The Prize Fight: Preparing to Face Life's Biggest Battles

By Clayton McCombe

Have you ever felt beat down by life? Like you're in a fight that you had no chance to prepare for and have no clue how to get through? So many times we're caught off guard by the trials in our life, and it causes us to fight out of fear instead of purpose. We spend our time searching for quick fixes to better ourselves, but we fall to doubt and discouragement when we can't see the benefit to our battles. The Prize Fight is not a book about avoiding the battle or being victorious in the battle, but about finding value in the midst of the battle. It's about adjusting your focus from simply making it out of life struggles to growing within them. You must be open to change and willing to challenge yourself before you will ever find success in life's trials. Walk with author, Clayton McCombe, as he uncovers the importance of preparing for battles through the eyes of a fighter. Learn to identify the type of battle you are facing and the secret of where your true strength lies. Find out what it takes to train and discipline yourself to be ready for anything that life throws at you. It's time that you stop allowing your battles to define you and start letting them refine you! It's time to create your legacy in The Prize Fight!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: May 22, 2016
• ISBN: 9781681971766

Book preview

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The

Prize

Fight

Preparing to face life’s biggest battles

by Clayton McCombe

ISBN 978-1-68197-175-9 (paperback)

ISBN 978-1-68197-176-6 (digital)

Copyright © 2016 by Clayton McCombe

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods without the prior written permission of the publisher. For permission requests, solicit the publisher via the address below.

Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.

296 Chestnut Street

Meadville, PA 16335

www.christianfaithpublishing.com

Printed in the United States of America

Table of Contents

Introduction

Shadow Boxing

Sparring

The Face-Off

The Weigh-In

Move Your Feet

Get off the Ropes

Take a Knee

Who Is in Your Corner?

Take One to Get Two

Go to theScorecards

About the Author

Introduction

When I was three years old, I was diagnosed with Alagille syndrome. It is a disease that can affect the liver, heart, and kidneys. There were very few cases of it when I was growing up, so a lot of the treatment was trial and error. One of my first medical records from UCSF showed that I was a walking time bomb, since my cholesterol count was at 1,016. It was a miracle that I hadn’t had a heart attack before my fourth birthday. I can’t imagine how hard it was for my parents, not really understanding the disease and what could be done to treat me. I’m certain they were just happy that I was alive. I spent a good portion of my childhood traveling back and forth to UCSF hospital for testing, lab work, and new studies. With my health being a priority, there was no room for much else on my plate. I mean if I could just graduate, be a good man, and make a living for myself, I would be light years ahead of what they were told I could do. The plan was to get me as far along as they could while the specialists searched for a way to keep me going. Being sick can take a toll on you no matter how old you are. I would oftentimes scratch myself until I would bleed, and I battled my parents every night with that nasty medicine I had to drink. It was frustrating, time consuming, and often times painful; but through it all, my family did everything to give me he gift of normalcy. That might not sound like much, but when your world is upside down, normal is amazing!

My dad gave me my first pair of boxing gloves at the age of three, and I never looked back. I was in the gym since I was six years old, and I had my first amateur fight on my eighth birthday. Being in a boxing ring was always special to me because it was one of the closest times I had with my father. He has told me many of times over the years that he was simply scared that he would lose me, and he just wanted to make sure I was a tough kid. Everyone always saw me as a little, fragile, and sick kid; but in the ring, it was different. The ring gave me a place to get everything I was going through out of my system. I trained all the time; I would work out with kids much bigger than me, stronger than me, and more skilled than me. I learned that it wasn’t just about physical strength, but when I stepped into the ring, it was about how mentally strong I could be. Was I able to out think my opponent? Was I able to see his weakness and exploit it? Was I able to understand my own weaknesses and cover them up? Boxing wasn’t just a sport to me, it was my life. It’s where I felt alive. No one judged me on my sickness because in the ring we were all equal. The other great thing about boxing; it united my family. Even though my mom and dad were divorced, I can remember my mom and sister coming to my fights. Boxing was everything that was good in my life, and it just so happened that I was pretty good at it. It was in the ring where boxing lessons met life lessons, and I learned how the art of taking on life’s toughest challenges.

It’s been decades since I’ve stepped in a ring to compete, but I can remember it like it was yesterday. As I grew older, I developed a personal relationship with God, and I’ve taken those concepts into my everyday life. I have good days, and I’ve had bad days; I’ve failed more times that I can count, and I’ve had a few successes as well. The trials never seem to stop coming and every time I’ve thought that I have been through the worst; I’m met by a bigger challenger. I’ve walked through the fires of addiction, anger, broken relationships, sickness, and disease. There have been more than a few times that I just wanted to call it quits, but I always come back to the fight. No matter what I’m going through, I have to keep reminding myself that there is something bigger on the other side. Even through my most recent challenge, Polycystic Kidney Disease (PKD), I know that the battle will be hard; but the reward will be worth it. Life is not going to slow down for any of us, so it is time to stop waiting for a break and time to figure out how to fight. My hope is that this book will help some people in the midst of their toughest battles. I want to encourage you all, that no matter what lies ahead you can overcome! The Prizefight is a fight with something on the line. I pray that this book gives you guidance through life’s toughest battles.

Shadow Boxing

Every fighter, no matter if they are an amateur or professional, knows about shadow boxing. It is a basic concept in training; fight