The Fight for Greatness

A funny thing happened on the way to the Tyson-Paul fight. A proper boxing match broke out on the undercard between Amanda Serrano and Katie Taylor.

And I think the thing that separated this pugilistic masterclass from the other slug-fests of the night was the prize: not simply the money — but the quest for greatness.

After 10 brutal rounds of truly hard hitting, and a deep cut above Amanda’s eye that was as open and blood-gushing as anything I’d ever seen in a Rocky movie, the two warriors were called to the center of the ring to announce the winner.

In a heart-breaking moment, the ref held up Katie Taylor’s arm as the winner. Not Amanda Serrano’s. There was no question Amanda won. You could use the “eye test” or the data in the key metric of landed punches — 44% (Serrano) to 41% (Taylor).

But there was something vital in Amanda’s words that she said in the ring when the announcer came over to interview her to get her take. Fighting through tears she defiantly uttered she would not be derailed from her pursuit of the title as she said, “I choose to be great.”

I choose to be great.

And that right there is the lesson, folks. If you want to be great, you must choose to be this way.

Sure, you are born with your natural talent for things. But after that, it’s up to you.

You have to choose to be smarter, stronger and more focused.

You have to choose to wake up early or stay late.

You have to choose what you will obsess over and what you will ignore.

And listen, it’s ok not to be great. It’s more than fine to be solid or good. Or something else.

Interestingly, that same morning I heard the great record producer Jimmy Iovine — a man who is no stranger to working with the Greats making truly great things — say the following with no shortage of wistfulness:

“Fame has replaced Great as a currency.”

Well, I see fame as Crypto and Greatness as gold.

So if it’s greatness you’re after, the price you will pay is steep.

Are you up for the fight?

Image: wbaboxing.com, Photoleap a.I.