By John Howard: Not nearly enough credit is given to the professionals behind the scenes that enable a fighter to reach his or her full potential in the ring.
Gone are the days when fighters used to “dry out” in an attempt to make weight. Anyone remember the sauna scene in “Raging Bull?” Remember Jake LaMotta (Robert De Niro) shadow boxing in the sauna and begging for a few ice chips? It’s brutal and unnecessary in this day-and-age of sports nutrition.
Unfortunately, the boxing industry is still behind the times when it comes to weight loss and maintaining strength. In my opinion, they are still stuck in the “Dark Ages.”
A much more sensible approach would be to eat correctly and keep oneself at a stable weight between fights.
It makes me wonder how Cristobal “The Nightmare” Arreola would fair if he had the dedication to show-up for his fights at a more reasonable and consistent weight while still maintaining his strength. Arreola doesn’t lack determination in other parts of his game. Why the lackadaisical approach to his weight?
Locally, Robert Ferguson is well-known in Ventura County, Calif. as a weight-loss and wellness guru. Ferguson, MS, CN, is the founder and CEO of Diet Free Life, LLC, and one of America’s leading authorities on fat loss. Along with other professional athletes and TV personalities, Ferguson has worked with fighters Fernando Vargas, Steve Forbes, Sam Peter, Sergio Mora and Maureen Shea.
He has a doctoral candidate in sports psychology and holds certifications in personal training and performance nutrition. He has been the nutritionist and conditioning coach for professional boxers on Showtime, HBO, ESPN, as well as the television show “The Contender.”
Now on his fifth book, Ferguson is sharing his secrets for weight-loss success to the general public. Thus far, “Diet-Free For Life” has reached No. 10 on Amazon.com’s bestseller list.
“It’s great to have so many people spread the good news that we no longer have to be subject to the diet blues,” Ferguson said. “Not only are we climbing the ladder of the bestselling charts but — more importantly — we are helping many others live diet-free lives.”
With “Diet-Free For Life,” Ferguson’s goal is to achieve a “New York Times” bestseller. It was published by Perigee Books which is a division of Penguin publishing.