Episode 2
2. Training Plan
In the end, he had to train in the basics of boxing throughout his three years of middle school.
Baekho began by devising a curriculum.
[Current Physical Condition and Weight Class]
-Height: 174cm
-Weight: 80kg
-Target Weight Class: Middleweight (Amateur 75kg, Pro 72.57kg)
[Boxing Curriculum]
-Running, jump rope, sandbag, form practice.
“Ordinarily, mitt work and sparring should be included here too….”
Since he was doing this alone, anything requiring another person’s help had to be excluded.
‘Thankfully, I can do those during the striking classes at the MMA gym, so I guess that’s a relief?’
But as befitting the name mixed martial arts, MMA taught a variety of things. They learned boxing as a foundation, but also kickboxing.
One way or another, it was different from pure boxing.
‘In that case, I need to refine my basic boxing stances using the experience I have.’
Learn alone? No matter how much future knowledge Baekho possessed, a coach’s role was essential. He needed someone to hone his combinations, tempo, and breathing.
That said, the aforementioned were advanced courses. The basics, however, could be refined alone.
After all, he had lived as a combat sports fighter from childhood right up until his regression.
“Alright. Then!”
Before his run, he took time to review—throwing the fist that had felt unfamiliar and learning how to use his shoulders.
He recalled the memories of what he’d learned and threw a jab.
‘Without using the waist, only with the arm.’
The jab was the fastest attack in boxing and was also good for measuring distance or bothering the opponent.
The sound of wind splitting was pleasant to his ears.
His speed gradually increased, and before he knew it, the movements of a skilled fighter emerged through the memories from before his regression.
‘If I drop one arm here and switch to the Philly Shell…’
Baekho’s jab arced upward from below.
‘It becomes Thomas Hearns’s flicker jab.’
The flicker jab connected to the Philly Shell was inevitably a tactic that lured the opponent in.
Because having the guarding arm lowered meant exposing a certain degree of opening.
Then why do it?
Because with superhuman reflexes, the Philly Shell became a fearsome weapon.
The guard is open, so the opponent attacks. The arm is already low, so immediately swing back for a riposte, or evade and counter.
This was precisely the main method used by practitioners like Thomas Hearns or Mayweather.
In short, it was a tactic usable only by those with superior physical ability and boxing IQ.
Baekho now threw the one—the jab—and chained it into the two—the straight.
His right hand, loaded like a bomb, tore through the wind.
‘Weight transfer is key.’
As his legs rotated to drive in a hip drive… his center of gravity faltered.
‘Just as I thought, it’s hard with this body.’
It was a body yet to receive proper training. Making it complete by adulthood was his primary goal.
Next, Baekho curled his hand like a hook and threw a hook.
There were many kinds of hooks: short hooks, long hooks, and so on. Baekho recalled the ones he had once honed.
But that experience belonged to a different body. As expected, things went awkwardly, and his posture and steps tangled together.
Baekho staggered, yet a smile played at his lips.
‘I can do this. I ended everything by KO until retirement. If I just build my body, a gold medal too! Even a championship is no problem!’
In truth, despite struggling with injuries, Baekho had climbed to the championship match, overwhelming his opponents with KOs.
Implementing the latest training methods from a very young age meant he could grow stronger while avoiding the risk of injuries.
‘Plus, this version can trouble opponents as well.’
In Baekho’s case, not only his right hand but his left also held the potential to become a bomb.
Using his “left hand,” he operated his phone and began writing out his routine.
“On days I don’t go to the dojang, individual training….”
Starting with running and ending with cool-down stretches…… it wasn’t much different from an ordinary boxer’s regimen.
Baekho added another discipline there.
Namely: gymnastics. It might sound odd, but flexibility protected the body from the risk of injury.
‘Fluid movements allow unexpected attacks to land.’
Baekho searched YouTube for poses worth referencing.
“As expected, most are women. She’s pretty? Who is this?”
