrifice is part of the journey.” Alfie added a curfew: bed by 10pm. And on the Wednesday morning, Matt’s wake-up call: “Wakey wakey, rise and shine, come on baby, it’s boxing time!”
Bout 1 meets
Lisbon also brought a first: Becky Johnson-Kent and Rosa Kolkka, who open the card against each other in Bout 1, finally met in person. Rosa’s summary: “Friendly fire! Game on.”
Las Vegas: the same pain, eight hours later
Over in Vegas, Steve Mayes, Kevin Reid and Alex Pratt got their own session at G2E. Alex wished the Lisbon crew luck and looked forward “to experiencing the same pain in 8 hours”. Kev’s review: hard, especially after very little sleep. Kev also asked the important question: does the 10pm curfew count in Vegas? Rob Fell’s ruling: “10pm CET curfew for you.”
Steve’s verdict: “Great session in Vegas today.” Things are getting real. Meet the fighters and read WBC Cares UK on the Lisbon sessions.
