Boxing Clever!

Boxing Clever!

'Ding ding!' in the ring,
Round one just begun,
Boxers touching gloves
They hope will punch and stun,
Dancing in tight circles,
Testing the other's strength,
Jabbing fists with bended wrists,
Extended arms at length!

Shouts from both their 'corners' ,
Warnings of what to do,
Boxers reigning punches
As trainers tell them to,
Women screaming at the ringside,
Howling, growling men,
Urging on their favourite
In a wave of delirium!

Echoes throughout the sports hall,
A crescendo of shrill noise,
A splendid environment
To exercise a voice,
Support for one or the other
Blood pours from a nose,
The adrenalin is genuine
As venomous body blows!

Round one is over,
The boxers pull apart,
Return to their 'corners'
For a sixty-second kick-start,
Spitting rinsed water
In a handy pail with haste,
A rub down with towels,
Gum-shields replaced!

`Ding ding! cuts sting,
Nevertheless, round two,
More prancing and dancing;
Chances are few
To strike the opponent
With clear, open punches,
Score more points
From nominated judges!

The crowd roars, open-jawed,
A boxer hits the floor,
Kneels on the canvas,
Dazed, overawed,
The referee insists he
Takes the `count`,
One to ten
To decide the bout!

He`s up again and fighting,
Biding his time,
Recovering from the `hiding`
That finds him behind,
More points to his opponent
For a temporary knockdown,
They fight for the `belt`
Proud honour of the `crown`!

Round two ends, hand-duelling,
It`s the best of twelve,
It can`t go the distance,
The pace will be hell,
`Ding ding!` round three,
Their trainers` advice
Rings in their ears
To get tactics right!

Tiredness shows, the pace slows,
The eleventh round is reached,
It`s a stellar job against all odds,
Beggars hecklers` belief,
It`s now or never for the outcome,
A points decision looms,
Reprieve as boxers lock , fatigued,
The end is coming soon!

The bell sounds, louder than loud,
Round twelve, much the same,
Both wanting the announcer
To pronounce their name,
Grab their wrist with a tightened fist,
Forcefully raise their arm
In a winning gesture if only to rest
And desperately restore calm!

The crowd erupt,
The fight has finished,
The noise subsides
To a declining limit,
Points tallied `against`,
Points awarded `for`,
An arm of each boxer raised,
Paraded as a `draw`!