This will be the second International Gleason’s Masters Tournament for Joshua Massoud, who by day is a tax attorney in Dallas, and this time around, the gent is thinking that he will slow down and soak it in.
Then again, the way he was talking to me, I do wonder if he won’t find himself in a back and forth rumble, like the one he saw at the tournament last year.
“I was the first fight both nights last time so I got to watch some of the other guys on my own time,” the 39 year old husband and father of two told NYFights. “The fight after mine was two gentlemen in their late 50s and they WENT AT IT – eventually ending with a knockdown and a stoppage in a fight could have gone either way. They were both in shape and ready go – I love that and hope to be able to say the same twenty years from now.”
Massoud holds a 6-0 mark, he said, fighting in the masters division. “I heard about Gleason's from the Masters Boxing Facebook page, though Marty P Hill, owner of the Sweet Science Boxing Gym in Atlanta and the designated Masters boxing representative with USA Boxing.”
So, how did Massoud get into the sweet science?
“My father was much older than most fathers, I was the second youngest of 9, and boxing/Tuesday Night Fights on USA..
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CkWH7AVUAD8
..was one of the few things we watched and enjoyed together. He also always ordered all the PPVs with the great 90s heavyweights. I've been a fan for pretty much my whole life as a result.”
The Texan will be in Brooklyn and attend the tourney, which runs June 13-16,..
..and attracts a lot of people jetting in from all points on the world map. Massoud has an idea of how he’d like to maximize his visit this time around.
“I was so nervous last time I could barely enjoy it and everything was such a blur. Wins and losses don't mean much to me per se, the grind is what this is about, but I'd like to enjoy the moment this time. I'm also looking forward to making new friends. I've met some outstanding people, like Shawn McFadden – my opponent from last Gleasons tournament- we stay in touch regularly.”
Note: After I posted this story last week, we got some traction on social media, on Twitter.
Some folks opined that this sort of event is not really appropriate, that boxing should be for pros only. Massoud, obviously, disagrees and so do I. First of all, each to his own, I say. If you are not harming anyone else, then you should be able to behave as you see fit. There are exceptions, but I see all the time the upside to non pros doing boxing. We all only live once, and carpe the diem, as Massoud has been doing. Yep, his eyes are wide open, he knows that getting punched in the face may be detrimental to ones health. But these tournaments have strict oversight, and no participant absorbs egregious punishment. Any doubters, refer back to that paragraph which had Massoud reminiscing about the fight he saw last year, the two dudes in their late 50s doing the Ward-Gatti. They were taking risks, pushing past boundaries and living fearlessly. Not a bad way to exist.
Email me at [email protected] for info on the tournament.