How to Become a Professional Boxer (in the US)

For most people, boxing is a path that requires a lot of sacrifice to become a professional boxer. Whether you’ve done this before or are looking to start pursuing your dreams in the ring, there’s no better time than now to take your first steps in a boxing career.

Table of Contents

Join a Boxing Club

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Join a boxing club. You should choose a reputable club that has a lot of experience in training boxers and is affiliated with an international boxing organization. If you are serious about this, you should not go to the health clubs where boxing classes are held. You need a gym dedicated to boxing (and a few other martial arts).

Maybe when you ask people around, luck will smile and you will find an extremely prestigious address, the best place in the area. A club that everyone wants to join without a doubt.

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Talk to the coach. He will tell you about the uptime, cost and training methods. You can also find out if he is merely a trainer or a former professional boxer. Then meet people and get a feel for the place. If it fills your excitement and anticipation then this is the right place to start.

“Make a question”. You should know what kind of training they will offer for newcomers. Is it suitable for you? What’s the schedule like? Who will you work with? How did you meet them? Make sure you know all the information before deciding to apply.

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Take a look at the other members. You should join a club whose membership spans many levels. As a newbie, in order to develop your skills you need to start testing against other people. A place with members of different levels will be ideal for you to always have someone to practice with and get better and better.

Imagine walking into a restaurant: if it was empty, you probably wouldn’t want to eat there either. If there’s only one person wearing a green hat and you don’t, you’ll walk out. If there was only one person in the restaurant who looked miserable, would you still want to stay? So let’s take a look – the club’s customers look A) healthy, professional and B) satisfied with training here?
If possible find someone who doesn’t work there and consult. Sometimes you also need to listen to outsiders to get an objective opinion.

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Get familiar with the basics. Before working with a coach, add to your knowledge of boxing and technical terms. Not necessarily all of them, but at least enough for you to understand what everyone at the club is saying. Here are some basic concepts: ^{[1] X Research Sources}

Poke owl. This is the busiest blow in boxing. It is a straight line punch that ends at the opponent’s chin with the main hand (hand on the same side as the stepping foot).
Straight punch. The punch with the dominant hand. This is a powerful punch. To do this, you rotate the upper body slightly, throwing the punch from the “jumping up” position directly into the outside of the opponent’s chin.
Up hook (reverse hook). This attack ends at the opponent’s chin or stomach. It is launched at close range, knocking the opponent off balance.
Horizontal hook. This is a side punch at close range with the elbow bent so the arm looks like a hook.
Handball athlete. They are left-handed fighters (naturally or trained). For a normal boxer, they do everything in reverse. Thanks to this difference, martial artists become very difficult to deal with.
The gladiator is outside and the gladiator closes in. An outside boxer is someone who likes to keep his distance, step up with shots. The close fighter is an athlete who fights at close range and moves with reverse hooks.

Start Your Training Program

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Start working with a coach. The instructor will teach you the basics like jab, crochet and cross hook instead of just knowing the terminology so you get used to boxing. You’ll also then learn footwork, posture, and support techniques.

A good coach will train you in additional skills such as stamina and agility. If your instructor asks you to run around a plot of land, it’s for good reason. And don’t expect to be paired right away – he’ll let you know when the time comes.

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Start a solid exercise regimen. Countless boxers can surpass their physique. A good training program includes punching a sandbag with a reflex ball, endurance running, and jumping rope. You will have to practice outside the ring at least three to four times a week.

You should be trained in exercises to lose fat and weight; dance, yoga; Core, high-intensity interval training exercises to improve supplemental skills. Besides, take a reasonable rest so that your body always listens to you.

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Start some heavy exercise. Each session lasts 90 minutes and is performed three to four times per week. A basic boxing exercise includes 20 minutes of sit-ups, push-ups; 20 minutes cycling and 30 minutes jogging. The training session should end with 10 minutes of jumping rope, 10 minutes of punching a sandbag or, if possible, fighting with another person.

