Expert: Melanie Ley - 6/28/2010

Question
QUESTION: Ok i had my 1st fight against a 17 year i ended up losing by 1 point. the next day i looked the guy up and it comes to find out he is 20 and has won a championship before. Are they supposed to let me fight someone that old and with that much experience?

ANSWER: How old were you when you boxed the 20 year old?  Once you are 7 years old, you can be matched up with any boxer aged 17 to 34.  And what championship has he won?  Do you know how many bouts he had when you boxed him?

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QUESTION: This was last saturday and i am 16. And he won a state championship belt he has had 9 fights including mine. And i talked to him because hes coach told my coach he was 17 with only 3 fights and he gave the ok for us to fight. And my opponent agreed with me that it was a unfair match and that hes trainer lied. i was pre matched with somone already but it somehow changed and he was also pre matched.

Answer
A 16 year old can compete with a 17 year old only at a local show but can't compete against anyone older at all.  That's a pretty big rule that was broken.  Have your coach check passbooks from now on for age.  If either one of you had been hurt, your insurance would have been void. Coaches and who ever makes matches at local shows need to follow the rules - they are there for safety reasons.