Hard training helps like nothing else

TT lightweight boxer Prince-Lee Isidore said being a coach has developed his skills as an athlete and he will be hoping those coaching skills will land him a victory against Mexican Emmanuel Herrera, when Lionstone Entertainment and Fine Line Fight Factory present Boxing Fury, at Chaguanas Indoor Sporting Complex, at 6.30 pm, on September 28.

Isidore, 34, will feature in the main event against Herrera in the lightweight 135-pound category. Newsday paid a visit to Isidore, while he was busy training under Bharrath Ramoutar and Ria Ramnarine, at Fine Line Boxing Gym in Chaguanas, on Wednesday.

Isidore, who last fought in February, trains every day except Saturday.

“I normally start off any day with running on my own and then at lunch time we will do some technical work...or whatever it is that the coach has structured for us to do and then back in the evening again for something additional so, it is three times a day basically.” Isidore has a record of 17 wins, three losses and one draw as a professional.

The fighter said after rigorous training over the past months he is ready for the bout. “Hard training helps like nothing else can. It gives you that confidence knowing all the work that you would have put in. If you get to put in at least 30 or 40 per cent of the work I feel like I could come out on top more than likely next week Saturday because it has been really hard training sessions...so it has just been preparation after preparation and just getting things sharper and sharper.”

Isidore, who has been a personal trainer for years, has been teaching kickboxing at Edson Breddy Taekwondo Gym since July.

The TT boxer said it is fulfilling to teach others the sport he knows. “It is all about passing on the information. To me, I get the pride of seeing people learning something that I do, that I like...I don’t try to withhold any information from anybody. I am not one who always tries to keep something secret in the bag or something special because it is really not anything special. Everybody just has their own methodologies and ways they go about it. I love giving as much information as possible based on the experience I would have had.”

The Chaguanas resident said he has also seen his personal career develop through coaching. “Being a coach now it even aids me as an athlete because you would be able to point out and especially see even more things now when you stand from a distance than when you actually one on one with an opponent.”

On his upcoming fight, Isidore said he has been doing his homework on his opponent.

“We did a little assessment...we were doing some analysis in terms of how he was in his last fight which was around April. We looked at it and we basically have a general gist of what he is about, how he comes forward as a fighter. (He has) very strong punches, not big in volume but big in power (and) he moves his head when coming in and making sure he tries to land those big shots.”

Discussing his strategy Isidore said, “Most importantly, I will need to ensure that I evade the shots, make sure I land the cleaner shots (by) trying to evade when he looks to counter because as I said, he is not a big volume fighter. What I have to make sure and do is not get caught foolishly while I am going in to try and do my work because I don’t want to get slowed down by his pace of fighting. (I need to) make sure I go in, score first, land the cleaner shots and make sure I don’t get hit with anything while I am coming back out.”