I need advice on boxing/life

[Pigeons]

My only bit of advice, don't come to boxing scene for advice

[Beercules]

Join the Marines.

[Metho_4u]

You want to keep your brains intact? Either learn study serious defensive boxing, or count on having lifetime brain injuries, very few make it big in this sport, and almost ALL of those who do pay a heavy price for it later. Get your education. Even 17 is a bit late considering many top fighters started before age 10.

[Eff Pandas]

Just take a semester off or something and try to get some amateur fights in, then it'll be much easier for you to decide whether or not you wanna become a fighter or finish studying and getting a job. 17 is kinda late to start competing but if you're a natural then you might make it, James Toney started at 16, Bernard Hopkins even later and the list goes on and on. College and a normal job can wait, you're still a baby in the professional world and I don't think it'll matter later if you finished college at 20 or 22, it's all the same at the end of the day. College will always be there, a boxing career won't.

Deontay Wilder had his first amateur fight at 19, 20 & he went to the Olympics, picking up a medal & is currently one of the HW title holders.

Anthony Joshua had his first amateur fight at 18 & he won a gold medal in the Olympics & is currently considered one of the most marketable guys in sports (not just boxing) in the world (not just the UK).

And those are just the great late starts currently boxing. There are plenty historically & there are far more who had lesser, but still respectable success with getting into boxing late.

I'd also add for all the people talking about late starts in amateur boxing = failures in the pro game are right on average, but most stories of amateur boxers are stories of failure. We've all seen Gold Medalists in the Olympics with hundreds of fight on down not move into being a solid pro let alone good or great.

Men & women who work hard & dream big f#ck up rules like late starts in boxing = failure, along with many other "rules" they break. Idk if the OP is that type of man...only he knows it...and f#ck maybe he doesn't even know what he's truly capable of yet like I think many of us aren't to one degree or another, but he should definitely steer himself to his own desires & dreams & not the desires & dreams of others cuz "its what people do".

[Beercules]

Honestly I have been through anything life could throw at me. Unless I'm missing something.


Stay in school you ****ing weirdo.

Girls alcohol and drugs. Are you ****ing nuts ?

[Beercules]

Honestly. You need a real good slap upside the head.

[ruedboy]

It sounds like you already know what you want.
Go for it. Do what your heart tells you. If it turns out to be a mistake, no big deal, that's how we learn.
"Failure is the opportunity to start again with more information."

[asgarth]

I started training boxing at 18, had some fights but also couldnt concentrate on boxing due to university.
After I finished my bachelor degree, I took one year off to just see how far I can go in boxing, if I am fully concentrated on boxing.

I fought every 2-3 weeks for a couple months straight, (I think I had a small head trauma lol, couldnt form sentences as fast for a while) and then fought at regional championships and placed second once.

Evaluating my skills, I was decent and could hang with most, but realised that I wont be at the top of the sport, but it was really awesome and fun while it lasted.

Continued my master degree afterwards and for me personally, I didnt regret taking time off for boxing at all.
Maybe you are more talented and have more ambition to become a professional boxer. So finish your high school at least and then go for it. If you dont care for decent grades, finishing high school schouldnt take much time from you.

[Dillian78]

Thanks for all your advice guys. Definitely given me a lot to think about.

[dranoel]

Deontay Wilder had his first amateur fight at 19, 20 & he went to the Olympics, picking up a medal & is currently one of the HW title holders.

Anthony Joshua had his first amateur fight at 18 & he won a gold medal in the Olympics & is currently considered one of the most marketable guys in sports (not just boxing) in the world (not just the UK).

And those are just the great late starts currently boxing. There are plenty historically & there are far more who had lesser, but still respectable success with getting into boxing late.

I'd also add for all the people talking about late starts in amateur boxing = failures in the pro game are right on average, but most stories of amateur boxers are stories of failure. We've all seen Gold Medalists in the Olympics with hundreds of fight on down not move into being a solid pro let alone good or great.

Men & women who work hard & dream big f#ck up rules like late starts in boxing = failure, along with many other "rules" they break. Idk if the OP is that type of man...only he knows it...and f#ck maybe he doesn't even know what he's truly capable of yet like I think many of us aren't to one degree or another, but he should definitely steer himself to his own desires & dreams & not the desires & dreams of others cuz "its what people do".

This is very true. Just because you start at 5 years old doesn't mean you have the biggest advantage in boxing.

I've been driving for about 10 years.
I'm sure as **** not an F1 driver.

Boxing like other endeavors is about you asking the right questions.

You have to have your own niche, and find your own buoyancy.

No fighter is the same :-)