Has anyone tried white collar boxing ?

[Winstone]

ok people i thought i would try this as i heard about it from a friend.i probably sound stupid asking as im sure there are some people here who have fought pro.the event is for a cancer charity.also for people who have never boxed before.as ive never boxed before i thought i would try this as it seems a fun way to raise money(if i dont get KOed).
it seems you get 8 weeks free training in a gym.then are matched with somebody the same level.i have been doing bjj for a long time but i have a bit of a back injury which can bother me in bjj while playing guard.i just thought i would ask for some advice here.Any feedback is welcome.thank you.

 

[Shoemaker]

Good luck bud, have fun training. Sounds like it's for a good cause.

 

[TEXASMOJO]

How many rounds is the fight. I'm not a fighter but I have put on the boxing gloves with friends. My best advice is to work on your cardio. I wouldn't worry too much about getting hurt since you will be wearing head gear. Defend well, let him get tired first then crank up the pace.

 

[eternaldarkness]

ok people i thought i would try this as i heard about it from a friend.i probably sound stupid asking as im sure there are some people here who have fought pro.the event is for a cancer charity.also for people who have never boxed before.as ive never boxed before i thought i would try this as it seems a fun way to raise money(if i dont get KOed).
it seems you get 8 weeks free training in a gym.then are matched with somebody the same level.i have been doing bjj for a long time but i have a bit of a back injury which can bother me in bjj while playing guard.i just thought i would ask for some advice here.Any feedback is welcome.thank you.

first off, see how your back holds up to the boxing training. it will either make it better or worse. sounds like a good cause and fun, but don't expect your opponent to be completely inexperienced. sometimes the fighters are the kind that did a bit of boxing as kids but never really fought. it really depends on the quality of the gym how much you can learn in such a short amount of time. boxing seems really basic (punch and block) but it really takes a lot to master, and even a reasonable proficiency takes a while to achieve.

 

[wilddeuces]

Back problems suck. My lower back pain will flair up from time to time. When it does, no boxing for me. Even if you have an upright stance and don't do all the dipping and weaving, you'll still have a high likelihood of aggravating it because its such a large network of muscles and tendons bound to your spine. Make sure that your back injury is under control before you get into boxing. Even a hard punch to the head could aggravate your existing injury, and some of the conditioning drills will be off the table for you (side to sides and then tossing a medicine ball, for example) due to the potential for injury.

If you are getting in the ring, you want to be as close to 100% as possible so you don't get your block knocked off. Make no mistake, the guy across from you is gonna be at least a bit afraid and looking to get you before you can get him.

Best of luck, in all seriousness. I hope you keep that injury at bay and enjoy boxing - getting into it, even thought it was brief (1.5-2 years) it's easily one of the top 3 decisions in my life.

 

[Kovalev's "Man Bag"]

I'll give it a go in another 8-10 years. It's gained some traction over the years as an extracurricular activity among older white collar businessmen.

 

[Barge]

I've had friends do it. They learned nothing of boxing and just had a daunting large crowd boxing debut they were completely unprepared for.
All the fights are scrappy maulings.

Do it if you want, fighting in front of crowds was brilliant for my confidence, Job interviews and meeting girls dad was nothing after the pressure of the amateur fights, in my experience.

 

[Practical Goat]

I've not done one personally but a few friends of mine have. Assuming you are in the UK? (Seems a very similar setup to what it is around my area.) The white collar events are quite a good introduction. You wear head gear and 16oz gloves for the proper fight... They also pair you up with someone who has similar abilities as you mentioned.

I think it's the perfect way to introduce yourself into it, I know most of my friends who did it have stuck to boxing and kept at it. A few other charity events are a bit dubious, heard stories about pairing low level boxers up with higher level ones who pretend to be shit.. Not sure on the truth there.

Good luck dude.

 

[Liquid Smoke]

I've never don it but good luck. Now you get out there and punch him right in the fucking liver.

 

[Minowafanatic]

I'll give it a go in another 8-10 years. It's gained some traction over the years as an extracurricular activity among older white collar businessmen.

Here in the UK, it's something done by guys from all walks of life which seems to me to be something different to how it is in the US. Whitecollar boxing/Unlicensed/"Semi pro" etc has all merged into one with guys like Nick Blackwell coming up through unlicensed boxing rather than the amateur system, though that's something very different to what the OP is talking about. It's very popular here and it'll be interesting to see what happens when the first boxer dies during an unlicensed event.

The kind specifically mentioned by OP, free training and then a bout by guys who've never boxed before is something you get a lot of with charity Police vs Fireman type events. Normally 1-3 rounds, sometimes even just a minute a round. Usually headguards and 16oz gloves. Often the officials will just be the promoter's pals or whoever from one of the gyms, depending on how big-time the event is. And sometimes every fight is judged to be a draw with no winners or losers.

