Becoming a Boxer

It takes guts, determination and unfaltering dedication to be a boxer. There are many reasons why people choose to get in the ring. Some love the fitness you get from boxing, others use boxing as an outlet for stress. Many boxers have had unhappy childhoods, and enjoy the sense of pride that comes with fighting and winning.

Whatever your reason for wanting to box, you won't get there overnight. Some fighters train for years before they set foot in the ring. Boxing is not an easy sport. If you want to be a boxer, prepare to shed a lot of blood, sweat and tears.

Training

A boxer's training regime is intense and varied. Boxers spend hours in the gym, sparring, working the bags, floor-to-ceiling ball, speed ball and doing pad work with their coach. Then there's skipping, road running, explosive power training and weight exercises, such as push-ups and pull-ups.

Serious boxers train twice a day, six times a week. Professional boxers training for a Title Fight will be in the gym three times a day. For most of these fighters, boxing is their full time job.

When in training, boxers make a lot of sacrifices. They can't drink alcohol, must diet to make weight and don't go out much because they need a lot of sleep for recovery. Before a big fight, boxers are often sent away to training camps for up to three months. This places enormous pressure on the boxer and his or her family.

These are the sacrifices you have to make if you want to get to the top.

Making Weight

Boxers have to make a specific weight before every fight. Some fighters make weight easily, others struggle and resort to running or using a sauna to lose the last few kilos. If a boxer fails to make weight at 'weigh in', they will be asked to skip or sweat it out just before the fight, which can make you weak.

Ideally, boxers will make weight four weeks before they fight. This way, their mind is on winning and not on losing weight. With your head clear, you can focus on training - and that's how you win!

The Weigh In

A boxers Weigh In is a public event whether it be amateur or professional. The amateur boxer weighs in on the day and professional boxers weigh in 24 hour before the fight - this happens because if a boxer has been starving and dehydrating to make weight they have 24 hours to allow their bodies to rehydrate.

Your Team

Most boxing gyms have one coach, the head trainer for all boxers. Some, more modern gyms have both boxing and strength coaches. World-class gyms often have teams of up to 20 people for their boxers, including boxing and strength coaches, dieticians, sparring partners, running teams, managers and promoters. A team this size costs a lot of money to run.

Entering the Ring

Entering the Ring for the first time can be daunting, but for most professionals it's just business. Boxers spar up to four times a week, so when it comes time to fight, getting in the ring is second nature.

Amateur Boxing

Amateur boxers fight with full protection. Points are awarded when punches land cleanly on your opponent. The fight is called off when there is a lot of bleeding or swelling.

To fight for your country in the Olympics, you must be an amateur boxer.

Turning Pro

Professional boxers are paid to fight. For most pro boxers, getting paid is a reward for years of training and hard work!

Unlike amateur fights, professional bouts are not stopped unless a boxer is injured and cannot continue to fight (TKO), or is knocked out (KO). Knock outs happen often in pro fights.

Winning

After slogging it out round after round, fighting not only your opponent, but pain and fatigue, there is no better feeling in the world, than winning.

That winning feeling is one of the biggest highs you will ever experience, and is something most boxers get addicted to. The rush a boxer feels when they win is often why they fight, and it makes all the training and sacrifice worthwhile.

Losing

Losing a fight is the worst feeling a boxer will have. Sometimes, a boxer will get knocked out or beaten black and blue. When this happens, not only does the boxer have to deal with losing the fight, they also have to deal with the injuries they suffer. Other times, a boxer will lose on points in a close fight. Mentally, this can feel just as bad as getting knocked out, especially when you see your opponent's hand raised in victory.