Ima give you guys the run down. Im 25 years old, 6-1, 260 lbs. I was a standout wrestler in high school. Went on and wrestled D-1 college, qualified for Nationals 2 Times, so im a well rounded athelete. Ever since i was in high school, part of what i did for training was boxing. Boxing is a great sport for supplementing wrestling. There area in which i live has no boxing gym anywhere close tho, so it was just the group of us that trained. Now that my wrestling career is over, im looking to do some boxing on the side, im going to cut down to 240, 235 lbs, I want to do some amateur tournaments, and then see where it goes from there. Here are my problems, like i said, there is no boxing gym, no good trainers. So what i learn i will learn with myself and sparring partners. I dont mind that, i know it will give the competition the edge, but i can get by this. The question is can i still compete without being with a boxing gym? Just fill me in with what i would have to do to get my passport and such. thanks!
I won't say you can't get BETTER without a gym but.... Friends as sparring partners telling you you're good is like having your mom tell you you're handsome. It may be true but you're not quite sure if you can believe her.:yep Kidding aside, i coach boxing and muay thai, and people who come to me after training at the local dojo, or garage are stunned by the difference one-on-one training makes to their skills. I understand that you have no gym in your area, but you might want to see if there is a trainer anywhere nearby. Failing that here are some ideas for you. 1. At 6'1" 260 or even 230 you are WAY too heavy. I don't care if you are yoked like a bodybuilder that's too much beef to pump 0-2 to during a fight. I am just under 6'2 and weigh 225 NOW at 34, when I fought regularly I would come in at 190-205, and during that time I walked around at 215-220 Max.I am very muscular and it was hard for me to maintain that weight. If I trained you that would be the first thing I would say. You will be going up against guys that are much bigger than you, and that is a disadvantage you could avoid. lose weight = no sugar, no excess fat, no white flower, no fried foods, no alcohol, RUN, jump rope. Enough of the bad. 2. If you can't find anyone knowledgable about boxing...get a few dvds from ringside, or title and practice the fundamentals. Practice does not make perfect; perfect practice makes perfect. Go slow and master each movement, shadowbox for 20 -30 minutes at various speeds start s-l-o-w and build as you go. get your sparring partners to watch the DVDs and critique your form, and get better themselves. 3. If you get to the point where you plateau go out of town for a trainer. Even if you go for a weekend. Place ad on craigslist or internet seeking training partners you might be surprised who is in the area. You're 25 so you have time but don't waste it.
I wrestle as well. and one thing im positive about is that being a d-1 heavyweight. you will be ebtter conditioned and stronger then pretty much anhy boxer u fight. were do ulive i guauruntee their is a boxing gym around you. jjoin it. your not going to get ebtter without going to a gym.
I'm going to probably catch a lot of he|| for this, but I'm going to disagree on this one point. If you go to the USA Boxing website, the top heavyweight (cruiser - 198lbs) right now is 6'7", pretty diesel, and fast. The super heavyweights are between 6'1 and 6'3 (top guy's 6'2), some of them weighing as low as 203. There's really not that much of a difference dropping down unless you can make 175lbs. I'm in the boat where I'd have to lose 50lbs to get to the division where my sub-six-foot height says I should probably be at; oh and as a side note, it's also one of the deepest divisions in muay thai in the US. A lot of sub-six-foot guys can bang with the big boys, even on the elite level. Talking them down out of it just ends up being a big slam to their confidence. I've never had a big guy ragdoll me in any class - and I used to work out with a recent WKA national amateur muay thai (super)heavyweight champion. My buddy in Maryland is a Golden Gloves champ at 141 and drops heavyweights in exhibition matches. It can be done. Eat and work out to perform at the best level you can. Otherwise, don't bother trying to compete if you don't have a coach who knows what he's doing. A bad coach can be a detriment, but no coach at all can be worse.
I don't think he should go down to cruiser, but at 260 he's probably rather bulked up. A bit too much for boxing IMO.
I agree with you... unless he moves like Rulon Gardner - that dude was quick for being as huge as he was...
I agree with Pork Chop. What I was saying was that regardless of the conditioning someone has in college, that was a few years ago. Having preformed at an elite level makes that level easier to obtain again, but it is not a given. I loose conditioning if I take two weeks off! it is a best practice to make sure as much of your weight is functional as possible. at 6' 260 I'll bet there is a lot of bulk that is not helping your cause. In pure stand up (boxing MT, etc) I would rather take on a much bigger (height and weight) opponent at a lean 215-220 than a bulky 250. I have DONE both. I am not saying drop a weight class, but reduce the burdon you carry to be a more agile and conditioned fighter.
