Glycogen-loading protocols. Effective mass generation. Energy systems development. The ‘sweat science’ of boxing – along with other combat sports – leans heavily towards research these days, with every calorie consumed and milligram of sweat expelled converting into data: a ceaseless stream of information that forms a cold, calculative algorithm, determining a fighter’s chances of success before they’ve even gloved up.
But there is, in film at least, another dimension to the fight game. One that can’t be measured in ones and zeroes. Because while hooking a fighter up to an arm crank ergometer and analysing their metrics may be a f ne way to assess power, it doesn’t have the same degree of romance as running up some steps, or enlisting the help of a local butcher and punching some carcasses…