BoxRec

Ive been interested in joining a boxing club for quite a while, so i did a search for local ABA clubs etc and found a few that are local to me. I phoned each one up earlier today to find out a bit about the club ie what days and times they're open and each and everyone wasn't interested. All said i was too old (one trainer actually laughed down the phone at me) or wouldn't take me on because i had no boxing experience. One trainer said if i was 15-16 then he'd be happy for me to join. I understand some clubs are fairly small so they limit the numbers to stop people just joining up for a fitness workout but i explained to each of them that i was serious and willing to put alot of hard work in and when im eventually up to standard my main goal is to compete. I was actually looking for a club where i could train 5 days a week at but all the clubs local to me are open 2 or 3 days maximum. Ive kickboxed before and worked hard at it but i wanted to move over to boxing because ive found that kickboxing clubs focus of the legs and very few work on the hands apart from the odd go on the pads.
Very frustrating because i want this so bad but i cant even find a club to train at :( I understand that many successful boxers begin training in their early teens but at 22 years old, 6ft and 15st with a heart full of drive and passion i must have something going for me?! lol :P

Sorry for the essay, not a very good introduction but i thought id share my experience.
Nice site, i like it!

Sounds like you had a bit of shit into to boxing.

Which part of the country are you from?

I didn't start boxing until 23-24 when I went along to Southampton ABC purely for the workout but gradually got hooked and got more involved.

Keep trying!

Im from Bedfordshire mate.

I tried a club which is supposed to be good in Milton Keynes but they're only taking on carded boxers. I want to keep trying but theirs not much else i can do, ive tried all the local clubs that i know of. I'd be quite prepared to travel to other counties but with work and alot of clubs starting fairly early i don't think i'd make it.

Not my experience, most clubs I have had dealing with encourage as many people as they can. I have seen 45 year olds with (obviously) no intention of fighting or even sparring just go there to do the aerobic exercise.

Even if they had no intention of putting you in the ring, they could always have taught you the basics so you could be a competitent sparring partner for their youngsters.

What was the name of the club? Not sure what I make of it.... I was fed up of seeing so many wasters taking up time in my old gym, but these were mainly teenagers who were just there cause their parents couldn't handle them. Whilst the adult trainers sometimes slowed you up and got in the way when you were doing circuits - it wasn't intential and I had so much respect for them to turning up, and seeing them get more co-indinated/fitter gave everyone such satisification.

Sometimes (especially after a loss) it was a good confidence booster to spar with these guys (the ones around the 30 mark), made you feel good that you could do something (cause, without being disrespectful they didn't really know what to do) - and they were still honoured to actually spar with a licensed boxer (even if he lost his last fight).

I won't say many a good word about the three clubs I have boxed under, but that was one thing they were excellent at. They made everyone feel welcome, regardless of age/potential and amount of sessions they were able to attend. The gym I went to in Uni (briefly) had summer students there, so were only going there for the training 6 weeks a year - they took them on and made them feel welcome.

I sparred with Wayne O Sullivan when he was twenty, as a kickboxer he had to change an awful lot to convert (lets put it that way). Welsh champion at 26. He hadn't boxed as an amateur (I don't think) at 20.

I'm 25 myself, and hope to god the gyms locally to me don't think like that - or I'm f'd.

Keep plugging away, I'd make sure that you were fit before going to a new gym.

Craig,

Something I comtemplated when I left my "local" club in not nice circumstances was to actually "officially" create my own club. In my circumstances I was 40 miles (one way) from my local club (live in the sticks), so when they fecked me off - I didn't have much option.

My cousin, a female amateur, was in a similar situation. Fair play didn't like the way they were handling me and left also. She got the contacts and it was something like on £70 (this was about 5 years ago) to get the permission (this was with the WABA) but then there was other issues that we needed to consider. In the mean time, I got into Uni and we didn't persue it further. Since then a more local one has opened up.

It might be an avenue to consider, if you want to fight.

Glengoffe Johnson didn't start boxing till into his twenties. I think O'Neil Bell who fights Jean Mark Mormeck this weekend was the same. The fact you've got kickboxing experience is good also, many kickboxers have switched to boxing...

Plenty of boxers haven't started till they are in their twenties, Dennis Andries was one that comes to mind, ...don't let these gyms knock you back!...

