The path to becoming a fully-fledged boxer can be confusing; that’s why we created this guide for you.
If you want to become an amateur boxer, keep reading to learn how to kickstart your amateur boxing career!
How To Become An Amateur Boxer
Here’s how to become an amateur boxer:
- Join A Boxing Gym
- Find A Coach
- Register For Your First Fight
- Train For Your First Fight
- Show Up To Your First Fight
Depending on how talented you are and how hard you train, this can take anywhere from a few months to one year from when you started boxing to your first fight.
Join A Boxing Gym
The first step to becoming an amateur boxer is to join a boxing gym.
Assuming you start boxing from scratch, here you’ll learn the basics such as:
- Stance
- Footwork
- Basic Defense
- Basic Punches and Combinations
Which boxing gym should you choose?
There are some boxing gyms that only offer boxing for fitness. Here you won’t be able to properly prepare for a fight and you’ll have to do all the registration by yourself.
You can also choose to be unaffiliated with any gym, but you lose out on the benefits of having a coach and a supportive environment.
Instead, we recommend that you choose a boxing gym that offers sparring, since you’ll be surrounded by boxers better than you.
Here you can find out about local amateur boxing events and tournaments.
More importantly, you’ll be able to take the next step and find a coach.
Find A Coach
The next step to becoming an amateur boxer is to find a coach.
If you’re just joining a boxing gym, it might be some time before the head coach takes you under his wing.
Don’t show up on your first day and demand that he dedicate all his time to training you.
Understand your coach’s point of view: boxers are free to come and go and he only has so much time.
Once he sees you at the gym training hard consistently, he’ll be open to helping you out; you make the commitment first and then he’ll commit to you.
Once you have your boxing coach at your side, he’ll guide you throughout this process: developing your skills, choosing the right sparring partners for you, and pointing out your weaknesses.
Get used to hearing his voice and listening to his advice.
When you’re in the ring for your first fight with the crowd yelling all around you, you’ll need to tune that out and hone into your coach’s voice.
Register For Your First Fight
The next step to becoming an amateur boxer is to register for your first fight.
There are a few requirements for amateur boxers before you can jump in the ring with your boxing license, which can include:
- Doctor’s sport physical
- USA Boxing registration
- Athlete passbook
- Birth certificate or passport
If you joined a proper boxing gym, the people there will help you register for your first fight.
At this point, you’ll choose the weight class you want to compete in; if you’re over or under this weight, you need to come up with a plan to make weight for your fight.
Most importantly, now you’ll have a deadline and a target to aim for.
I don’t need time; I need a deadline.
Duke Ellington
Train For Your First Fight
The next step to becoming an amateur boxer is to train for your first fight.
Now that you have a target date, you should set a training schedule to follow, which usually includes:
- Roadwork
- Shadowboxing
- Bag work
- Mitt work
- Sparring
Your coach will guide you through this program so that you can maximize your skills with the limited time that you have.
You might be tempted to train as much as you can, but this can have a detrimental effect to your performance in the long term.
Rest, recovery, and proper diet will become important pillars to your training, and will help maximize your energy and prevent you from burning out.
Show Up To Your First Fight
The last step to becoming an amateur boxer is to show up to your first fight.
(If you’ve made it this far, sincere congratulations from everyone here at Catch The Whip; you’ve done something that most people will never do.)
Now on to business.
No matter how hard you trained, you have to be ready for the possibility that things won’t go exactly according to plan:
- First, you have to make weigh in on the day of the fight. Assuming you chose the right weight class and followed a proper boxing diet, this shouldn’t be a problem.
- Next, there’s a chance that you won’t have an opponent to fight. Sometimes your opponent misses weight or simply doesn’t show up.
- Lastly, amateur events rarely run on time. You may find yourself waiting for an hour and starting to cool down, or you may find yourself rushed into the ring barely warmed up.
In any case, prepare accordingly.
If everything goes according to plan, you’ll wait for your turn to enter the ring.
At this point, our only advice for you is to relax, trust in yourself, and have fun; the three rounds will be over in a flash.
As for strategy and mental toughness for your first fight, that is a topic for another time.
Conclusion
Now that you have a clear path to becoming an amateur boxer, we hope that you’ll follow these steps and give it your best!
Knowing that you can train yourself to perform at this level will give you skills and confidence that will last you for the rest of your life.
If you show enough promise at the amateur level, you can start thinking about becoming a professional boxer or trying out for the Olympic games.
At the professional boxing level, what started as a sport or hobby for you will become more of a job.
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