Expert: Lian Shoemake - 4/3/2007

Question
I want to compete in this years Ringside Championships in Kansas City Missouri, but the instructions said I need no more than 10 fights on my passbook. I was wondering can I compete in the novice division with no fights or do I need some fights under my belt? Also what does winning the novice do for your advancement? Does it just add matches for you to compete in the open division amateur tournaments?

Answer
Hi Devon,
Thanks for the question.

According to the technical rules of USA Boxing (see below), a boxer who has not competed in any bouts is actually considered to be "sub-novice." However, general practice has been that a boxer with 0-10 bouts is considered novice. You'll want to read those instructions and contact the tournament director to clarify if you're eligible to compete with no bouts.
Winning any tournament, or even just competing, is beneficial to amateur boxers. If you're at the stage where you've never had a bout, you'll want to get some experience so you can start honing your craft and improving. There is a certain amount of prestige that goes along with winning a big tournament like Ringside, too, but the real benefit is learning and growing from the competition.
Here are the rules I mentioned above:

109.2 Classification of boxers.
(1) The following shall establish experience classifications.
(a) Sub-novice class. A boxer who has not competed in a sanctioned USA Boxing boxing match.
(b) Novice class. A boxer who has competed in 10 or less sanctioned USA Boxing boxing matches. Said boxer’s 10th bout shall be in the novice class.
(c) Open class. A boxer who has competed in more than 10 sanctioned USA Boxing boxing matches. Said boxer’s 11th bout shall be in the open class.


Those rules are available in the USA Boxing rulebook at www.usaboxing.com. Click on "rulebook" then on "technical rules."

I hope this helps, Devon.
Thanks again for writing!

Regards,
Lian