Baekho briefly lost track of his purpose, grinning at the stunningly beautiful women.
“No. Get a grip. I’m a future champion. Focus.”
He slapped his own cheek and resumed searching properly when a familiar phrase caught his eye.
[Future Gold Medalist’s Training!]
-Gymnastics Movement Practice
“Someone with a similar mindset? I’m a future Olympic gold medalist too.”
Baekho watched the girl in the video who smiled and said she had just become a middle school student.
She gave off a soft impression with a youthful cuteness.
“Seo Yuri? If she’s a first-year middle schooler, we’re the same age.”
Baekho watched her stretching and doing yoga poses and began to follow along.
Of course, before he could replicate the video, Baekho let out a scream.
“Urk…… urk…….”
His entire body screamed with stiffness completely unlike that of the girl in the video.
“It’s all a first time, after all.”
For the record, what he had done until now was a rehearsal. In terms of practice, it was merely warming up.
“Whew. Shall we get started?”
And so Baekho began running toward the embankment near his home.
* * *
With the curriculum written, Baekho’s full-scale training began.
His middle school days were devoted entirely to fundamentals. He intensively refined the four basic attacks of boxing: the jab, hook, straight, and uppercut.
But more than anything else, the foundation of all foundations, the very root of boxing, was footwork—steps.
‘Boxing without footwork can’t be called boxing.’
Whether attacking, evading, or shifting weight, footwork was the most fundamental element for dominating the ring.
Baekho knew this well. He thoroughly drilled the basic steps, investing months into nothing but the one-two.
‘Three years! That’s plenty.’
These days, if you had students do nothing but jump rope and one-twos for months, they’d quit in no time and the gym would go under.
It was work that built foundations but was equally accompanied by boredom.
But what if the future was guaranteed? What if he already knew the results?
It wasn’t boring in the least.
“Let’s go!”
Rather, Baekho found joy in watching himself improve through the grueling training.
‘It’ll be different from before! It’s possible!’
He rigorously forged his body while dreaming of a changed future.
[The hopping step is for amateurs, the walking step is for pro boxing. It’s not like that. Top-tier fighters master them all and combine them!]
Does a boxer pick and choose only one? You master all the basics and freely use whatever suits you.
Boxing without foundations is third-rate—worse than an amateur.
‘Besides, the hopping step—bouncing on both feet—consumes too much stamina. Didn’t they say it’s weirdly combined with Taekwondo?’
Baekho shifted his weight and stepped in a continuous motion rather than bouncing on both legs at once.
Concise leaps during attacks were also the essence of the hopping step.
This time, he switched to the walking step.
He trudged this way and that, moving his body as he shadowboxed.
Whether he became a slugger or an out-boxer, he had to master all the basics before making his mark.
‘But for now, my body isn’t built yet—separate from my experience. These three years are dedicated to building a vessel that can properly utilize my experience!’
With this goal, he began cultivating a young body that could support his experience and authority.
Day after day, he repeated the boring, fundamental basics.
Additionally, Baekho went to Flex Gym every day to train alongside the athletes.
Na Jeongho, the owner of Flex Gym, barked at the athletes grappling on the mats.
“When you shoot for a takedown, lower your hips more! Stick tight to them!”
What he learned here was what he needed to become the king of combat in the future.
‘Wrestling is something you must learn and get comfortable with from a young age.’
That went for any martial art, but the ground was a discipline where skill only improved through honest, hard learning.
‘In the clinch, press your face into the opponent’s chest and dig under both armpits. If not, grab one armpit and push relentlessly to cling on stubbornly!’
Beads of sweat trickled down Baekho’s forehead. This sweat would become the nourishment for his growth.
Learning wrestling and Sambo under Na Jeongho, he thoroughly prepared himself for the clinch and groundwork, bracing for the future.
There was one more advantage on top of that.
‘It’s starting.’
