It is cold weather where I live, snowing outside. Would it be best to visit my Gym now or wait until Spring? Also, do I approach the guy and ask him to train me to be a fighter?
Gyms don't change based upon the season...go whenever you want. Idk how the gym you are looking at works but when I first started going I literally walked in and introduced myself to the head coach, got dressed to workout, and just jumped right into it as if I had been going there for years. I'm going to guess that your gym costs money and is more of an open gym so you will want to walk in and find either the front desk (if they have one) or whoever is in charge. Don't go saying you want to be a fighter. That is the absolute worst thing you can do because if you end up not liking getting punched in the face then you will probably have to leave if you want to save face. Tell them you are interested in boxing. If they ask you if you want to compete in the future say you aren't sure but maybe. Don't let them rush you into anything. I am guessing you are a kid so I'll tell you this. Don't get dead set on boxing. It looks all cool and fun when you see it on tv but its ALOT different in real life. In fact try it out as soon as you can so you don't waste time focusing on boxing before you even get there. I recently quit boxing after training a while because I got fed up with everything they were trying to take from me. They wanted money for pretty much everything and I was only about to have my first amateur fight. I can only imagine how much it costs to turn pro. I was actually pretty good. Its just I couldn't stand training around other people who weren't putting as much into it as I was and I was the one suffering because of it. Boxing is a rich man's sport now. There are other reasons why I quit but that's the more personal one. Maybe in a couple of years in a new city, new gym I'll give it another shot but until then I don't really care about boxing anymore. They killed it for me. Hopefully the same doesn't happen for you.
I'm about to turn 16 and this is good advice, thanks. How long does training take before I start sparring?
Idk to be honest, it all depends on how you progress and how the coach does things. I started sparring less than a month after I started training but that was because I picked up on stuff really fast. I had more of a hardcore coach so I doubt your training will be anything like mine. We would do lots of running to warm up, shadow box at a high pace for 6 rds, do drills for a few rounds, then I would have to spar guys that were state level amateur champs. I hated every single second except sparring. One guy I frequently sparred with made it to the national golden gloves. Although he was smaller than me he was by far the hardest sparring partner (and I had sparred with guys who were bigger than me too). He had speed, great footwork, and what seemed like a million different tricks. He was never in the same place for more than a split second. I felt like I was sparring Harry Greb at times. In the off chance that they start you sparring right away, just remember two things. Breath and keep throwing punches. Most people, myself included, get licked the first few sparring sessions. Of course that's if they put you in with someone a lot more experienced than yourself. If you are sparring with someone your own level then you could actually do pretty good your first few sparring sessions.
They might hit as hard but they don't go as hard, if that makes sense. Sparring is about taking the techniques that your coach teaches you and implementing them into practical use. The only sparring session I was in where the guy was genuinley trying to knock me out was against an opponent who had been training for a long time but never sparred (at least I had never seen him spar). I slipped nearly all of his punches but I could tell he was trying to take my head off. You'll be alright, don't worry about it whatsoever. I can't stress enough for you not to overthink anything. The more you build it up in your head, the more anxiety you will have. Everything that you are feeling is completely natural. You are a lighter weight guy so the guys at your weight class don't hit very hard. I weigh about 140 and have sparred with guys from 120-160 lbs. Power isn't really there until about 160 lbs. Even then I can still go toe to toe.
Also you will spar with other amateurs not professional sparring partners lol. Just want to make that clear.
You're over-thinking things. Just go and learn. It's not gonna be anything like the movies. There's no singular point in time when your coach looks you in the eye and says "you're ready". It's gonna take time, and getting punched is gonna hurt bad, and it's gonna be way less fun than it looks. If you can get past that, and still come back, then we'll talk.
I Would advice to atleast be somewhat decently fit before you join a boxing gym. Atleast be able to run 5kms without stopping and within a decent time.