22 isnt too l8 but if your serious then you need to get a move on

Craigos wrote:Ive been interested in joining a boxing club for quite a while, so i did a search for local ABA clubs etc and found a few that are local to me. I phoned each one up earlier today to find out a bit about the club ie what days and times they're open and each and everyone wasn't interested. All said i was too old (one trainer actually laughed down the phone at me) or wouldn't take me on because i had no boxing experience. One trainer said if i was 15-16 then he'd be happy for me to join. I understand some clubs are fairly small so they limit the numbers to stop people just joining up for a fitness workout but i explained to each of them that i was serious and willing to put alot of hard work in and when im eventually up to standard my main goal is to compete. I was actually looking for a club where i could train 5 days a week at but all the clubs local to me are open 2 or 3 days maximum. Ive kickboxed before and worked hard at it but i wanted to move over to boxing because ive found that kickboxing clubs focus of the legs and very few work on the hands apart from the odd go on the pads.
Very frustrating because i want this so bad but i cant even find a club to train at :( I understand that many successful boxers begin training in their early teens but at 22 years old, 6ft and 15st with a heart full of drive and passion i must have something going for me?! lol :P

Sorry for the essay, not a very good introduction but i thought id share my experience.
Nice site, i like it!

Im 20 in 2 weeks and 14stone... I am joining a local gym soon :) But its a friends gym.

silkov wrote:Plenty of boxers haven't started till they are in their twenties, Dennis Andries was one that comes to mind, ...don't let these gyms knock you back!...

Rocky Marciano didn't start boxing til he was 23.

Thanks for the replies people, i guess i'll just have to keep looking although i think ive tried all the local clubs. Will have to see opening times of clubs from other Counties i suppose and try to work it around my job.

E wrote:

silkov wrote:Plenty of boxers haven't started till they are in their twenties, Dennis Andries was one that comes to mind, ...don't let these gyms knock you back!...

Rocky Marciano didn't start boxing til he was 23.

That gives me hope

I do have to say, your build isn't great for boxing. Do you think you can shift a few pounds? 15 stone is a very small heavy.

At only 6ft, I'd maybe think about losing a few pounds and try and make Cruiserweight.

Mormeck was a soccer player untill 25, he started boxing at about 26...
look where Mormeck is now...

fornicate, I'm 22, I hope that isnt too old to start (again, sort of). I'm 6ft 3 and 12st 2 - if I fought I'd quite like to get down to light-middle, massive reach advantage

Ray Mercer didnt start till his early 20's and within a few years was olympic champion and WBO champion

Shame you don't live in London.

Virtually all of the gyms will let anybody in who pays their subs, but there are also loads of white collar boxing clubs where there will be someone to get you started.

Good luck and keep trying.

Good advice in the first paragraph from Terrence, it is just to turn up and go there with the attitude that your not worried about your age - don't even tell them your age.

22 is no age. If you have a bit of talent its no problem . I boxed from when i was 12-18 (when i became a diabetic) , didnt fight competivly till i was 13 though. I managed to have 31 amateur fights.

I think its better when your older as your less likely to get distracted with Freinds , partying as you are when you 15+.

Go for it

Tom Podmore.

stujones wrote:I do have to say, your build isn't great for boxing. Do you think you can shift a few pounds? 15 stone is a very small heavy.

At only 6ft, I'd maybe think about losing a few pounds and try and make Cruiserweight.

Whats the cruiserweight limit, 14st 4lbs? I could make that quite easily.

I agree that it would be best to just turn up at the gym but the local clubs to me must be small because i couldn't find any info on them at all apart from a phone number, so i didn't even know what days/times they were open.

Thanks for your advice people

Raff The Frenchman wrote:Mormeck was a football player untill 25, he started boxing at about 26...
look where Mormeck is now...

Momeck was born in 1972 and his first fight was in 1995 against Pierrick Trideau making him 23 so he must have started boxing a fair while previous to that?

I started at 19 now 20 and been training for a year. But due to problems with the first club I had to join a new one so thats why I ain't had no fights my self yet but shouln't be too long.

Used to be at one for10 months called Wavertree ABC but thats closed down now so joined the Salisbury in October and that place is much better.

All I had before that was Karate experiance.

15 stone is a very small heavy.

I'm 16 stone odd and gonna get back to 15 and most of the weight went to my legs as mybody looks lean.

Thats not small for a heavy really, just these current heavies think it's wise to put on weight without keeping the speed and flexability.

Just go to a club, if your enthusiastic they will take interest.

And at 15stone they they should love you if your willing to fight...they all love the big boys.

Or failing that.. chuck a long blond wig on...I get the impression clubs now are keen to take on girl boxers

Someone i know boxes at a club in Stevenage so i might give that a go. It's a 60 mile round trip but they train 4 days a week which is better than 2-3 days that the local clubs train. At least im not too old for this club