I admire boxers. They do things I just don't have the courage for and are often very strong individuals. Boxing is a mental sport. You need to believe that you will be the one standing at the end of the bout, or you'll be the one on the canvas. You also have to get into the ring knowing that you are going to take an absolute hiding even if you win. I just don't understand that kind of mental strength.
One of the greatest days in my life was when I met Muhammad Ali. Well, I didn't actually meet him. We were in the same room. He was in Edinburgh to promote a book of photographs by Howard Bingham. The All Blacks were in town to play Scotland at Murrayfield and wanted to meet him so he was surrounded by a couple of dozen huge New Zealanders, his team of assistants and a lot of publishing PRs and journalists. His presence is electrifying. He is such a beautiful man. I'm gibbering now. Imagine what I was like at the time.
I'm also a big fan of Frank Bruno. His character is as immense as his punch. I haven't watched any boxing matches since he retired from the ring. While I really like boxers, I don't really like boxing much any more. I need a character to admire enough to overcome my distaste for watching two men try to punch one another unconscious.
I was upset to hear that Frank was having problems with depression so I was delighted to hear him this morning on the Today programme. Here is a link to the interview. He was talking about his diagnosis with bipolar disorder. He said that he didn't know that he had a problem. He was calling people early in the morning and behaving strangely. He said "People were telling me I had a problem, but you're always the last one to know." One of the people he made these early morning phone calls to was Gary Richardson who was interviewing him this morning.
Frank is helping to publicise a campaign called Time to Change which aims to reduce the stigma surrounding mental health problems. You can't catch madness from someone who's mentally ill. People with mental illness are much more likely to harm themselves than others. Why then are people with mental illness stigmatised and marginalised when as often as not their illness is the mental equivalent of a dose of the flu? People with depression feel that they cannot admit as much to their employers for fear of losing their jobs. It's sad and lonely being sad and lonely. I hope the Time to Change campaign and Frank's example help, I really do.
One of the greatest days in my life was when I met Muhammad Ali. Well, I didn't actually meet him. We were in the same room. He was in Edinburgh to promote a book of photographs by Howard Bingham. The All Blacks were in town to play Scotland at Murrayfield and wanted to meet him so he was surrounded by a couple of dozen huge New Zealanders, his team of assistants and a lot of publishing PRs and journalists. His presence is electrifying. He is such a beautiful man. I'm gibbering now. Imagine what I was like at the time.
I'm also a big fan of Frank Bruno. His character is as immense as his punch. I haven't watched any boxing matches since he retired from the ring. While I really like boxers, I don't really like boxing much any more. I need a character to admire enough to overcome my distaste for watching two men try to punch one another unconscious.
I was upset to hear that Frank was having problems with depression so I was delighted to hear him this morning on the Today programme. Here is a link to the interview. He was talking about his diagnosis with bipolar disorder. He said that he didn't know that he had a problem. He was calling people early in the morning and behaving strangely. He said "People were telling me I had a problem, but you're always the last one to know." One of the people he made these early morning phone calls to was Gary Richardson who was interviewing him this morning.
Frank is helping to publicise a campaign called Time to Change which aims to reduce the stigma surrounding mental health problems. You can't catch madness from someone who's mentally ill. People with mental illness are much more likely to harm themselves than others. Why then are people with mental illness stigmatised and marginalised when as often as not their illness is the mental equivalent of a dose of the flu? People with depression feel that they cannot admit as much to their employers for fear of losing their jobs. It's sad and lonely being sad and lonely. I hope the Time to Change campaign and Frank's example help, I really do.
Leave a comment