My friends and I love to talk about sports.  We’ve had the same debate for years – about the greatest boxer ever.  Luca, my 12-year-old son, even gets in on the action on this one, and he, along with many, says Mohammad Ali…all the way.  Marciano, Tyson, Mayweather, and De La Hoya got votes from a few of the fellas. They are all wrong, though.  The greatest boxer of all time amassed 57 wins, 54 of which were by knockout.  The first time he won the title was in 1976.  He lost a decision in an exhibition bout at the age of 59.  It is rare to see a competitor fight in four decades, but he did it.   

Boxing is a rough sport.  Those with the guts to get in the ring know that they will be punched in the body, head, and face.  They duck under the ropes to get into battle by their own free will.  Spectators can see the stress in their hardened faces when they trot that first lap on the canvas.  They jump up and down, staying loose.  They probably keep the body moving because adrenaline is pumping through their veins.  Even those watching feel a little bit stressed.  The fighters stare one another down before the fight, nostrils flaring—touch gloves.  “Ding,” goes the bell, and the clock starts ticking.

Three minutes of fighting.  One minute of rest.  Three more minutes of fighting.  One more minute of rest.  This process repeats 11 times.  There are up to 36 minutes of violence and 11 minutes of peace in a pro boxing match.  This can always be cut short, however.  The matches used to go 15 rounds until Ray “Boom Boom” Mancini and Duk Koo Kim nearly went the distance in 1982.  Kim died after the fight.   That was enough for Pro Boxing to shorten the time fighters were given to bash each other’s faces.  The leash that the dazed and confused have to continue fighting has also been trimmed.  Technical Knock Outs (TKO) have been far more frequent over the last 40 years. 

Chronic stress is a real thing.  For students, chronic stress stands in the way of their learning.  Kids with chronic stress face constant confusion, physical pain, and even psychological torture.  Our children who worry about eating, the safety of a caregiver, the whereabouts of a loved one, or what challenges they will face when they get home exhibit behaviors in and out of school that many adults do not well understand.  Think about this, though.  If you’ve had a time in your life in which you worried about your job, mortgage, or home, or maybe an illness in a loved one, how did it impact your mood, sleep, weight, or relationships?  Add to it the heat of today, the cost of a gallon of milk or a gallon of gas, and what you have are…tough times.  It only takes a finger in that child’s face for a desk to flip.  All it takes is a finger in your face, and you flip. 

For many of our kids life is like one big boxing match.  One round after the other, with only one difference.  They don’t get the minute of rest in between the rounds. They must keep going, carrying it around…the worry, the anxiety, and the pain.  I know there are many adults out there who experience this as well.  All stress, no rest.  I have observed this from every angle.    

To be the best educators, we have to focus on the stress our kids feel – for too much of it removes their ability to learn.  To be the best leaders, we have to focus on the stress that our colleagues feel – for too much of it takes away their ability to teach or care for kids and families.  To be the best parents we have to focus on the stress that our children feel – for too much of it takes away their ability to think about one another.  In between the rounds, a good boxer really rests – and prepares the body and mind to get back out there.  At the end of the fight the glare of hatred that existed before the bell rang often becomes a hug, win or lose.  Why do you think this is.  I think that it is because the stress is gone.  At least until the next bout.

Just ask the greatest boxer of all time.  He knocked the undefeated, much younger Mason “The Line” Dixon down in that last exhibition fight when he was 59 years old.  This was after he lost his trainer to a heart attack, his best friend and fellow boxer to a head injury sustained in a fight, and his wife to cancer.  He lost his home and riches along the way, too. The greatest boxer of all time is Rocky Balboa and everyone loved him because they could understand his stress and were always relieved at the end of the movie when all of the stress was gone.