Professional boxers are career athletes at the very top of the sport. They make a living from the bouts they participate in, and world champions like Anthony Joshua can also make money through endorsements and sponsorship.

The path to becoming a pro boxer is very difficult. You’ll need to train hard to develop your strength, repeatedly win at the amateur level and keep your body in excellent physical condition. The majority of your professional life will be spent in the boxing gym.

Professional boxing is one of the two types of modern competitive boxing and amateur boxing. Although the fighting is generally identical (there are some differences, but they are not vital), the concept of amateur and professional boxing is very different.

One notable difference is that professionals generally cannot compete in the Olympic Games, so you cannot come back to the Olympics once you go pro.

You can’t hope to turn into a boxer in a couple of months. The career requires long training, practice with companions and trainers, cooperation in nearby and state occasions, and a permit.

Your age, wellness level, ailment, and mental status will be the determinant factors for a section into the calling, aside from the abilities. Boxing is a global game, much the same as cricket and football.

In this way, you need to assemble decent notoriety so that after your body parts within the ring, you can, in any case, be in the calling of a mentor.

On the off chance that you fancy battling for the UFC or turning into a pound-for-pound boxer, at that point, you should satisfy your fantasies and become a professional boxer. For some individuals, boxing is their fundamental wellspring of pay and lifestyle.

Although you have to seek after boxing reverentially and need to forfeit a ton of things, it is, without a doubt, an excellent career choice.

However, suppose you aren’t sure how productive your fantasies could be regarding gaining a living and how you can begin this career without any preparation similar to custom writing. In that case, this article will assist you with an excursion to establish this calling.

What Is Professional Boxing?

Professional boxing, or prize-fighting, is strictly regulated, sanctioned boxing. Professional boxing bouts are fought for a purse divided between the boxers as determined by the contract.

Most professional bouts are supervised by a regulatory authority to guarantee the fighters’ safety. Most high-profile bouts obtain the endorsement of a sanctioning body, which awards championship belts, establishes rules, and assigns its judges and referee.

In contrast with amateur boxing, professional bouts are typically much longer and can last up to twelve rounds, though less significant fights can be as short as four rounds. In addition, protective headgear is not permitted, and boxers generally take substantial punishment before a fight is halted.

As a result, professional boxing has enjoyed a much higher profile than amateur boxing throughout the 20th century and beyond.

Steps To Become A Professional Boxer

Now that we’ve told you what professional boxing is let us see the general steps you need to take before becoming a professional boxer. Before becoming a professional boxer, you’ll need to become an amateur boxer, so we’ll see the steps necessary to become an amateur before dealing with the steps needed for the pro level.

Then, we’ll walk you through the process step by step to see what and when you need to do.

Start Small

Aspirants recommend not being very liberal in their fantasies about turning into a high-octane boxer directly from the earliest starting point if they miss a stage.

For example, each one of the anxious individuals ought to not wrongly walk through the enormous entryway with no reliable information on what exists past it. As it were, each contender should begin as a beginner while building the aptitudes and consistently moving towards their objective.

Get acquainted with the basics

The main thing somebody in training ought to do is acclimate themselves with the standards spread out for boxing. Be it the guidelines of battling or what occurs inside or outside the ring, each fringe or centre information is essential to the boxer and should be organized; because knowing does a large portion of the work.

Focus is essential

Deserving of uncommon notice is the thing without which any important endeavour can’t run for a long time. This will be the prima facto while you are training and, in any event, when you are dealing with different things, getting family things done, and so forth.

Try not to expect too much too early.

Often, boxers taking shape get their spirits high by keeping unreasonable desires from this road. Since regularly, contenders in the quest for dreams made a massive deal about falling hard on their backs. In this way, it is insightful to slice the fabric as per your size.

Try not to set out with your eyes on the enormous prize; instead, stir your way up the stepping stool as modestly as could be allowed.

Train to Ameliorate Yourself

To be a professional boxer, you need to up your power, speed, defence, and autonomy.

The more you fight, the better your reputation will be. If that doesn’t work out for some reason and there’s no other option left but to train – well, then do what boxers are supposed to: Work hard in training so that when it comes time for fights, everyone knows who is on top.

