BoxRec

I really want to start but have no experience (apart from having a punch bag at home for as long as I remember!)

I have no ambitions to become world champ or anything (probs a bad start already) but I just want to see how I get on.

As pathetic as it sounds, I don't like the idea of being a beginner and being in the same boat as 10 year olds at 23!

Anyone else on here started late? I know Stuey Hall did, any other Pro examples?

I never turned pro until I turned 29 mate. Admittedly I had 50 unlicensed fights first but I never took boxing seriously , well at all really but until in my 20's.if your near London feel free to pop up and ill try giving you a nudge in the right direction

Seth Mitchell didn't start boxing until his mid-twenties.

First off you need to go along to an amateur club, and learn the basics. With good training and regular sessions, you could be ready for your first amatuer bout by the start of next season.

Or join a white collar club, and they sometimes do something like a 12 week program and you get a bout at the end of it.

On another note, i'm 42 and started going back to a boxing club for the first time in 17 years.
Even had some spars now, by spars i mean getting my arse handed to me by fitter, faster and harder youngsters.
For some reason they like to get stuck into me maybe its because i'm easy to hit. I've got the movement of C3PO

johnnygreaves wrote:I never turned pro until I turned 29 mate. Admittedly I had 50 unlicensed fights first but I never took boxing seriously , well at all really but until in my 20's.if your near London feel free to pop up and ill try giving you a nudge in the right direction

Appreciate the offer. I'm in the East Midlands though but have family down Feltham and Staines way. Might be able to get down there for a bit to take you up on your offer.

loads of places offer private lessons if u want to get a bit under you belt b4 joining a class

danamba7 wrote:As pathetic as it sounds, I don't like the idea of being a beginner and being in the same boat as 10 year olds at 23!

Your age is the least of your problems if you think you'll be boxing on a boat.

Aden wrote:

danamba7 wrote:As pathetic as it sounds, I don't like the idea of being a beginner and being in the same boat as 10 year olds at 23!

Your age is the least of your problems if you think you'll be boxing on a boat.

haha have I got the wrong sport?

Seriously, 23-years-old is a great age for you to start boxing, it's actually the youngest age you can possibly start, so get on with it.

didnt start boxing till i was 19 - just turned pro at 28 youve got plenty of time mate

Go down to sports direct, pick up some wraps, gloves and a gum shield and go down your local amateur club, you should know by next week if the sport is for you

Age is no barrier fella, until you're over 35, then recovery/injuries/reflexes play a huge part!
You also really need to have a minimum of at least a years basic training 3/4 times a week in a local gym under your belt before you start making any decision.
It may not be what you expect, much harder than you eexpect or the pain too much to control. Boxing is fantastic but many guys have took it seriously only to then finally climb in the ring and start taking real punches by fully grown men to the nose & mouth & changing their mind rapidly.

23 isn't old mate. It can feel like it is if there's schoolboy amateurs and older teenagers in the gym, but in reality, it is young. Respectively speaking I mean.
I never had the first idea at 16 and on top of it I thought I had too much crap on with A-levels, so I started at 24 feeling pretty old. You can still learn loads.....but you've got to keep on top of your training. You're still years from your peak.

Clint Magnum wrote:Age is no barrier fella, until you're over 35, then recovery/injuries/reflexes play a huge part!
You also really need to have a minimum of at least a years basic training 3/4 times a week in a local gym under your belt before you start making any decision.
It may not be what you expect, much harder than you eexpect or the pain too much to control. Boxing is fantastic but many guys have took it seriously only to then finally climb in the ring and start taking real punches by fully grown men to the nose & mouth & changing their mind rapidly.

Yeah I realize I may end up not being so keen on the idea after a few months. My main setback will be cardio. I know Boxing is the fittest sport in the world and I've got a lot of work to do! I'm in good shape, always played football and been in the gym for 2 years, but I've never been naturally fit regarding long distance running, swimming etc. Apart from that, I've took digs in the face, on the chin, knees to the head and headbutts on the nose, I'd be much more worried about a decent boxer throwing a devastating body punch and breaking my ribs! I wouldn't need the count, I think I'd try tapping out MMA style!

Go for it mate though make a promise to stick with it for at least a year before you judge your progress. If you've never boxed before it will take time before you are competent.
Hopefully you find yourself a good gym/trainer but my advice would be focus on the basics and get them as good as you can: footwork and straight punches. The rest will come naturally afterwards.

I know a guy whose been boxing amateur a few years and he is terrible! He has an awful jab and moves around in a "wonky" style. It's because the crappy gym he was at tried to teach him to bob and weave etc before the lad could even throw a proper jab!

As others have said - give it a go. 23 is a better age than 24, 25, 26 ... etc. if you fancy it, give it a go.

The only advice I would give is to find a gym where they will teach you the basics well - I guess ideally a receptive amateur club (not all will be receptive to be honest).

Having learned the basics, you can then move in to white collar etc. later if you want to. At the beginning I would avoid the "doormen" type boxing gyms / fighting clubs etc. as you are unlikely to learn many skills and might get a good hiding !

A lad I coached walked into the gym at 26 years of age having spent the previous few years out of his head clubbing! He ended up having something like 35 amateur bouts, beat an eventual ABA semi finalist twice, picked up bout of the night 4 times in a row, won a novice title, boxed in New York.

Never too late...

Plenty of Gyms in Nottingham, might not be the nearest ones to you but if your ever looking to train in Nottingham (its not too far) then pm me and ill send you a list of the better gyms and ill provide contact numbers etc where i can.

Tarquin Tarpaulin V wrote:A lad I coached walked into the gym at 26 years of age having spent the previous few years out of his head clubbing! He ended up having something like 35 amateur bouts, beat an eventual ABA semi finalist twice, picked up bout of the night 4 times in a row, won a novice title, boxed in New York.

Never too late...

I started at 21 and did it for a couple of years including entering the ABA Novices, but stopped at 23, partly because of work commitments but mostly because after getting 'schooled' by a 16-year-old at the old Empire Gym in Bristol I decided i was too old and it was too late as I wouldn't be able to 'catch up' with those that had been boxing since the age of 8/9/10, like this lad.
At 42, I can say it remains one of my biggest regrets as I was completely wrong and should have stuck at it, as Tarquin's post illustrates only too well what is potentially possible. As the old saying goes, you only tend to regret what you don't do, not what you actually do...
Go for it!

Thanks for all the encouraging posts. Definitely helped made my mind up. Guna contact Shepshed ABC which has a good reputation. If that doesn't work out I'll PM you damianhucker1

If you've been fit and active and are coordinated it'll be an adventure. If you've been sat on your arse since school it's a tough sport and it's frustrating to learn the basics; you ought to give it a go though; there's no pressure on you and if you enjoy it you'll get better at it.

Shepshed is a decent amateur club mate, if u wanna go on the pads with chris pyatt just down the road I can point u in the right direction.

boybrooks wrote:Shepshed is a decent amateur club mate, if u wanna go on the pads with chris pyatt just down the road I can point u in the right direction.

Sounds good, can you PM me any details?

Going along with some of the above comments, I guess it also depends on how quickly you take to the sport.