Should boxing become a college sport?

Boxing should be a sport in school but the problem is when it comes to boxing all the tough guys will want to challenge you out side of school. I think it would give more exposure to the sport ya know but they would have to use head gear.

Any inputs on the matter? I personally say yes, because this might bring out more talented fighters that never thought about getting involved in the sport. We are trying to start a boxing club at my university and many people are intrested. I think that it would be of great benefit to all boys. I started learning to box from the age of 5. The boarding school which I attended, had a boxing team. Fortunately, I had maintained training through the years and managed to make the team. I was good enough to have won the school's light heavy title. I wasn't too bad.....not great though. In retrospect, the training methods were very poor. We never had a top coach & relied mainly upon our own sparring & training methods. What the sport does do, is to enhance one's physical & mental attributes. It nurtures the ability to respect other's capabilities and realise one's own as well. Only a person who fully realises and accepts their own ability, or lack thereof, is able to make up their mind as to whether they should take the sport on as a pro. Unfortunately, some overestimate their own prowess. Boxing, or any full contact sport, is wonderful for engendering comaraderie, sportsmanship, mutual respect & the art of reciprocal gentlemanly conduct. I talk of this attitude which is more evident in the amateur ranks. Pro boxing is major hype and a kill or be killed situation. Very few take the latter attitude through with them as they progress. A very minor percentage from college, would in any event, decide to box pro anyway.

Boxing used to be a college sport in America and still is in other countries. Hell at one point High School Boxing Clubs were actually pretty commonplace. That's why boxing was so much better in the 60's and 70's; there were these clubs that acted as boxing talent recruitment centers. Many athletes from all over the country were exposed to boxing and so the level of competition (and therefore skill and talent) was very high. These days the talent pool for boxing is shallower. It's especially true with the heavyweights as most big athletes from impoverished backgrounds go into football, basketball, and baseball rather than get their brains knocked around. Boxing can't compete with those sports in popularity like it used to. We need a charismatic heavyweight champion. We need another Jack Dempsey or Muhammad Ali.

Boxing is a college sport, in only became an Olympic sport after it was an NCAA sport in the 30's. Most boxers are still middle class white college or high school kids, just not the famous ones.

Any inputs on the matter? I personally say yes, because this might bring out more talented fighters that never thought about getting involved in the sport. We are trying to start a boxing club at my university and many people are intrested. That would be cool, but then there would be lower test scores with more people getting cracked in the head.

Sure I don't see why not.

Boxing can be a college sport, but the brutality would have to be taken out a little bit. Obviously amateur rules will be used, head gear, shorter rounds, no extra points for knockdowns. In short, reward skill, accurate punching and stamina. Will it catch on if it's done like this? Prolly not; people like violence, that's why UFC is so popular. Man I hate UFC!

Boxing is not really a college sport. I mean a middle class person could not be a good boxer. You have to know struggle, and have that killer instint to be great at the sport. At least thats what Mike Tyson always said.

that's how they do it where tua's from That makes Tua the most experienced HW around! By this time, I think he should be all washed out already! :)

College? I think boxing can start in the elementary and high schools, amateur style (with protective gears). I say start 'em young! :)

I go to a small Univ. and there is a boxing club and I've been training there for the last year (i also trained in MMA for 2 yrs. before I started boxing). Its pretty nice because its cheap and convenient. However, 95% of the people that come are not serious about boxing and there are only like 4-6 club regulars, myself included, and I usually have only 1 sparring partner. Also, the coach only works with new people (I presume becuase he wants them to join and thus pay the fee) even though only 1/20 (or less) of these people actually end up joining the club, which really pisses me off because he does not give us any of his time. I wish boxing was a legit. sport at my school so that this bullshit didnt happen. Then there would probably be more regular and intense training sessions and we would only have serious people. Also, young boxers would come to the school in order to join the team. This wuold be much much better then the current situation.

As long as title IX laws are in place it isn't very likely. Most Universities have dropped their Wrestling programs due to title IX and some have even been forced to drop their football programs. There's a better chance of them adding women's boxing programs.

Of course, but the public aren't informed about this.

We actually had a former golden glove fighter in my dorm, and he was forming a boxing club. However he got fired so the plans are most likely not going to happen. I think boxing is seen as a more brutal sport than football and hockey to the public because of the limited protection involved. A lot of the colleges participating are amateur programs, which is by far one of the safest sports around; when wearing the right protection gear.

We actually had a former golden glove fighter in my dorm, and he was forming a boxing club. However he got fired so the plans are most likely not going to happen. I think boxing is seen as a more brutal sport than football and hockey to the public because of the limited protection involved.

i remember asking my trainer about this, i forgot the schools he mentioned, but after i graduate from school i might check it out..

Their is actually a good bit of schools around the U.S. that have boxing programs and is awarding scholarships to fighters. Do a search on it, a few schools will pop up and they are not ivy league either.

It can be a problem...I dont see this plan working to well.

I would favor amateur boxing, and if we can start it earlier, like in senior high, the better. This is a good way of developing future Olympic Gold Medalists and future professional champs.

THey used to have it in my high school many years before i attended. I do imagine it had to do with liabilities.