Expert: Melanie Ley - 3/25/2011

Question
Hi. My name is Kurt and I'm currently 17 years old. Now recently I've gotten into the whole fighting subject and its something that interests me very much. Now I don't have any kind of boxing or fighting background or experience but I want to learn and eventually go pro. Now for the past 6 months I've been bodybuilding and I've paced on an incredible amount of lean muscle mass for 6 months of lifting and I currently weigh 207 lbs and its going keep on rising so, its safe to say I'll be a heavyweight.

Now I've been doing a lot of research on boxing and mixed martial arts and I really want to get into it. My problem is that I don't know where to start and where to go to start off. A lot of guys have been fighting since they were very young and I'm just starting. So I know I have a long hard road a head of me if I want to go pro. But when I'm dedicated to something I get consumed by it and I work my ass off on whatever it is.

So with all that said, do you have any suggestions for me? I was also trying to decide if I should join the UFC or do boxing. Which one would you prefer?

Answer
Hi Kurt - to answer your preference question, I am not a fan of UFC or any other toughman-type sports.  I prefer boxing.  I would suggest that you start out in amateur boxing and compete for at least five years before going pro.  The more experience you have, the better - and at your weight class (super heavyweight), 17 isn't too young to start.  If you are interested in registering with amateur boxing in your area, and finding a gym, please email me at mel@amateurboxing and I'll send you a contact.