Ep 049 - How Larry Holmes Became His Own Boss

Last week Mike Mittman joined Sensei Hoover and Steve Mittman. Mike shared his unique insight and some rare stories about Larry Holmes. He talked about the boxing legend’s struggle against the odds to become the Hall of Fame Heavyweight Champion we now know him as. Part of his rise to the top included being a sparring partner for Muhammad Ali, Joe Frazier, and Earnie Shavers. But “The Champ” eventually realized to live his dream he would need to become his own boss and prevent getting “sparring partner syndrome.”

The sparring partner mentality is an example of how consistency dictates results. We talked before about how powerful consistency is — good or bad. When a boxer consistently "holds back" in the gym (because that might be his job as a sparring partner), they tend to not be able to push into high gear in an actual fight. Although at that point it’s not necessary to hold back — that limiting mindset kicks in — as a result of constant repetition.

This week, in this special several-part series, key takeaways include:

A sign of leadership is to be humble
Be confident and humble at the same time
Immediately after Larry Holmes defeated Muhammad Ali, hear what they had to say to each other in the dressing room
Mike Mittman talks about Bruce Lee, while Sensei Hoover brings up how he was another icon that rose to the top against all odds
It takes a bigger man to walk away from conflict than it does to fight — in line with an earlier episode’s discussion on there’s no need to act tough
There's a time for learning and simply doing what you're taught, and there's a time to think outside of the box to take what you’ve learned, make it your own, and improve it — just as Larry Holmes did