Most consider Sugar Ray Robinson to be the greatest boxer of all time.  He had the perfect mix of power, speed, and skill.  We may never see another fighter like him again.

Yet despite his amazing talents, this entry is not about Ray Robinson’s accomplishments.   Such accomplishments have already been discussed here several times before.  Within this entry, I’d like to instead highlight the video below.  Within it, you will see a brief compilation of Robinson’s training.

The clip begins with a summary of his training regimen.  He describes going to bed early while in training camp.  He also mentions running each morning and training in the gym with a variety of calisthenics, boxing, and rope work.  His training was simple yet highly effective.  You won’t see any of the fancy gadgets that litter today’s industry.

When the greatest fighter in the world thrived on the basics, it should serve as a message to all.  Don’t stray too far from the sport itself. As a fighter, nothing compares to the fundamentals of sparring, bag work, mitt work, etc.

In addition, I’ve had several questions come in over the past few months about what equipment is necessary to start a boxing gym.   Once again, Ray Robinson offers a prime example of what is needed to start a gym.  It isn’t the fancy equipment that develops fighters.  The best gym in the world could be an empty warehouse if there were quality sparring partners found within.  Fighters learn by working with experienced trainers and by sparring with other experienced fighters.  From an equipment standpoint, one can do quite well with the basics.

As a younger fighter, there was a time when I trained in the basement of a housing project.  We didn’t even have a ring.  We sparred in an open area and did our best to stay off the ropes (which were actually cement walls).  Below is a picture of me there (white shirt) from back in the 1990′s.

We had two heavy bags hanging, a few jump ropes, a speed bag and a medicine ball.  My trainer also had an old pair of mitts.  We’d spar, hit the bags, hit the mitts and work through our calisthenics and rope work.  We’d also run laps outside.  That was the extent of the gym.  It was as low-tech as anything you’ll ever see yet we had some very good fighters in the gym at that time.

In summary, the people within the gym often make the gym, more so than any piece of equipment.  This isn’t to say that equipment cannot be useful, but just a reminder that you can get a boxing gym up and running without an extensive facility.  You’ll likely accumulate equipment as the months pass, but you can certainly thrive on the basics.  Ray Robinson offers perhaps the greatest example of all.

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