Defence

You’ll be putting up a fight like never before. The best fighters are always on their toes and must defend against an endless series of attacks from all angles. Likewise, with so many punches per round, your defences will have to stay on their toes at all times, or else you could get caught by an attack that might knock you out.

Power

It is essential to know the proper technique not only to win but also to have fun. Throwing wild punches will only make your opponent more determined, so it’s best if they are disciplined and controlled with their power until finally throwing one big hook that will make you win a match. You can achieve this by training on power.

Speed

As a professional boxer, you’re fighting against opponents that are the fastest and most agile ever. It doesn’t matter how strong or fast they may seem – if you are slower than them, then there’s no way for it to end well for yourself.

This means you need ways to increase your speed, which can only be attained through training.

Autonomy

You need to be on autopilot and react naturally. You don’t have time to think about what you should do next. So you have to react and keep going.

Get a Good Manager

The essential person in launching your professional career is a manager. They are licensed experts who lead and organize all aspects of their client's lives, from match-making to contract management, but not only that.

They also have connections with other boxers, which can be helpful for you if looking towards getting sponsored or training under another fighter’s gym banner.

Giving a percentage of your income to managers is standard in most professional boxers, but you must know what benefits of such an arrangement.

Establish a connection

Making an impression is essential to each part of life, not to mention boxing. Therefore, a boxer in training will do well to keep an excellent direct and moral record from the good ‘ole days. It generally helps win the trust of the individuals in and outside the ring — besides, boxers without a perfect record of reasonable direct are not permitted in professional boxing.

Look For a License

You will have to join a professional boxing association (IBF, WBC, or WBA) and get licensed by the commission you’re fighting in.

There’s an acronym called “alphabet soup” because it seems like every new organization is popping up out of nowhere with their own set rules. However, if they don’t suit your fancy, plenty more options are available.

Climb The Ranks

The best way to become a champion is by climbing the ranks, fighting other fighters, and improving your skill. You will have to fight for that to happen, so find someone who can evaluate if you are skilled or not.

You should also find good opponents with whom you think it would be worthwhile betting on both ends-to see who wins and what happens when your two great competitors finally come face-to-face.

Seek Inspiration From Your Pros

It’s interesting to think about what it means that the media can create such a false perception of reality. We see pictures and videos with professional boxers who are highly charismatic. Still, if you take away their fame, then there isn’t anything special about them at all – other than being an average person living life in general.

This is why you ought to look at your pros so that they give you the inspiration to work even harder. In addition, you will feel motivated to continue if your pros are something that smiles at you.

Job Description

Professional boxers compete in hand-to-hand boxing matches to win belts and titles, often in front of screaming fans. It sounds glamorous, but in fact, fights are only a small part of a boxer’s working life.

The majority of their career involves:

• A huge amount of strength training.
• Rope skipping.
• Running.
• Developing techniques and managing diet to drop or gain pounds to meet a specific weight category.

A massive number of people watch the sport of boxing. As such, many pro boxers will also receive public relations training to communicate with the media and fans.

How Do You Earn Money As A Professional Boxer

Despite the surprisingly low median salary for professional boxers, there are luckily several ways fighters can boost their income. Pro boxers don’t only make money from the fights themselves. Continue reading as I discuss exactly how professional boxers earn their money.

Competing in Bouts

There are a few ways one should expect to earn a living as a professional boxer. One of the main ways (an obvious one for many) is fighting itself or competing in bouts. Fighters earn a split of the ‘fight purse’ for taking part in about.

The fight purse is the number of funds that a promoter or promoters pool into an event. In fight negotiation news, you will often hear how fighter A is receiving a 60% cut while fighter B is receiving a 40% cut.

Sponsorship

Another way fighters earn money is through sponsorship deals and brand ambassador roles. You will notice when you watch a pro boxing match that many fighters have brands and logos on their trunks, or perhaps they will wear a branded hat after a fight. These are all calculated moves.

Fight Bonuses

Another way boxers make more money is through fight bonuses. Fight bonuses are not typical for every professional boxing match, but they exist.