Athletes training on step boxes—looking like vaulting horses raised by one level—came into Baekho’s view.
‘That’s it! That’s what I wanted!’
Unlike Korean boxing, which lagged behind, MMA frequently participated in overseas camps or trained collectively, allowing them to pick up the latest training methods right away.
That advantage was evident in training as well.
Interval training was standard these days, but the step-box climbing training Baekho had just seen wasn’t something commonly done in boxing.
It was highly effective for cardiovascular endurance, strengthening lower body power, and increasing skeletal muscle.
It was even more effective than regular running as an aerobic exercise.
He would train this from a young age, rebuilding the golden era that the Baekho of before his regression had failed to achieve.
He recalled the words of his coach, Gerard.
[Let’s see, yes. You need to strengthen the balance, core, agility, and everything else required for a person to execute movements. Conditioning training raises the body to its peak.]
Mindlessly running wasn’t the answer. He had to switch to more scientific training.
However, there were far too many methods and variations. Besides, Baekho’s body was still immature.
‘There’s too much to do. I’m still young, after all! Rather than doing a bit of everything, I’ll focus on the basics and establish the rest in high school.’
In Baekho’s case, his physical growth would continue until age twenty. He would eventually reach 187cm. Since his body’s balance and frame would be fully developed by then, rather than overdoing it, he simply had to train in accordance with his growing body.
Baekho endeavored to remain patient.
‘Because I can do this.’
The Olympics would be held in the summer of Baekho’s eighteenth year—in other words, when he was a third-year high school student.
Therefore, the national team selection matches typically lasted from the previous December through March, when the Olympics were held.
‘The Olympic participation requirement is seventeen years or older. I’d need to be at least a second-year high schooler by then, so that’s perfect.’
The timing worked out well. Typically, international boxing competitions used seventeen as the age benchmark.
In the year Baekho became a third-year high schooler, he would be eighteen—plenty old enough to qualify—and he could even participate in the Asian Championships and World Championships held in the prior year.
‘Reaching the quarterfinals or higher at the World Championships earns you Olympic qualification rights.’
He could forge his own path. Baekho asked his father for a medicine ball to improve his muscular endurance and punching power, a speed ladder for footwork, and a sandbag.
“Raising a son really makes this father’s hands tremble. They tremble.”
His father smiled and granted Baekho’s request.
He even sold their house due to neighborhood noise issues and moved to a place with a larger yard, supporting Baekho with all his heart and resources.
Bathed in his parents’ love and systematic training, Baekho grew rapidly.
With his innate talent, the experience from his regression, and the foundational physical ability to support that experience.
Having these three pillars in place, he finally reached his third year of middle school.
Baekho’s height was now a whopping 181cm. Even compared to his pre-regression self, he was 3 centimeters taller.
‘Well, it doesn’t matter.’
By this time, Baekho showed a stark difference in skill compared to his fellow trainees at Flex Gym.
“He’s down! Baekho!”
Na Jeongho rushed over and raised a trainee who had collapsed in front of Baekho.
The trainee had been knocked out cold by Baekho’s punch during sparring.
Na Jeongho immediately elevated Baekho’s class.
“Minwook! Start having Baekho spar with the pro team kids from now on! The middle and high schoolers training with him can’t measure up.”
Having conquered the middle school division early in his second year and already fought high schoolers, they were now matching Baekho against pro athletes.
This was a recognition of Baekho’s potential.
Now Baekho was accumulating new experiences while being put through the wringer by the pro athletes.
But Baekho’s ultimate goal was boxing.
It was the reason—and the root—of his entry into the fighting world.
To that end, he needed a boxing coach who could provide cutting-edge training and support.
‘As expected, only geniuses make it into corporate teams.’
Results.
Baekho needed results to enter a corporate team.
A tournament caught his eye.
[September 2017, National Boxing Championship (Middle School, High School, General Division) held!]
“Shall I secure one for starters?”
Baekho immediately submitted his entry application.