Ask anyone that has dealt with any kind of moderate to serious back issue and they’ll tell you it’s a tricky thing to contend with because getting things figured out and in proper working order isn’t as straightforward as it is with the usual assortment of body parts that get jacked up in this or any other sport. The biggest difference-maker is often patience and a willingness to just trust the process, something Malkoun admittedly struggled with in the early days.
“When the back gets injured —especially for someone who’s not patient like me, who tried to come back early and push it again, made it worse,” said Malkoun, who was booked to face Rodolfo Vieira last February, but suffered a setback and was forced to withdraw. “In the beginning, it was hard —that’s why I tried to come back early. It was frustrating, and I accepted that ‘It’s not your time yet. Be patient — your time’s gonna come, and when it does, be ready for it.’
“The middleweight division is a hard division to fight in, so you have to be not only physically, but mentally prepared to fight with these guys because everyone is an animal; everyone is big, everyone is strong. I think the edge is gonna be in the mental, and with what I’ve been through, I don’t think anyone can stop me.
“The mind plays tricks on you, and you get some doubts, but I’ve always had that (philosophy of) feed the faith, starve the doubt,” he added, touching on the hashtag. “Marvin Hagler always said that, and it’s the truest thing. When the doubts come, you think positive, because (your opponent) is going to be having doubts too. Everyone has it, but it’s who’s mentally tough to push through and perform? The top people do it, and I think I’m a top-level athlete and I’m gonna get it done.”