Fighter Merchandise

Another way to increase their income is by selling merchandise to their fan base. This technique works best when the fighter already is a big draw and has a devoted following. You will often find fighters selling their own branded t-shirts and training gear.

Betting

While this is a sure-fire way to lose a lot of money potentially, many pro boxers occasionally risk or bet their earnings on fights. Since they are immersed in the sport- many have a tremendous edge and can do well. Some boxers will even bet on themselves.

How Much Money Do Professional Boxers Make?

The way professional boxers make their money is a little more clear-cut than how professional MMA fighters make their money, so we have a better financial picture for boxers than we do of the richest UFC fighters.

This is all in thanks to the Muhammed Ali Boxing Reform Act or better known simply as the “Ali Act”, which was created to protect the rights and welfare of all boxers competing today.

On average, boxers earn about $2,225 per fight early in their careers. More experienced professionals earn about $6,875 on an average per fight before expenses and taxes. Most fighters only have about 4 to 5 fights per year, making them on average about $30,000 – $38,000 annually, excluding sponsors and endorsements.

For example, some fighters earn a lot more than this, like Floyd Mayweather.

What you make as a professional depends on your boxing record, how entertaining you are, and a few other important factors I’ll be going over in a bit.

BOXERS VS. ULTIMATE FIGHTERS 

Thanks to the Ali Act, boxers got more independence and control over the money they made.

They also got the freedom to get rid of bad managers and promoters. And while the boxers of today have a certain level of independence, things are less favourable for ultimate fighters.

Even the most successful ones, like Conor McGregor, are worse than boxing champs.

Unlike boxers, UFC fighters cannot have sponsors or endorsement agreements without the UFC’s permission. Ultimate fighters are independent contractors to the UFC, meaning that they rarely choose their sponsors or matches to fight. As a result, it’s extremely easy for the UFC to fire a fighter not playing by the organization’s rules.

These limitations impact UFC fighter earnings, too. For example, Mayweather can choose which matches he wants to participate in and his sponsor.

Mayweather, like other boxers, is also free to fight wherever he wants, accept any sponsorships he chooses and negotiate to fight for as much money as he wants.

This is why Mayweather earns hundreds of millions for just one fight, while even the UFC’s most famous fighters have much less freedom and less money. As a result, Mayweather earned more money than the entire UFC roster over seven years.

Muhammad Ali Boxing Reform Act

The Muhammad Ali Boxing Reform Act is a federal law enacted in the United States that provides for an offered to boxers from the various sanctioning bodies (e.g., the WBO, WBC, IBF, and others the act restricts the types of contract that a boxer may be required to sign to box at an event.

The boxer cannot, for example, be required to give away future promotional rights as a requirement of competing in a fight that is a mandatory bout under the rules of a sanctioning organization.

The act also requires sanctioning bodies to reveal to state commissions various information about matches held, fees charged to boxers for the sanctioning body to sanction a match, and any payment or compensation received from the body for affiliating itself with the promoter.

It also requires promoters to disclose a large amount of financial information about bouts to the state commissions and the boxers they promote.

FAQs

How Long Does It Take To Become A Professional Boxer?

Assuming the average boxer started their amateur careers at 16, they had 118 fights in just over four years to reach the professional level.

Can I Start Boxing At 25?

The easy answer to this question is no. There is never a wrong time to start boxing, and you are never too old. ... Though it may be challenging, you can reach your boxing goals at any age and stage of life. It will take hard work and persistence but 24 years old (or older!) is never too late to start boxing.

What Age Can You Box Till?

Amateur boxing can be practised from 13 to 39 years old. However, to continue until age 39, you must have obtained your first license before age 34. It will be more challenging (with a few exceptions) to obtain a first amateur boxing license at 37 or 38 years.

What Age Do Most Boxers Go Pro?

Most top pros started training between about age 6 and 16. It’s fairly rare for fighters who started in their 20s to rise to prominence.

How Many Fights Do You Need To Go Pro In Boxing?

You need at least ten fights to understand what the amateur game is all about. So, my recommendation to anyone thinking of becoming professional is to have at least ten amateur fights first, preferably more, though. Then, do at least one tournament because it’s completely different to anything else.