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A Day In The Life of Bobby Gunn

posted by Kathleen Holland on June 15, 2008, in Punch Lines By Judi Abate

By Judi Abate
Boxing Diva

One thing you can never accuse Bobby Gunn of being is lazy. Bobby Gunn ( Former IBA Cruiserweight champ and Light Heavyweight challenger) is a well tuned boxing machine and all one needs to see proof of this is a peek into his rough and tough training regimen. Be it home in New Jersey or at an out of the way training camp Bobby is always training. Training to Bobby comes as natural as breathing does to the rest of us. He never actually stops training and forget about a vacation, playing hooky or taking shortcuts during his time at the gym it just won't happen. When he does take a day off, it is usually Sunday but even then his mind is still racing with thoughts of what he has to do and work on the next time he's in the gym. I have never known someone so dedicated to their craft that they literally live and breathe it 24 hours a day the way that Bobby does. This is a true example of an exceptional work ethic and more boxers would be advised to follow suit if they desire to be world champions.

What is even more amazing to me is that Bobby enjoys this stringent workout and you will never hear a complaint out of him about any part of his program. Just thinking about all Bobby does gives me a headache. As to my inquiry about why his workout is so intense Bobby responded, "In boxing you have to make sacrifices. If it was easy everyone would do it." Which speaks volumes for the brawn behind the man.

Curious to know exactly what a day in the life of Bobby Gunn consisted of I asked him for a run down of his daily activities. “I actually have 2 schedules, a regular one I use when I'm home and working at my day job and the other is specific to training camp.” I'm up at 5 am every day ( 6 days a week) I go for a 3-5 mile run then shower and have breakfast ( It's usually orange juice with raw eggs, tuna fish and water or some fresh fruit.) Then I either head to my day job ( painting houses) or if I'm in training camp I will rest awhile and then head off to the gym. After my day job, I have dinner ( tuna fish, steak, a low calorie protein shake or pasta) and then go to the gym for 2 hours, afterwards I head home and end the night with an hour walk to digest my food, meditate and pray, shower and in bed no later than 10pm. In training camp I go to the gym twice, once for sparring and conditioning and then cardio work in the evening. Basically they're pretty much the same." commented Bobby. He did add that he takes Sunday's off for family time, church, and relaxing. Thank Goodness.

Most people believe training consists of boxing and nothing much else but that isn't the case. There is physical training, exercising, running/roadwork, diet management, and drinking plenty of water to stay hydrated. There are so many things a boxer has to do in order to prepare for a fight. A lot of hard work takes place behind the closed door of gyms all around the world.

Bobby definitely has an "old school" mentality when it comes his training. This is apparent in some of the exercises he does daily. When today's boxers are into lifting weights, swimming, fancy massages and using strength coaches, you can find Bobby swinging a sledge hammer on a tractor tire which helps upper arm development, lifting a 40 pound weight by his teeth to strengthen his neck muscles, having his sparring partner stand on top of the ring ropes and drop a medicine ball onto his stomach for at 2 or 3 minutes non stop or jumping on a tractor tire which I have been told by Bobby is harder than skipping rope. He also believes that old school training make harder men. Bobby Gunn is definitely not a pampered or spoiled boxer. He is a manly man, Rocky Balboa come to life right in front of your eyes. “There’s nothing a few drops of sweat can't cure." should be Bobby's motto. Even on the occasions when he has trouble sleeping he will get up, go into another room and do 200 push-ups and 200 sit-ups, take a shower and then head back to bed. Can we all say, Dammmn?

Bobby had his share of incredible trainers during his career from Freddie Roach, Chuck Mc Gregor, Joe Grier to his present trainer who goes by the name 'Terrific'. Bobby has learned something different from each one of them and is grateful for all the guidance they have showed him during his 18-3-1 ( 15 KO's) career. "I need a trainer who is a motivator. Someone who will let me go through my paces my way and when direction is needed will step up and give it to me straight. I don't have time for playing games in the gym. I do a lot of pad work with my current trainer. I'm not loving it. It's harder than sparring but when you realize that you have thrown 500 punches in a round, it feels really good. It's a confidence builder."

I wanted to know what objectives he was currently focusing on, "Most importantly I'm always tuning up my basic skills. A boxer needs a strong foundation to build upon, just like when you build a house. If you don't have a good foundation whatever you do in the gym won't mean much. I'm also working on weight management for my next bout TBA in the near future. I expect to be a strong and solid 175 for that match up. I also use the time in training to get my mind focused and to mediate and pray." replied Bobby.

Bobby Gunn's presence is one of "pure" toughness. " I look like a fighter, my personality is rough around the edges (which he doesn't apologize for in the least) and I can be very outspoken and unyielding at times. I am what I am." With his "take me or leave me" attitude you would think that Bobby would be arrogant, self-centered and smug but that isn't the case at all. When you really get to know Bobby as I have you will see that yes, he is one tough son of a gun but
even with all that ruggedness and under all those glistening and contoured muscles you will find a great big heart.

He craves the simple things in life, just as we all do; peace and contentment, continued health for his family, friends, team, even his opponents and just to live his life one day at a time wishing for the best. Whether he's in his train till you drop zone or being reflective about the future task at hand he always keeps it real. He pulls no punches in or out of the ring. Part boxing machine, part strong man and always without any doubt, Bobby Gunn, professional boxer and extremely proud of it.

*If you want to see more of Bobby in training check out www.youtube.com and search, History of Bobby Gunn. You will be pleasantly surprised.

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