I don't think it's a good thing to do if you are serious about boxing. You need to be able to defend yourself properly to go into any competitive arena in my opinion, and a lot of those types of events are run like shit. Not all, but a lot of them. But then again, maybe just a one-time thing for the experience will be fun for you. It really depends who's promoting it and putting up the event, if it's a reputable gym and group or if it's not. Personally I'd think it would be a bad idea for you if you have back problems to go into a bout with only 8 weeks training. Just my opinion. Your body definitely won't be able to properly handle being hit, you'll be very tense on the night, and it might aggravate any existing back problems you've got going on. The truth is you will learn hardly anything in 8 weeks time that will be applicable on the night and you and everyone else will look crap and perform crap and that to me seems dangerous.

For reference, I've helped coach, corner, and I even judged at an unlicensed event in the UK before (which was a weird experience). I've been to one whitecollar event in the UK which was actually really impressive in terms of how it was managed and was put up by Amir Khan's gym for charity, and then I've been to many others which were just dire and shoddy.

 

[Jonny Ninja]

ok people i thought i would try this as i heard about it from a friend.i probably sound stupid asking as im sure there are some people here who have fought pro.the event is for a cancer charity.also for people who have never boxed before.as ive never boxed before i thought i would try this as it seems a fun way to raise money(if i dont get KOed).
it seems you get 8 weeks free training in a gym.then are matched with somebody the same level.i have been doing bjj for a long time but i have a bit of a back injury which can bother me in bjj while playing guard.i just thought i would ask for some advice here.Any feedback is welcome.thank you.

I've done some white collar but different to you. My old kickboxing coach used to train guys for 8 weeks and then a charity event, all novices. I used to train out of a gym, and as I fought Ami I would be matched up with ex ami boxers that were too old for Ami. My coach would have us sparring with the other gym so we could be matched up evenly. Due to this there was very rarely mismatches. However, there isn't the rules in ami boxing, Im 13st but would normally fight guys at HW, up to 3 stone heavier

As Minowafanatic said, you'll learn next to nothing in that time. If you wants to box, go to a gym and go the Ami route if you're not too old. This would be a decent introduction to the sport though. Regards the back problems, you will put far more pressure on your back doing BJJ. When I had my slipped disk I used boxing as recovery (when I was back walking), as there is so much core work. as long as you're not ducking down at the waist rather than using your legs, you shouldn't hurt your back any further. I reality you won't move ery much in your first fight anyway, you'll both look like rabbits caught in the headlights. But its far a good cause so good luck pal

 

[Winstone]

thanks for all the advice.its just a bit of fun for me.it is run in the uk and is 3 x 2 minute rounds.im in my 40s now so i dont think ill make a career of boxing even though it seems a good thing to do.im glad of the input and am just going to try and train enough.thanks again.

 

[esum80]

they do quite a few similar events here where i am pitting folks in the finance industry or advertising agencies against each other. i know someone who did one recently. he didn't get the result he wanted (he basically shelled up, turned his back and took a knee). listen to your coach and don't forget to work on cardio.

 

[Jim Reaper]

I did a charity event called "Pearl Gloves" back in 2015:



It was a super-fun and rewarding experience. The training will be hard work but the sense of accomplishment you feel when that final bell rings makes it worth every second. Not to mention the good cause!

 

[scottyuk]

I did it last year, it was by far the hardest most rewarding thing i have ever done. Just cram in as much knowledge as you can and get as fit as you can, i would say cardio is probably the most important thing at that level, that's what decides who wins or who loses in most cases.

I also found that https://www.expertboxing.com/ was an invaluable source for getting your mindset right.

Last but not least, enjoy it, don't forget why you are there!


It's sloppy as fuck...i'm in the red.

 

[Jonny Ninja]

thanks for all the advice.its just a bit of fun for me.it is run in the uk and is 3 x 2 minute rounds.im in my 40s now so i dont think ill make a career of boxing even though it seems a good thing to do.im glad of the input and am just going to try and train enough.thanks again.

If you enjoy it mate it isnt too late to take it up. Im still boxing and Im in my 40s as well. There are guys in my last gym that only started boxing late 30s/early 40s and are still having regular white collar fights. If you have back problems it is probably one of the only combat sports that you can do without fear of further injury. I've found this out through experience.

Either way good luck in your fight

 

[Boxiana]

I've done it, and really enjoyed it - I have no pretensions of being even an amateur boxer, but really enjoyed the training and sparring.

I didnt fight competitively, but knew a lot of guys who did - the key is the matchmaking. If you get a good vibe from the people there and the matchmaker, go for it.

 

[wilddeuces]

I've had friends do it. They learned nothing of boxing and just had a daunting large crowd boxing debut they were completely unprepared for.
All the fights are scrappy maulings.

Do it if you want, fighting in front of crowds was brilliant for my confidence, Job interviews and meeting girls dad was nothing after the pressure of the amateur fights, in my experience.

Haha "scrappy maulings" is about as apt a description as I can manage. That's what I've noticed. They kind of dip in and don't get comfortable. When they aren't comfortable, they can't fight relaxed, and a fighter that can't be relaxed fights with exhausting tension. They tend to fall off after the first round and it becomes a matter of who can better "toe the scratch" more than application of technique and method.

Edit: this isn't meant to dump on the fellows that get into it, more an observation about how long it takes to truly get comfortable in the ring.