Have you often wondered why your life has been full of trials, testing, and yes, some downright knockout painful moments? Good news, you were in training to become a heavyweight. I recently did some research on some of the most famous heavyweight boxers, and wanted to know what set them apart from the others. It all boiled down to their training in preparation for the big fight.

Let’s begin with Rocky Marciano, the “Brockton Blockbuster” who was the only heavyweight champion to retire undefeated, ending with a perfect 49-0. Despite being just 5’11” and roughly 185 pounds, Marciano used his fierceness, resilience, and “Suzy Q” right hand to more than make up for his size deficit. Marciano’s secret for winning consisted of a number of actors, all of which came naturally to him. He loved to train. He ran 5 miles every day, 365 days a year, up and down the steep hills around Brockton, Massachusetts. He’d sprint up. sprint down backward, forward, with 30-pound weights on his shoes.

“If you train like I do, your legs will carry you 40 rounds,” he once said. About his power, he explained, “I don’t aim for his face. I aim for the back of his head.” He trained his punches on a special, 300-pound heavy bag, because the normal 80-pound bags no longer held up to his power. After a while, he was able to bend the 300-pounder in half with either fist.

About a month before a fight, he’d run 10 miles a day, then 12 to 15 in the last two weeks before the fight. When he got in the ring, he had power beyond belief, an inexhaustible reserve of energy, and a steel chin that didn’t mind going through Hell to get close to his opponent.

Then there is Muhammad Ali, who used his dancing skills, footwork, and “hammer blow” of a jab to defeat his opponents. Marciano called him the fastest heavyweight he had ever seen. He threw his punches faster than anyone before or since, because he trained by punching underwater.

Ali is generally credited with having successfully faced the toughest all-around competition in the heavyweight division in history: Frazier, Foreman, Chuvalo, Bonavena, Quarry, Larry Holmes, Ken Norton, Earnie Shavers, and Leon Spinks.

Finally, let’s look at Joe Louis, America’s first national black sporting hero who revolutionized what it meant to be a heavyweight champion. Louis brought a level of talent, skill, and size that made him an unbeatable force during his record breaking eleven plus years as heavyweight champion. He was known for how he bruised his opponents with a crushing left jab, his destructive two-fisted attack that he released with accuracy at short range, and his capacity for finishing a wounded opponent.  His mind-boggling 25 title defenses is a record that will probably never be broken. He held the heavyweight title for 11 years and 8 months. Article information from boxing insider.com and listverse.com

It is fair to say that all three heavyweights developed their techniques through extensive training and preparing for fights. The key here is training and preparing. The more training and the more time spent in preparation will give you the ability to withstand the blows of life, and also give you a better advantage over your opponent, “the enemy.” Remember that your words carry weight as well. Whatever you decree or declare, you will see.

Time spent in training for your destiny is not in vain, nor should it be taken lightly. Psalm 144:1 says: “Blessed be the Lord my strength, which teacheth my hands to war, and my fingers to fight.” God is fine-tuning your skills for praying, worshiping, hearing from Him, and most importantly, how to obey Him. He is showing you how to hit the target with accuracy and with power beyond belief, while moving within your calling. Begin today by thanking God for equipping you to become a heavyweight, for you are fearlessly and wonderfully made.

Think about it: Are you a heavyweight?

Article by Marquetta Smith, CEO of Safe Harbor International Ministries 

For more encouraging stories and articles visit Safe Harbor International Ministries at safeharborim.com