At least twice a week, sometimes more, the state Capitol basement is filled with punches.
Right cross, left jab, upper cut, left hook.
A life in politics can be a battle, but for some, there is a lot to be gained from landing a series of perfectly timed blows.
Not political punches, but the real kind: hard, straight-from-the-shoulder punches thrown under the guidance of the man who was the WBA junior lightweight champion of the world for most of the 1970s, Ben Villaflor.
Now the Senate sergeant-at-arms, Villaflor, holds after-work workouts for whoever wants to exercise and box.
There are no fees, nothing required except to follow Villaflor’s instructions and try to hit the big bobbing practice mitts Villaflor wears on his fast hands.
"You better be ready to duck," Villaflor said, explaining that he doesn’t punch but the mitts are moving around. Besides boxing, the Capitol denizens jump rope and practice shadow boxing, learning how to bob and weave.
"He keeps you going and he is always encouraging — if you get it wrong, he stops and shows you how to do it right," said Sen. Clayton Hee, 60, who had been in training with Villaflor until shoulder injuries halted the exercise.
"You want to hit hard because you don’t want to disappoint him, but after a while you are all busted up," said Hee.
Villaflor explained that he limits the practice to a series of three-minute sessions, just like a professional boxing round.
"We just do it for conditioning, some cardio work," said Villaflor, 62.
"Three minutes doesn’t sound too bad, but after one minute they are always complaining about being tired," Villaflor said with a smile.
Villaflor’s students say the former world champion never talks about his own fights or even his amazing record of 54 wins, 31 knockouts, and just eight losses and seven draws.
"He is just a terrific teacher. He is one of the good things about the Capitol. He is so humble and a special, special guy," said Hee.
Villaflor reflected the credit back to his pupils, praising how they "gradually learn to get into good condition."
Thirty-one-year-old Emma Perry, the House journal clerk, showed off her red hand wraps and pink boxing gloves as she demonstrated how Villaflor taught her to wrap her hands before exercising.
"I never punched anything in my life and I wanted to learn how without hurting myself," Perry said.
Noting that she had to learn which part of her fist is supposed to land first, Perry said Villaflor’s workout session has made her a regular.
"Ben does it for free; there are no charges. It’s just for his love of boxing," Perry said.
"He never says anything about his own career; he doesn’t really talk about himself," Perry said. "It is what other people say about him."
She added a warning, however: Those three minutes trying to punch at Ben Villaflor are "the longest three minutes of your life."
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Richard Borreca writes on politics on Sundays, Tuesdays and Fridays. Reach him at rborreca@staradvertiser.com.
