Expert: Jack Rose - 9/24/2006

Question
Dear Mr. Jack Rose,

I recently just read your answer to a young man who was 18 and wanted to be a boxer... with no prior experience. I participated in a few group boxing lessons during my teen years and in the last few months I've been doing such every week. I'm trying to get SOLO ONE ON ONE LESSONS! I am 20 and turning 21 next month and am on my way to getting into shape. I hope to have some amateur fights as a boxer in November. Do I have any chance if having my Pro Debut Boxing Match by the end of the year... as in the 31st of December? I really do wish I began boxing training when I was 8 or 9 and rose up the Amateur Ranks. I wish I got into the 2004 Olympics and competed there. After that was all said and done... I'd turn PRO at 19... and like Mike Tyson did at 20... win a CHAMPIONSHIP (I want to be a Middleweight/Super-Middleweight/Light-Heavyweight though... not a Heavyweight)! If I work really hard to get into shape and get a few amateur fights... is there some way I can pull some strings or have a bit of luck to have a Professional Boxing Bout before the year is out? Or will I have to wait a few more months? I'd like to turn PRO as quickly as possible... please be brutally honest! ~ 'RAY'

Answer
Ray,  It is very important that you get as much amateur experience as possible before turning pro. There is much to learn as an amateur that will advance you quicker thru the pros. You are only 20 and still young with plenty of time to get some experience. You should look at the amateurs as a time to build a foundation for your career because once you turn pro you cannot go back to amateur status. You want to build a record and try to win some major amateur titles so that your name will circulate throughout the sport. If you won or even made it to the national golden gloves you would be more marketable as pro since people would know who you are.
Unless you have a name in the sport as an amateur it will be a long difficult road in the pros until you build a record. For instance, if you won a national golden gloves title you could conceivably fight for a title at 17 or 18-0 if you have the right people guiding you...but if you turn pro with no name recognition, you would likely have to reach 27 or 28-0 before getting the same shot.... you are only going to fight about 5 or 6 times a year so you would need at least a part time job to pay the bills unless your independantly wealthy...
Dont get me wrong, it can be done.....but it's a long road.. Tyson won the title at 19 and I believe he was 17-0 but he made a ton of noise in the amateurs before he turned pro and everybody knew who he was and that he had knockout power, so he got lots of exposure early in his career which propelled him up the ladder quickly....
follow your dream, just make sure your patient and realistic along the way....   great question and best of luck,

Jack