Fight game hard work
ROHAN MURDOCK’S ROAD TO GLORY HASN’T BEEN EASY, AS CONNOR O’BRIEN REPORTS
TRAINING up to three times a day. Sticking to a strict diet and weight management program. Financial struggles.
It’s the life of a boxer that often goes unnoticed.
“A lot of people after the fights, they will see the glamour, they will see you win, they will see all these lights and think that’s what it is but behind the scenes it is very hard to make it,” said Gold Coast boxer Rohan Murdock.
The 25-year-old this week returned from a trip to Corpus Christi in the US where he dealt with a high pressure, make or break contest.
Win against Frankie Filippone and keep moving up in the boxing world, or lose and have his WBO super middleweight world title dream crushed.
As it turned out Murdock took the honours in convincing fashion, needing only four rounds to secure victory via technical knockout. It afforded him the chance to celebrate and enjoy a short break.
But in the back of his mind, he knows the hard yards are only just around the corner once more.
THE LONG ROAD
Next up is a fight in April or May on the undercard of world champ Gilberto Ramirez. Success there should set up a title showdown against Ramirez on the Gold Coast in September.
“It’s what you make it really,” Murdock said of the lifestyle involved.
“It’s a very, very hard sport. I’m into running and swimming and other sports and there is just nothing that compares to the of boxing.
“It is physically very demanding, and mentally. And if you are not fighting at that highest level, money-wise it is not there so it is a struggle.
“We’ve got a lot of sponsors and supporters that help us but without that it makes it even harder.”
WHAT’S INVOLVED?
A regular training schedule will see Murdock do running fitness in the morning, strength or swimming during the middle of the day and boxing specific work in the afternoon.
In between, he’s busily looking after his diet to ensure he’s being fuelled with energy while avoiding sugars and fats.
Oats and fruit are common for breakfast; chicken and vegies during the day; and more protein on the dinner plate.
“It’s very strict because I am making 76kg (the maximum cut-off for super middleweight) and I am walking around at 83kg,” Murdock said. “And that’s when I am dieting like that.”
Murdock’s training regime is generally repeated from Monday to Saturday, with Sunday a usual rest day.
“Without your seventh day recovery, you’re not doing next week,” he said.
“If you are smashing it session after session after session it is a lot of wear on your body so you try to constantly recover any way you can. A lot of ice baths, all your proteins and everything like that.”
A ‘NORMAL’ LIFE
Nonetheless, Murdock says he does still get a chance to be a normal 25-year-old every now and then.
“Usually what happens is you have a fight and then you have a month or so off … just all of the pressures of having a fight, you need to have some time to chill out,” he said.
“Before fights I can’t go out drinking with my friends and that but we do other things.
“We go out and do active stuff. We’ll surf, we’ll hang out, we’ll go for dinner, we’ll do stuff like that. And then after a fight I will have a few drinks with them.”