Sleeping Near the Enemy
The first time I came into contact with Tim Lajcik, it was with his left hook. It was nearly fourteen years ago and we were locked in a cage for an underground fight in LA. Up until a few hours before the match, I thought I was done with No-Holds-Barred fighting. I’d sworn to my boxing coach and girlfriend that I had given it up, but when the promoter called me that Sunday afternoon, I couldn’t say no. I didn’t have plans until later that night, I could make $200, someone wanted to challenge me for the belt, and I didn’t want to be thought of as a coward. I didn’t have a coach or a corner or a single friend to root me on, but I was young and dumb and drove down to the warehouse.
When the promoter pointed out Tim as my opponent, I knew I was screwed. He was built like a beast, everything about him all business, and after watching him warm up it was apparent he was a wrestler. Backing out wasn’t an option so I tried to psyche myself up. It wasn’t until the cage door closed and I looked across at Tim that a very loud thought filled my mind, the first time I’d ever heard it so close to a fight.
“What the hell am I doing?”
There wasn’t time to answer the question, it was just us and the ref in there and the bell had rung, nothing left to do but go for it and see who’d come out on top.
Tim was the better man that day. After the fight, we shook hands and went our separate ways. My path involved moving to Vegas for a failed attempt at pro boxing, while Tim went on to fight in the UFC and pancrase events in Japan.
Here’s the link to the fight for all you that want to see me get my ass kicked.
When I decided to write Unlocking the Cage, I looked Tim up with the thought he’d be an interesting interview. I discovered that besides being a coach, a world traveler, and a stunt man, Tim and I both had degrees in Sociology and are pursuing writing careers. I shot him an email and he said he was up for it, was kind enough to offer me to stay at his house.
Being an introvert, I’d rarely take anyone up on the offer, especially a stranger, but through Tim’s posts on Facebook, I felt I had a pretty good understanding of what kind of person he was. Either he and his friends were completely full of crap or he’s one of the nicest guys around. I showed up on his doorstep hoping I’d read him right, a few emails and a brief phone call our only correspondence.
Tim and I hit it off and spent that first night talking for several hours getting to know each other. The next day we shared life experiences, our childhoods remarkably different, yet so many of our personality traits eerily similar. At one point, I told him it was almost like talking to myself.
The next day, I went to Undisputed Boxing gym to watch Tim in action. The attention and care he devotes to his students, both in his private and group classes wasn’t surprising. He cares about these people and wants to help them learn and better themselves. He wants to make a difference in their lives and it’s pretty obvious he has.
That day we set aside an hour to do our official interview and I felt very fortunate to get an in-depth look at who he was and where he came from, something I never take lightly. But what was really great was being able to talk writing with him. Tim had written poems before and after his fights. He’d shared one with me and, not surprisingly, it was very powerful. Although I’ve never been a poetry buff, I’m looking forward to that collection. He also has a great novel in the works and I offered to help any way I can, even if it’s only as a trusted reader so I can get a sneak peek.
It’s the talks that I had with Tim and four other fighters on this trip that sparked a new idea. I’m going to launch an anthology of short stories written by fighters, glimpses into their lives. I think it’s going to be a great way to showcase Tim and some of the other brilliant men and women I’m encountering on my travels.
Tim’s incredibly gracious when discussing our fight and who won. I thought it was very cool how he said getting to know each other was the best thing to come of it. I couldn’t agree more.
