M.I.A + Boxing MAtch

So its been a week and a hlaf since my last post, and alot has happend since then. When I last left off, I was writing about how I had a boxing match. And since that time I have:

• Done the Boxing Match
• Climbed the Biggest Mountain in Somoto
• Volunteered at a Fair to help send rural area kids to university
• Done All my work throughout the week (Palmiras and Agriculture stuff)
• And yesterday I just got back from Managua, the capital of Nicaragua, where we also took a trip to the beach!

So if you were wondering why I havnt posted in the last little while you can read the above list and see why for yourself :)

So in this post I am not going to bore you and myself by writing about all that in one shot, so I am just going to write about the boxing match, and this time I actually have pictures!

The day of the boxing match was a pretty nerve racking day, but also one of the most relaxing days I have had. I woke up fairly late, and fairly late in Somoto means like 9am. I think the nereves really kicked in right when I woke up. It was hard to imagine that I would be in the boxing ring in less than 10 hours time.

But I tried to relax myself by going though my usual routine. I ended up playing chess with Luis´s brother Emir, and I lost to him twice in a row. I was hoping that when I lost, that was the only losing I would do that day.

So a little intermission:
I started writing this post exactly 6 days ago, and I stopped exactly at the end of the last paragraph. The reason I stopped there is because the power went out. The power was out for a full 4 days. Here in Somoto when electricity goes, so does running water....uh oh! Well Lucky for me this much of the post was saved.

So now to continue my story:
I arrived at the boxing gym at around 6:00pm, and the fights were scheduled to start at 7:00. During this time the people started to pile in. I estimate there was about 200 people there to see the fights that night. I wont be so bold as to say they were all there to see the ¨professional Canadians¨ Just before the first fights were about to start, I was introduced to the Head Coach of the Managua team that drove 3 hours for their fights. Apparently this guy, whose name I canot remember used to be one of the top boxers in Nicaragua. Now he is one of the top female coaches. Below is the Picture I got to take with him:


After this picture was taken, all the boxers were asked to enter the ring, where all the Coaches and teams were introduced to the crowd. There was 4 teams, Managua, Estele, San Juan, and my home team Somoto. Once all the competitors were in the ring and all the introductions were made the crowd was instructed to stand for the National anthem. Unfortunately they didnt play the Canadian anthem, I was kinda hoping they would play the anthem for us, but it was not to be, and anyways I had more pressing matters at hand...or fist.

We were to be the 2nd fight of the night. I dont really know what happend in the first fight, cuz at that point I wasnt really paying attention, all I remember is that the crowed wasnt really into it.

Well it was our time to go up, it was time to see if all my training had paid off. For some reason at this point the crowed erupted, when they found out the Canadians would be going up to fight.

I really dont remember much of the fight to be honest, I was far too focused. All I do remember of the fight was I managed to get the first really good punch in of the match, which connected right to my opponents face.

I also managed to knock him to the ground in the 2nd round. And in the break between rounds I was drinking water and I didnt want to swallow it, so I decided to spit it out. And just as I was doing so, a little girl ran right beside ring and got all the water from my mouth right on the top of her head, I thought that was hillarious. By the third and final round I was exausted and you could tell that both of us were exhausted by how slow we were moving. The final bell finally rang to signify the end of the match.


I really like this picture because of all the cameras you can see behind me. It almost looks like im somewhat important. Well by the end of the 3rd round I had a feeling that I had won. But we had to abide by boxing tradition and meet at the center where the refereee holds the arm up of the winner.




Then the anouncers voice then adresses the crowd. And to increase the suspense he pauses for a full five seconds before he anounes the winner.......................................

after the heart wrenching seconds he finally anounces the winner, ¨Kalil Berani¨

Dammit, No one ever gets my name right!!! But it was still a win, and it was a win by 9-6


Unfortunately I dont have a picture with my arm being raised, that pictue is on someone elses camera. But you´ll see that one eventually!

That definatly brightened my day considerably and made the post fight beers taste that much better, but before the post fight beers I had to watch the other fights of the night and support team Somoto.

The fights were all girls fights, since this was a girls tournament.

The first girl from Somoto faught a girl from Managua, and won the fight in the very first round. Ahe came out with soo much power and dominance that the opposing coach was forced to throw in the towel after the first round for the safety of his fighter.

The second fight for Somoto was a hard battle, and went right down to the wire. It went the full three rounds. Late in the 3rd round the Somoto girl made a strong left hook which caught the other girl right in the jaw. But after the punch the Girl from team somoto, was seen to be in considerable pain. But she pushed hard till the end of the round, were she took some hard blows. But at the end of it all the Somoto girl was declared the winner. Once she exited the ring she painfully pulled off her glove, and her wrist was declared to be broken; but that didnt stop her from doing a celebratory dance!

and the third and final fight for team Somoto, was the biggest fight of the night.
Another really hard fought match. After the first round the crowed could tell this fight would be right down to the final bell. In the second round team Somoto took some hard hits and it looked like she was out of it in the second round. But once the 3rd round started she was firing on all cylinders, and in her first or second punch she sucessfully broke the other girls nose. Which caused the visiting team to need a few seconds to patch up the bleeding. The other tem would need two of these such breaks. But unfortunatly once the final score was read it was 9-8 in foavour of the visiting girl. Too bad the night didnt for a perfect somoto record.

Well After this night I was really exhausted and got one of the best sleeps ive gotten since being here. And I went to sleep knowing that I won my first ever boxing match, and it was in Somoto Nicaragua!