Bechir Majri having a light sparring session as part of his routine training at Power Academy Tunisia.These simple words speak volumes for the importance of sparring. No matter how hard you hit the bag, you must apply what you learn through live sparring. Sparring will improve timing, reactions, and combination punching. It is excellent to work the focus mitts one-on-one with your trainer, but even mitt work does not take the place of sparring.
In addition to the obvious physical benefits, sparring teaches the fighter to overcome the nervous energy experienced on fight night. Nerves can play a major factor in the outcome of a boxing match. Nervous feelings can leave a fighter out of gas before the fight begins, their legs tired while walking towards the ring. The only way to overcome these feelings is through experience. The more you spar, the easier it will be to overcome pre-fight anxiety.
