This picture pretty much sums it up for me...When I realized the fight had been stopped at 1:06 of the 4th round during my second professional fight last Friday, May 14th in Orlando, Florida, I looked up and thanked my higher power which to me is God. This was definitely a magical moment for me as getting to that place was nothing short of a miracle...
3 weeks before my scheduled bout, an MRI revealed a stress fracture on my right foot. A few days prior to that, a kettle bell dropped on my foot making it vulnerable to further injury, however, I couldn't stop training and I kept running and pounding on that foot until I was severely limping. The podiatrist was about to put my foot in an air cast for the required 4-6 weeks! I was in tears and told him how much this fight meant to me. When you speak to someone with sincerity, chances are that you will be heard. This Doctor was wonderful and taught me how to tape my foot as well as customized all my footwear with the proper cushion to relieve the pressure of the stressed bone.
I was to lay off the pounding which meant no long distance running or jumping. I got my heart pounding fix by doing hour long speed drills on the bike & elliptical machine. I made sure to tape my foot up well before my sparring sessions and not wince too much from the ridiculous pain. I was also wearing these crazy hard plastic orthopedics in my shoe that made my feet fall asleep, however, the toughest part was keeping this quiet from just about everyone. Two weeks later, I was scheduled to participate in a tough adventure run called the "Tough Mudder" which consisted of 7 miles of trail running with 17 obstacle courses designed by the British Military.
The thought of skipping this event did cross my mind, but I knew I would have felt as I had let myself down as waiting for everything to be perfect is not my style. Taking risks is what life is all about! I went forward with this event and I am so glad I did! I ended up finishing among the top women in an excellent time and had CBS do a special feature on me (which I just got confirmation will definitely air this Wednesday, May 19th on channel 2 during the Early show from 8-9am)...
After this event though, my foot was extra sore followed by extra hours of icing and pain. The training continued and then all of a sudden the week before my fight, my bout was cancelled! The replacement was going to be a tough and very experienced Mexican fighter. My only fight as a professional was back in October last year and I definitely had doubts, but it just made me NOT want to give up this opportunity to fight again as a co-main event feature under Hector "Macho" Camacho. I see every difficulty as a challenge, a stepping stone so I can never feel defeated by anything or anyone!
The week of the fight, I was waking up each day with feelings of amazing gratitude and hope even though there were still so many things that were up in the air. I felt that the only way to survive was with dignity, pride and courage. Everything fell into place literally at the very last moment and that was when I was raising up my hands in the end...
I am eternally grateful to my wonderful corner for being there and those closest to me. Thank you for your continued support throughout my journey! Although, these challenges teach me about life and having faith & patience it is extremely rewarding to be able to share my experiences and know that they have touched people in different ways.
"Your talent is God's gift to you. What you do with it is your gift back to God."
Much Love,
Patty Boom Boom