You should combine running 3 miles (4.9 km) with jumping rope, jumping platforms, crunches, pushups and sandbag training. See how long it takes for your body to start getting tired and not performing properly.

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Don’t forget to relax. Please warm up for 20-30 minutes (rotating joints, warming up because the body has not been stretched for many hours) before starting to practice or compete. After long training sessions, you need to do some stretching movements (stretching and holding the position for a while). This helps prevent injury and minimize muscle strain.

You may find it funny, but yoga is not a bad idea. It helps with muscle tone, increased flexibility, the whole body will be relaxed, stretched and ready for anything to come. Not to mention the serenity and focus that yoga brings. ^{[2] X Trusted Sources American Psychpogical Association Go to Source}

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Start an athlete’s diet. All professional boxers are required to follow a nutritious diet or diet. Exercise will be useless if you do not eat right. In addition, poor diets will cause performance to drop. In this case, your body is your money-making tool.

What is the athlete’s diet? It’s a diet high in protein – chicken, fish (such as salmon, tuna), eggs, peanut butter, fruits and vegetables. It also includes sources of healthy fats like olive oil, avocado, and nuts. ^{[3] X Source of Research} Your body needs a balance of nutrients and fats to endure extreme exercise intensity.

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Exercise endurance. If you think this means cardiovascular endurance, you are only partially correct. It also includes two other types of endurance: ^{[4] X Research Source}

Leg Strength To be a good boxer, your legs must be constantly moving. There are very fast moments with high difficulty that require flexible feet. After many rounds you will start to feel your legs are as heavy as lead. Jumping rope can help you train to prolong the endurance of your legs.
Shoulder strength. Once the shoulders are tired, both the thrust and defense will not be able to be done by the boxer. Surely you can’t bring your hands up in front of you if your shoulders are drooping because of the weight. Practice punching with a reflex ball and perform continuous hand movements to increase shoulder strength.

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Continue to train your mind. Boxing is not just boxing. That’s the spirit of course, but you also need other skills to perfect yourself and prepare for the future. Don’t laugh too quickly – consider the following suggestions: ^{[5] X Research Sources}

Go to a dance class or two. Many athletes are not only boxers but they also know how to dance. Do you know why? Because dancing requires balance, agility and flexibility – three very important factors in sports competition.
Take an acting course. Are you thinking about promoting, promoting and getting funding for your cause? Surely no one wants to look like an idiot while doing these things. So polish your theatrical skills to increase your appeal.
Go to business or sports management school. There are two reasons you should: A) you don’t want to be the second Mike Tyson, blow your money away and risk putting your hopes on people who say “I deserve that cut” and B) you want a future. You can’t compete for the rest of your life because there will be times when your body can’t handle it, so learn to have a good foundation that will help you move on to coaching or promoting later.

Become an Amateur Boxer

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Find your local amateur boxing organization. You can do a quick search through the Internet or when chatting with friends in the club. When it’s time to play, the coach will let you know. Or you will feel it yourself.

This is the step that involves the most paperwork. Visit USAboxing.org (if you live in the US) for up-to-date information in your state. You will then find open events you can join.

Become a Professional Boxer

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Depends on your defense, speed, strength and sense of self-control. Let’s analyze the separate factors above:

Defense. You will be observed anywhere from 60-150 punches per round . It doesn’t matter how strong your punches are – always keep your shoulder strength, defend solidly and move forward with 100% energy.
Speed. You have to fight the opponent with the highest speed you have. People don’t care how strong you are – if you take a full punch for being too slow, you won’t get anywhere.
Power. This comes from good technique. Sure, wild punches are recorded at the end of the competition, but you’ll be exhausted. You must be able to focus on your power and control it. Waste of energy will cause you to lose the battle.
Free. From now on you need to turn on auto mode. No time to think, “Okay… now I should throw a left hook… raise your hand, young man… oh, time to dive,” something like that. Every movement needs to be released without thinking.

