One of the more fascinating components of boxing is the way that fighters prepare themselves mentally to compete. Entering the ring alone to fight requires the sort of courage and focus that competitors in the “stick and ball sports” can only dream of. Individual fighters have diverse methods of getting “in the zone” immediately before a fight–sometimes you’ll see them shadow boxing with a hooting and hollering entourage around them. Other fighters will engage in quiet meditation or prayer. Some fighters are animated and talkative in pre-fight interviews, while others are reserved and focused. Obviously these pre-fight rituals are a very personal and important part of the preparation process and there’s definitely not a “right” or “wrong” approval.
This pre-fight emotional and psychological preparation moves from the realm of the private to the public during the ring entrance. More specifically, a fighter’s choice of ring entrance music is a fascinating glimpse into his mindset heading into the ring and, in some cases, reveals the deeper recesses of his personality. Sometimes fighters enter the ring with a predominance of generic hip hop entrance songs or dreadful “nu-metal”. For many Mexican boxers, the mariachi band is the default choice for their ring walk soundtrack. Still, many ring entrances are particularly memorable for their musical component–good, bad, or just downright bizarre. We’ll start our series on fighter ring entrance music with a look at the best of the bunch:
Fighter/Fight: Bernard Hopkins, vs. Oscar De La Hoya 9/18/04
The Song: “My Way” by Frank Sinatra
Fighter/Fight: Lennox Lewis, vs. Mike Tyson 6/8/2002
The song: “Crazy Baldheads” by Bob Marley
Floyd Mayweather, Jr. The self proclaimed “Pretty Boy” has such insane skills that he could wear a dress to the ring. For his fight against Diego Corrales, Mayweather entered the ring to the mellow sounds of Stevie Wonder’s “Overjoyed”.
Do you know of any good entrance songs? Next topic will be bizarre clothing.
