TourPhotos: Inside Reds' special workout at historic Philadelphia boxing gym
The Liverpool squad undertook a workout with a difference at an iconic Philadelphia boxing gym earlier this week.
The session for the Reds in the USA was designated for the upper body, and given the city’s strong links to boxing, an especially inspiring location was fixed up for it.
Arne Slot’s players travelled to the Front Street Gym, an historic venue in Philadelphia that has been open for more than 60 years and was also featured in the 2015 film Creed.
They hit the pads under the expert guidance of George Mosee, who explained how such exercises can deliver benefits to sportspeople of all kinds.
“Boxing changes your mindset,” Mosee told Liverpoolfc.com. “A lot of people think of the brutality of boxing as the main thing, but really it changes your mindset.
“It’s you versus you. If I can come out and perform to the best of my ability, then I can always walk away feeling like I won. We have a saying with amateur fighting: there’s no winners and losers, it’s winners and learners. Not only for soccer but just for life.
“When you can come here and overcome certain obstacles, it lets you realise that things are as important as you want them to be, things are as difficult as you want them to be. So, like I said, it’s more of a mindset than anything.
“Every fighter in the city who has ever really accomplished anything through boxing has been through this gym.
“There was a period of time when the Golden Gloves tournament was held here annually, so every fighter in the city – world champions, any high-level amateurs, professionals – have come through this gym at some point in time.”
The Reds showed their appreciation to Mosee for the masterclass by presenting him with his very own Liverpool shirt.
So, how did the unorthodox routine feel to take part in?
“[It was] tough but new experiences, different workouts,” said Harvey Elliott. “I’ve not really had [any prior experience of boxing], to be honest. I’ve got a bag in my gym at home, that’s about it really.
“A few [of the squad caught my eye]. Jarell [Quansah] was decent, a few others as well. We were in separate groups so it was hard to see everyone, but definitely Jarell.”
Take a look at our gallery from the special session at Front Street Gym below.
Photos by Andrew Powell and Nikki Dyer
This article has been automatically translated and, while all reasonable efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, some errors in translation are possible. Please refer to the original English-language version of the article for the official version.