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Find a manager. Your manager will connect with the organizers who will open the matches. You can now make money, but remember that at least 20% of your bonus will go to the manager and the organizer. The reason for this, it’s well worth the money – they’re the ones working to boost your reputation.

From now on, once you’re fully in the boxing community, you’ll know which managers are in the region and who are transparent. If you have talent, of course they will want to take it. Just be sure who you can trust and stick with.

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Don’t be in a hurry to quit your old job. The great boxers of greats drive expensive cars out there, bring in loads of money, and probably only need to compete a few times a year. Then someone from the middle ranks suddenly scores with promotions and quickly earns tens of thousands of dollars. Then there are others. You won’t stay at the top forever, so keep your current job. ^{[11] X Research Source}

Like HPlywood – you never know how many people are struggling to be famous. This is normal at the start. Don’t forget about 50% of your bonus will go to the supporters, like founders or managers. So besides, keep a steady source of income with at least one part-time career.

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Get a certificate. You will have to join a federation (IBF, WBC, WBO, or WBA) and get a boxer certificate from the boxing board you compete in. There is a concept called “alphabet soup”. It was formed because now one federation after another is springing up like mushrooms. Assuming you don’t like the name of this federation, there are still dozens of options that you can consider.

In the US, this is done at the state level. Each region has different requirements, from an amateur boxer to someone who has a manager. Have at least your birth certificate and social security card ready as there will be a lot of paperwork to go through.

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Climb each step. Your ultimate goal should be the championship belt. If you are able to hold the belt three out of four seasons, you will be classified as a “Super Champion”. Hold all four belts and you will become the “Invincible Champion”.

To do this takes time, diligence, plus the ability to endure wounds and setbacks. Your skin must be thicker in many ways. Boxing is a sport that has the ability to wipe out weakness from the body and mind.

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Look to your predecessors for inspiration. The media has a way to promote different types of people with their own characteristics. Many famous boxers are extremely attractive and photogenic, like Jack Dempsey. But if you dig deeper, there’s no true boxer mold that fits, other than very few and not exactly the exact average.

Remember that glory doesn’t necessarily come from talent and achievement. Gene Tunney beats Jack Dempsey twice , but his reclusive lifestyle keeps him away from the limelight, unlike his sociable and outgoing rival. Not all boxers seek fame. ^{[12] X Research Source} And there are many boxers from different walks of life.
Need inspiration to strengthen your belief that you can do it all? Learn about Calvin Brock, “the boxer and banker”. He was a well-educated man with a legit banking career when he started moving into the pro game. ^{[13] X Research Source} If you’re still in college, don’t worry. That is doable.
On the other hand, you are never too young. “Little Gaur” Juan Diaz started playing professionally at the age of sixteen . ^{[14] X Research Source} Of course, he couldn’t sustain it for long, but he still did. Now he has a law degree and still lives very well. So whichever path you take, you’ll be fine.

Advice

Always respect fellow boxers! That makes a good and respectable athlete.
For the big guys: pay attention to the speed because you already have a lot of power already. Small boxers should focus on the opponent’s stomach and practice more strength.
If you decide that professional boxing isn’t for you, there are plenty of other sports careers that might appeal to you.
Don’t expect to win every game, you will have to lose at some point. But be patient. The best boxers in history have been defeated dozens of times.
Narrow your focus. Remember it is very difficult to succeed in many different forms of fighting, you can do it but first specialize in one fighting style. Find a gym with an expert on that form of competition.

Warning

Once you become a professional boxer, be very careful not to get involved in violence outside the ring. If you attack someone with your hand and get caught, it is very detrimental to your career because when they go to court they have to complete a record of the defendant’s punching ability.
You may be drawn to sports by the thought of big money. Very few boxers compete for the top, but most of them work in the ring to bring in a regular income.
A career in boxing can lead to serious lifelong injuries or death.

Steps