How to Become a Boxer: The Ultimate Guide

Have you ever been interested in boxing? Have you tried to pursue it as a career but weren’t sure about what to do? Fear not because this article I have written is just the right one for you to get on the correct path. 📑

Doing boxing as a full-time job is not something unheard of. There has been a recent change in the way people view sportspersons. They are more respected, and their audience is also growing day by day. I looked it up and found that Boxers are paid around $68,041 per year easily.🏅

In such favorable conditions, it’s a great idea to opt into becoming a boxer. I hope the given article is of good help to you. 🥊

Question and Answer

It might be that you have some doubts when it comes to becoming a boxer. Doubts like, should I do it? Will I be able to do it?

Don’t worry because it is completely natural, and I have come up with some questions for you to answer if you want to be sure about this. Try to answer as honestly as you can.

Am I physically fit to become one?
Am I ready for rigorous physical training?
Am I ready to get hit or hurt?
Do I have access to resources like the gym or a good coach?
Can I dedicate my time and life to this profession?
Am I medically prepared?

If you have answered yes to most of these questions, then you will surely become a good boxer.

You are most definitely ready to commit and start working towards your goal. I will be helping as much as I can along the way.

Who is a Boxer?

Boxing is a sport that involves hand-to-hand combat and is, hence, a type of martial arts. It requires a person to pour in lots of hard work and determination. It also means that you might get hurt but have the courage that would help you stand up back and try again. 😆

A boxer is someone who boxes, that is, fights with his hands while wearing padded gloves. These boxes are synonymous with boxing only and are a signature symbol of it. 🥊

The sport of Boxing has always had a huge audience. We have heard of a lot of famous boxers who have made it popular as a sport because their name is attached to it. These include famous names like Mike Tyson and Mohammad Ali. 🏆

There are about 20,000 known professional boxers all over the world now.

Scope of Boxers

Boxing is a growing field with more recognition and fame coming its way every year. About 2.1 million people in the United States stepped up and decided to pursue boxing in the year 2021. This is according to reports published by Statistica.

The boxing industry is worth 2.69 million US dollars right now and is growing rapidly. The boxing equipment industry is worth 1.6 billion US dollars.

The US is also the country with the most medals in men’s professional boxing, with a total of 117 Olympic medals in the sport.

Women’s boxing, which was introduced in 2012, has also seen major development. China holds the record for the most medals in women’s professional boxing with seven medals.

Skill Set required to become a boxer.

There is a particular skill set a professional boxer needs to have. You will have to work on the set of skills I am mentioning below to make it big as a professional boxer.

You have to be physically fit. Work on your endurance, speed, strength, and flexibility.
Your boxing technique should also be perfected. You can make your own techniques and special moves if you want.
Learn more about weight management.
Learn about ring awareness as well.
Read up on the regulations of boxing to be more aware of your matches.
Focus on training.

If you want to work on your weight management and want to know more about this topic, then you can use this article.

How much can a Boxer earn?

Once you step into the field as a professional boxer, you can expect to get paid quite a lot. You also get to enjoy a lot of other benefits that come out of becoming a professional sportsperson. 📈

You can expect a base pay of $68,041 per year. A very important thing to remember is how boxers earn money. Some might get paid hourly, while some might be getting paid by the number of rounds they fight in.

If we take the number of rounds into account, then, on average, boxers get paid less than $1000 for a fight at the very beginning of their career.

After they become professionals, they can get paid up to $8000 per fight they do. So, it has become a fact that experience and skills speak a lot in this career option.💸

If we talk about hourly rates, then you can expect to get paid about $23.89 per hour as of June 2023.

There can be different wages according to the experience and skill set of every other boxer, but the average you can expect comes between $17.31 and $26.68 per hour. These are statistically proven salary trends and are up to date. 📊

How to Become a Boxer? (More Tips)

There are steps to be followed in order to achieve anything. Below are some steps that will help you understand how to become a boxer, and I recommend you note them down for future reference. ✅

Start training

The first step would be to start training. As you are preparing to become a sportsperson, you will have to start putting in the physical effort, too.
You can find a gym and start bulking up.
Try to find a gym with experienced members who are just the instructors.
This would help you find a good and professional sparring partner, which would make practice better. This also includes training. 🥊

Take command over bodies.

Boxing might seem like just punching, but boxers are superb athletes who have command over their bodies in such a way that allows them to stand and dodge very swiftly.
This would require immense dedication, concentration, and training. Taking structured boxing classes is also a good idea. ☑️

Find a coach

Finding a coach is also a necessity.
An experienced coach is a necessity, but also try to be on the lookout for a coach who has trained amateur boxers before and has done it in a very focused manner.
This is because the coach needs to have some experience with amateur boxers before you. 🧑‍🏫

Become an Amateur Boxer

With adequate training under a good coach, you would become eligible to become an amateur boxer.
The training is up to your coach, but once you start following a structured routine and sparring, you will be deemed an amateur boxer only. 🐣

Get a license

There are only a few differences between an amateur boxer and a professional one. One of them is a license.

