The Day I Threw My First Punch

When I was 40, I raised my fists and did not run away from a fight for the first time since sixth grade. It happened in a gym straight out of a Rocky movie. I was spending that year working in a rented office on the second floor of a three-story walk-up in Rome, Georgia. I filled my time staring out the office window, tapping gloomily at my keyboard on a failing project. One day, I heard banging. Fire-escape stairs led to a newly cleared third floor. “A gym,” an intense, wiry man said. And sure enough: heavy bags, speed bags, weights. The wiry man was Lee Fortune, onetime holder of the World Boxing Council’s Continental Americas middleweight title. Did I want to learn to box? “Not kickboxing,” he said. “Real boxing. Sparring. You’ll wear headgear.” I said sure. [View in Browser]( [Esquire]( [SHOP]( EXCLUSIVE [SUBSCRIBE]( [The Day I Finally Threw My First Punch]( [The Day I Finally Threw My First Punch]( When I was 40, I raised my fists and did not run away from a fight for the first time since sixth grade. It happened in a gym straight out of a Rocky movie. I was spending that year working in a rented office on the second floor of a three-story walk-up in Rome, Georgia. I filled my time staring out the office window, tapping gloomily at my keyboard on a failing project. One day, I heard banging. Fire-escape stairs led to a newly cleared third floor. “A gym,” an intense, wiry man said. And sure enough: heavy bags, speed bags, weights. The wiry man was Lee Fortune, onetime holder of the World Boxing Council’s Continental Americas middleweight title. Did I want to learn to box? “Not kickboxing,” he said. “Real boxing. Sparring. You’ll wear headgear.” I said sure. [Read More](   [12 Best Running Shoes to Score On Amazon]( [12 Best Running Shoes to Score On Amazon]( Adidas, Nike, Asics, and more picks that can be at your doorstep in a day. [Read More]( [Wait, Buicks Are Cool Again?]( [Wait, Buicks Are Cool Again?]( With the new Envista and a brand new design language based on one of the boldest concept cars in recent memory, GM's Buick is finally getting some love. [Read More](     [Josh Brolin Is Freakier Than Ever]( [Josh Brolin Is Freakier Than Ever]( Brolin stepped behind the camera this season for Outer Range’s sixth episode, which is one of its very best. It’s trippy as all hell (even for this show); flashes slick action and a series-changing ending; and even features a Sister Christian needle drop. It’s the kind of effort that shows that the fifty-six-year-old has learned a thing or two from the Coen brothers, the Russos, Denis Villeneuve, Gus Van Sant—you get it. "If you just let go of these ideas of yourself, you’ll flow in the water," he says. "That’s the whole Royal thing. The truth of the matter is that he has an idea of masculinity. What happens when you break that idea?" [Read More](   [Looking for the Perfect Workout Earbuds? Our Tech Experts Found Them.]( [Looking for the Perfect Workout Earbuds? Our Tech Experts Found Them.]( All these models have noise-cancellation, sweat-resistance, and killer sound [Read More]( [18 Slides to (Ahem) Slide Into This Summer]( [18 Slides to (Ahem) Slide Into This Summer]( Don't let anyone tell you that sandals aren't a good call. [Read More](     [The Best Albums of 2024 (So Far)]( [The Best Albums of 2024 (So Far)]( As we approach the halfway point of 2024, it’s getting to be time to point out how lackluster rock and country albums have been this year. Beyoncé, Taylor Swift, and now Billie Eilish have dominated the conversation partly through sheer star power, of course, but also because they’ve risen to the moment with risk-taking and innovative projects. If it’s being left to pure pop to carry that weight—Rihanna, Gaga, where you at? Below, find our running tab of the best music albums of 2024 so far. [Read More](   [ESQ Membership]( [LiveIntent Logo]( [AdChoices Logo]( [How satisfied are you with the content of this newsletter?]( Follow Us [Unsubscribe]( | [Privacy Notice]( | [CA Notice at Collection]( Esquire is a publication of Hearst Magazines. ©2024 Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved. This email was sent by Hearst Magazines, 300 West 57th Street, New York, NY 10019-3779