I'm a pro boxer; any questions about pro boxing let me know?

Basically same as dempseys thread- ill answer what I can. :good

 

I prefer the pro game as a spectacle, but I enjoyed the amateur days too. The most annoying thing about being pro was having to shift tickets.

Work wise I've always being quite lucky I was able to earn enough working part time and I was also studying a degree the last three years.

If you love something enough you'll find a way. :good

 

The biggest difference is you can take your time more. It's not as frenzied.

You have got a decent amount of time to settle - whereas in the ams you have about a minute then you've got to be taking control.

Everyone can punch hard- even the journeyman. They all know how to fight - whereas in the ams you'll come across people with glaring deficiencies at least at area level.

The money was a great bonus at times but I fought for free on more then one occasion just because I hadn't done enough tickets etc.

I'd go back to the amateurs even now if I could. What I would say is that people get to 22 and retire from the ams because they can't quite cut it. Keep it going its a great sport and your always learning.

 

When your a kid - or me at least. My personal well being came second to my dreams- it was only when my kids came that I started to really enjoy life and that's when I started to worry a little about long term things. I was never bothered about getting KO'd I knew I had a good chin and it was unlikely to happen.

I have being lucky injury wise- broken hands, broken nose, a little bit of forgetfulness that's it really. I didn't really get hit too much. 61 fights that's not bad - plus all the sparring.

 

Be better, listen more to my trainers. Maybe stay amateur longer.

 

I was really nervous sometimes but other times usually in my best performances I would literally not worry at all. I would go in with the mentality 'lets have it'.

The mind is the most important thing in boxing. If you go in to survive you'll struggle - you need to not doubt for one second that you have the capability to win- that takes delusion... I think that's an important asset for all fighters.

 

Dodgy ****ers?

 

ha ha oh that kind of dodgy ****.

Quite a good one was my fourth pro fight- boxed a guy called dave curran... Anyway I was 3-0 and he was 1-1 I think or 1-2 but he'd being signed with frank Maloney initially.

I didn't ask much and left things to my trainer but I recognised his name for some reason. So I asked my trainer if he had any form. Anyway my trainer was like no he's just had a few amateur fights so I just got on with business.

He was quite tidy but I knocked him down five times and stopped him in the fifth. Anyway it turned out that curran was the national amateur champion and an England rep.

Glad I didn't know before but shows the power of the mind.

 

I believe you should spar every session. Or nearly every session. I don't mean heavy sparring I mean conditioned sparring- drilled or working on specific things.

In the run up to a fight I would spar a lot, as a youngster I was only a super feather and I hated sparring. Everyone was bigger then me and I'd avoid sparring as often as possible but I didn't realise it was just hurting me. I wasn't testing myself and my self belief was too fragile.

In the run up to each of my five comeback fights I was sparring current British super middle champ kenny Anderson. He's a top fighter and has about two stone on me. He's also a banger 18-1 (13kos) so even though he wasn't trying to take my head off he would really make me dig deep.

I knew whatever I experienced in the ring wouldn't be as hard as that. I'd also spar others heavily I actually knocked out a few current pros in sparring but this heavy sparring can't be done regular or you'd be a zombie.

So too answer heavy sparring maybe once a week when your very fit, conditioned sparring as often as possible.