Expert: Lian Shoemake - 8/21/2007

Question
Mr. Shoemake,

I am 20 years old and just now trying to get started in amateur boxing. It has only been available to me now since I can drive. I know this is fairly old compared to many boxers who start out in their early teens or before, but I was just curious how common it is for people to start out around my age? Thank you for your time!

Answer
Hi Edward,
Thanks for the question.
It's not completely unusual for a boxer to begin his or her career at age 20; it's probably not the norm, though. If you consider that athletes in other sports often begin when they're old enough to particpate in their chosen sport (such as youth soccer, little league baseball, Pop Warner football, etc.), boxing isn't necessarily different in that regard. Amateur boxers can compete as early as age 8. Also, consider that boxing has no "season," and is effectively a year-round sport, so those who start early may have a considerable edge in experience over those who take it up later. Having said all that, much of this largely depends on what your goals are for the sport. If you're looking to get involved and compete as an amateur for a while and nothing more, then the age may not be as big of a factor since you'll only be matched with boxers with a similar level of experience. But if you're hoping to compete at a national or international level, or ultimately as a professional, then you would at some point have to compete with boxers who would have much more experience than you.
Be that as it may, your success, or lack thereof, will ultimately be determined by your own skills and abilities along with any number of other factors not directly related to age.

That's a very long response, so I hope that an answer to your question is embedded somewhere therein!

Thanks again for writing, Edward!

Regards,
Lian