Wannabe boxers have to get a license for themselves to get identified as amateur boxers.
You can get one through application and learning about the rules that particular licensing organizations might have.
Different organizations might have different rules, so you should be aware of the one you apply for.
They generally do a general body check-up and ensure you are physically fit enough to become a boxer.
After this, you just need to pay a sign-up fee, and your license will be with you shortly. 📃

Use this article to learn more about the process of getting a license.

Find a Manager

A good manager is also required so that you can debut in the boxing world and make connections.
Someone with good experience, knowledge, and networking in the boxing world would be able to help you make contracts with boxing agencies and bigger groups.
They would also help with networking on your own and making a reputable name in this field.

Be ready to give them a good enough income – at least 20% of your income. 💲

Have your first fight

After all of this hard work, it is time for you to make your debut and do your first fight.

Your manager would either get you into a tournament or a local club fight.
Both are good options as tournaments help in making a reputation even if you end up losing, as a lot of people watch tournaments.
If it’s a local club fight, it will help in getting a sponsor for future deals.
Remember that you would have to fight a lot so that you can climb up the ranks and become a well-known professional boxer. 🥇

Responsibilities of a Boxer

As a sportsperson, your physical skill set is going to be much different than that of regular people. You are also going to be under the limelight a lot because boxing as a sport has always gathered a crowd for itself.

If you are going to be in front of the public eye so much, it’s crucial that you understand your responsibilities and how you are expected to behave as a professional boxer. ✅

Use your skills carefully.

You need to understand and always remember that your physical prowess is completely different from that of regular people.

While a normal person would struggle to fight in hand-to-hand combat, you are someone who could easily overpower or hurt someone because of your skills. Hence, you mustn’t misuse this and go around hurting innocent people.

Don’t become a thug when what you want to become is a professional boxer. This is very important to keep in mind at all times. 👊

Here is an article to learn more about boxing ethically.

Identify areas for improvement.

Acquiring the title of a professional boxer wouldn’t be the end of your checklist. After this, you would just need to improve more and more.

This means that you need to keep on practicing so that you understand any flaws in your fighting styles and where you are doing anything wrong.

You will keep on fighting in tournaments and such in the future and, hence, should know what you are doing and where you need improvement. ✊

Listen to the coach.

Who else is going to help you understand your shortcomings and areas for improvement but your coach? In your boxing career, two people will hold the utmost importance – your coach and your manager.

It is inherently important that you listen to both of them. Your coach is your teacher who is going to teach you, train you, help you improve, and climb up the ranks as a boxer. 🧑‍🏫

Listen to the manager.

Your manager is equally important as they are the ones who are going to help you get fights and make a name in the boxing world.

They will offer advice on how to deal with certain individuals, companies, sponsorship deals, etc.

You have to make sure that you connect with other people and build your network in the boxing circle. This person is whom you are to rely on, and you are to listen to their bits of advice. 🧑‍💼

Top Boxer Courses in the United States

Although it is difficult to find specific courses for boxing because it is a completely hands-on skill to learn, we still found and compiled some decent courses for you to take up and understand the sport better. 😁

Boxing Training Course, Complete Workout Set

This course is offered by the online educational platform Udemy and is taught by Barbados Ozeller.
The course has been divided into seven sections, which are further divided into 47 lectures.
The duration of this course then comes out to be a total of 12 hours.
The lectures include the basics, intermediate, and advanced levels of workouts and drills you would need to do while training to become a boxer.
You unlock unlimited future access to the resources once you buy the course.
Once you complete the course, you will have gained enough knowledge about the right kinds of workouts and attacks. 🥊
It is a paid course which will cost you around $6.99.

Boxing Mastery: Learn from a Trainer of Champions

This course is also offered by Udemy and has been divided into seven sections, which are further divided into 67 lectures.
The total duration of this course then comes down to approximately two hours if you decide to watch it in one go.
Your instructor for this course is going to be Kerry Pharr, who is going to use all his 30 years of experience in the field of boxing and coaching to teach this course.
Upon purchase, you unlock lifetime excess to the resources in the course.
Once you complete the course, you will be well-versed in the foot styles, boxing drills, defensive boxing, and more tricks & tips related to boxing. 🤠
It will cost you around $6.99.

Barre Boxing

Barre-boxing is a mixed form of exercise that includes pilates, boxing, strength-building exercises, weight lifting, and cardio.
This course is offered by the online education platform Craftsy and is taught by Shelley Hawkins.
Hawkins promises good, sweaty, upbeat sessions with her in this course, where she teaches the students cardio-kickboxing with a barre boxing flare.
It is 51 minutes, and you would need to get out of your bed to do this. 😆
You can get lifetime access to this course once you purchase it and can avail yourself of the resources whenever you want.
You can buy it for $29.99.

Top Boxer Schools in the World

Looking for a suitable undergraduate program can be a tiresome job as there are a lot of options to sieve through to find your perfect program.

