American Action Fund for Blind Children and Adults
Future Reflections Winter 2022 TESTING THE LIMITS
Forward Momentum: My Adventures in the Boxing Ring
by Dustin Cather
From the Editor: Boxing may not sound like the ideal sport for anyone, blind or sighted, but for Dustin Cather it has been an exciting challenge. Dustin serves on the board of the NFB of Illinois, and he is the youth and employment coordinator at Blind Services Association in Chicago.
I grew up in the town of Pekin, Illinois, a rural community in the center of the state. I had low vision all through school, but I managed pretty well using large print. I even took driver's education, but it turned out I didn’t have enough vision to get my license.
When I was twenty-one I noticed that I was losing even more vision. I was still trying to function as a fully sighted guy when I connected with the NFB in 2017. Finally I realized that it was okay to be blind and understood that I could be successful in life, if I learned blindness techniques. I started to use a cane, and I began to study Braille.
The martial arts fascinated me when I was growing up. I loved to watch wrestling and boxing matches, and I would study the strategies used by professional fighters. That fascination stayed with me as I got older. When the pandemic lockdown eased up in June of 2020, I decided I was ready to try something I'd dreamed of all my life. I found a gym where I could get some boxing experience firsthand.
At first I felt a bit hesitant about trying to box with a live opponent. The gym had a full-sized ring, and it was pretty intimidating. I started out by going to the gym to lift weights and work out. I had a pair of boxing gloves, and sometimes I'd try hitting a punching bag. I observed people going into the ring and sparring, and more and more I wanted to try it myself.
Eventually, I found a terrific coach named Arturo. He had been a professional boxer, and he had trained world champions in his native Mexico. Arturo had no issues about working with me as a blind boxer. We began meeting for weekly private lessons to develop my technique.
After a couple of months, I started taking group classes to work on fitness and conditioning. Sometimes at the end of class people would get into the ring to do some sparring. Sparring mimics real boxing, and theoretically nobody gets hurt. It's a way to practice the moves you might use in an actual boxing match. We wear headgear and mouth guards and throw a lot of punches.
To my relief nobody at the gym seemed to be put off by my blindness. When I walked in with my cane, no one ever told me I shouldn't spar. People were very respectful. However, some of my sparring partners admitted that getting beaten up by a blind guy would be a humbling experience.
Whether you're blind or sighted, it takes a lot of guts to get into the ring. If you're blind, though, you have some particular challenges. Typically a boxer watches their opponent and sees when punches are coming so they can block them. It's hard to block punches when you can't see what your opponent is up to. I put my hands up to guard my face, but my opponent can spot pockets of opportunity. I've never been knocked out, but I've sure been rattled a few times!
Because I can't see my opponent's moves, I have to be the aggressor. Arturo taught me to apply pressure to my opponent and build forward momentum. I keep in close range, "working from inside," as boxers put it. Working from inside places me at risk, but it also gives me some advantages. Rather than trying to adjust to my opponent, I make my opponent adjust to me.
I don't know whether I'll get more seriously involved in boxing. There are plenty of other sports I can enjoy that won't subject me to such a pounding. But I'm very glad I finally put on my gloves and stepped into the ring. Real experience with boxing is part of living the life I want!