32 years of age = what's the chances?

[dutchschaffer]

Hey folks,

There's a new ABA Boxing club that's just been set up in my home town and it's got me thinking about joining with the joint aim of keeping me fit and to also compete at some level.
Here's the plan. I'm 32 years of age, keep myself fairly fit (can bang out 80 press ups, 12 overhand chin ups no problem along with a 7 miler. 187pounds in weight). But haven't started boxing yet and I'm thinking is it gonna be worth it as I'm worried that if I actually do manage to get in a ring to compete I'll be fighting either against younger, fitter, stronger guys or older, more experienced guys.
Either way, I get battered! haha!
I used to do Tae Kwon-Do in my mid twenties and competed at several opens (Including the London Open twice) so am used to a similar kind of sport/environment. Just wanted some kind of feedback from any of you guys who are already in the ring.
Any helps much appreciated
Cheers

[T.Horton]

i honestly believe at your age you can compete as an amateur without too much trouble. You sound fit but you will find it`s a totally different type of fitness and dedication so stick with it regularly and most importantly, listen to your body.

[bernardotelo]

under 34 = you can still compete so go for it

[New England]

if you're looking to compete as an AM and make some noise you have limited time.

for instance, you cant box in the olympics past the age of 34
same with the national tournaments in the states i believe

you can enter the "master class" as well, which is for older amateurs, but you can qualify for the olympics, etc

but that's all amateur


if you can get fights you can fight professionally for quite some time



but lets take it one step at a time
you say you've never boxed?
the first step would be to get into a gym and have somebody show you the very basics
then you've got to get in the ring and see if you like it


i know that the martial arts are great means of becoming fit, and a very athletic persuit at the level you've clearly achieved
but you're probably going to find they are quite different from boxing (especially if you're talking about being a professional)


you can die in the ring
sustain life changing damage from a single punch
compromise the quality of your vision or even go blind


it's a rough rough game with a very slow learning curve.


i wouldn't be saying any of this if you didn't write "what's the chances?" in your title of the thread haha
if you're looking to be a world champion you're talking about a very different set of choices than some guy walking in to a family type gym looking to sweat a bit

i don't want to scare you off
you'll get from boxing what you want to put in
hell, you don't even have to fight anybody if you don't want to. you can go to hit the bags and skip some rope
it's not like that if you don't want it to be.

[dutchschaffer]

Cheers for the comments guys. Yeah, I'm well aware of the difference in fitness. I do need to work on my cardio, maybe circuit training as an added extra?
And I know my body pretty well. I've got a good mind but I'm under no illusions. My competing I see only really reaching regional level, County wide, absolute maximum (And this is only if I'm any good) would be National Amateur. Also about the impacts to the head. That's my only concern. I still love the idea. Me an my girl have just had twin girls and I'd love nothing more than to tell them I've competed and won in a boxing match.
Macho bull**** but hey, I can imagine you'd get a pretty good sense of achievement from it. Keep the tips comin fellas! Cheers!

[-Jay-]

Go for it, in the AMs the odds of something going seriously wrong are fairly slim. You sound like you're in very good shape, there shouldn't be anything stopping you.

[raf727]

go for it man, the hopes and dreams are what keep us moving, once you lose that what do you got left?

[F l i c k e r]

Hey folks,

There's a new ABA Boxing club that's just been set up in my home town and it's got me thinking about joining with the joint aim of keeping me fit and to also compete at some level.
Here's the plan. I'm 32 years of age, keep myself fairly fit (can bang out 80 press ups, 12 overhand chin ups no problem along with a 7 miler. 187pounds in weight). But haven't started boxing yet and I'm thinking is it gonna be worth it as I'm worried that if I actually do manage to get in a ring to compete I'll be fighting either against younger, fitter, stronger guys or older, more experienced guys.
Either way, I get battered! haha!
I used to do Tae Kwon-Do in my mid twenties and competed at several opens (Including the London Open twice) so am used to a similar kind of sport/environment. Just wanted some kind of feedback from any of you guys who are already in the ring.
Any helps much appreciated
Cheers

Depends on what you wanna do with it. Do you want to just dabble around, compete a little but not get serious? Do you wanna become a real champion?

If the former. Go for it. It's possible, because your just dabbling in it.

The ladder. It will be very hard but it is possible. You would have to take on a full load. Taking on matches as many as possible. It's possible to get 10 in one year but again, that is a full load. After 10 fights, you'll see a difference in competition. You'll be on friday night fights, undercards of PPVs, etc etc. Reach 15-0 and you'll be in the run for IBF, lesser title fights. From there, sky is the limit.

Again it all depends on how dedicated or serious you are going to be with it. It's a long tough road but it pays off once you see 15-0. You might even get a WBC title shot, the ones where your meant to pad someone's stats. If you conquer that, well shyt, you made it.

[boxer2k5]

train hard and possiblities are endless. young guys get knocked out just like old ones.

[Rockin']

it comes from with in, not from people on the forum. what are your chances, you tell us. It's all up to you..............Rockin'