As a boxing enthusiast, you need to understand that there is no specific course dedicated to boxing. You will have to join a university or college which has an active boxing club. 🏫

Oregon State University

Oregon State University has a very competitive boxing club that has training hours for three days a week.
They allow complete beginners to try out their training program before joining so that they know what they are getting into.
You can join the club as an amateur, intermediate, or pro, and it doesn’t matter. They welcome all sorts of boxers in their club. 🥊
As for the University itself, it is located in Corvallis, Oregon, and has an acceptance rate of 78%.
You would need to submit a tuition fee of $27,500 for enrollment.

University of Southern California

The boxing club at the Univeristy of Southern California is an active competitor in tournaments and events that are held in the local and neighboring regions.
The competitions are often sanctioned by top boxing organizations in the world.
One of their competitors whom they fight against is USC’s archrival, UCLA.
The boxing club has an active training program in which they train two days a week.✊
As for the University itself, it is located in Los Angeles, CA, and has an acceptance rate of less than 15%.
You would need to submit a tuition fee of $21,000 for enrollment.

The University of Washington

The boxing club at the University of Washington is known as the Husky Boxing Club, and their motto is “Pride, Poise, Team, Family!” ✊.
It is one of the topmost boxing communities and is reputed for being very tight-knit.
If you join the University of Washington, it would be a very good option for you to join the club because they welcome all sorts of boxers into the club.
They have been known to compete in the Pacific Northwest and more such events.
As for the University itself, it is located in Seattle, WA, and has an acceptance rate of 53.5%.
You would need to submit a tuition fee of $36,200 for enrollment.

The Ohio State University

The boxing club at Ohio State University is known for its vision to focus on the development of skills in boxing rather than just competing.
The club practices for three days a week and promises that they don’t require any boxing experience from the applicants.
They believe it is more crucial to learn and engage in understanding the skill than winning belts and trophies. 🎖️
As for the University itself, it is located in Columbus, Ohio, and has an acceptance rate of 57.2%.
You would need to submit a tuition fee of $47,000 for enrollment.

The University of Nevada

The University of Nevada has a very active boxing club that goes on to tournaments and events in the local and surrounding regions every couple of months.
They welcome members of all skills and experience and are known to be one of the most competitive clubs in the country. 😁
As for the University itself, it is located in Reno, NV, and has an acceptance rate of 88%.
You would need to submit a tuition fee of $17,000 for enrollment.

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign has a very active boxing club that took home the USIBA Collegiate National Championship in 2018. They have a top team that consists of 20-30 boxers but allow other members to join and practice as well. They have a schedule of practicing three days a week. 🧐
As for the University itself, it is located in Urbana-Champaign and has an acceptance rate of 59.7%.
You would need to submit a tuition fee of $35,000 for enrollment.
After reviewing these fee structures together with me, it would be clear to you that the quality of the courses offered will be exceptional.
You also understand that choosing a college for yourself would mean looking at the degree as well as the club you will find at that college.
Take a seat, think seriously, and then choose smartly, as this decision will pave the path of your career path.

Where to find Boxing opportunities online?

Boxing is a career option that is mostly based on visibility and connections in the field.

Hence, if you decide to apply for it online, you will have to make sure that you are active on the job platforms. Here’s a list of the most helpful sources on the net as of now.💼

SimplyHired

If you are someone who is looking to hunt for jobs, SimplyHired is the right one for you, as it is an easily accessible source for various job opportunities online.

Right now, there has been an advancement in the field of online job applications and job hunting. It is a growing field and saw more growth after the COVID-19 pandemic, which forced everyone to operate via online mode.

Every employee and employer looking to get involved in the process is active on these platforms as they understand how many people find their jobs here. 😷

Another very credible source that you can start using immediately is LinkedIn. It has the same requirement as the rest of the job platforms on the net- make an account so that you get the free resources and become active.

Networking, being an essential skill, is something we have discussed above as well. What sets LinkedIn apart from the other sources I am going to mention is its exceptional status as a very good platform for making connections and engaging in networking with other professionals in the boxing world. You will most definitely find some of your favorites on this site for sure. 😉

This source is the best if you want to make more networks within your gym and in other boxing-related circles, too. 💻

Indeed

Although it was very difficult to find any jobs for boxers online, Indeed does have some opportunities available on it.

This is all because Indeed is the largest job-hunting platform out there on the net as of now. A lot of people have made their accounts on this site to access the resources. ✔️

For those people who are looking for a range of employment options like remote work, work-from-home positions, part-time gigs, or full-time jobs, you just need to enter your preferences.

It is because of this feature that people prefer online platforms more in comparison to their offline counterparts. 🌐

The basic requirement of sites of this type is an account, which usually costs nothing at all. As soon as this account is created, you will be able to use all of the resources, such as the filters.

Conclusion

Boxing as a career is a good option but requires immense dedication and determination. If you are found lacking, then it might fall apart as a job and won’t be able to sustain you properly.

Hence, see through your goals with crystal clear determination and hard work to go along with it. 🎉

If you want to ask something about this profession, feel free to ask in the comments section below. I’ll answer as soon as I can.