When is it to late to become a boxer?

Answer 1

The unwritten rule of all combat sports, even with "athletically gifted" people, is the late 20's. Marciano even, only barely managed to get promoters and trainers because he started at 26. He DID have some prior ring experience, but, it was "common" Boxing work. In Marciano's time all males did "some" boxing at some point in their lives, but nothing really serious. Its sort of how someone gets you take a sport in High School you don't like, and only last a season as opposed to sticking with it; it was not uncommon for people to last only a "season" where Boxing was concerned in short, Marciano's prior ring experience was not considered "real."

The age range to start a martial art, combat sport of any kind, or Martial Arts sports competition of any kind is between 6 and 14, make it, 5 and 16, that 10 year window is the prime time, the best time to get started. For children with only average parents, whoever the trainer is needs to get them started as soon as possible, preferably by age 6. If the parents are athletically gifted, more importantly the father, if the father is athletically gifted, then training can begin as late as 25 or 26. Marciano though, he was just very strong; he had no real athleticism to speak of.

If you are an average person, or rather, have average parents, the age to start lessons is 6, if your father, or both your parents have an athletic background and hence you have genes for anything athletic you can begin as late as the mid 20's, although, it is best to begin in the mid teens. Additionally, part of the reason its best to start in childhood, is because high pressure competition, competition that will decide whether or not you will turn pro takes place during the teens. In the same way High School determines what college you will go to when you grow up, in Boxing, your amateur performance determines whether or not people will pay for you. Getting knocked down during the amateur days looks very bad; if you can't take a hit with all that padding on, then, unless you do Shaolin iron shirt for the next 10 years, you won't have a chance in the pros.

If you want an edge in Boxing, go to the Shaolin temple, and train in iron shirt. It will turn you into every prize fighter's worst nightmare, unstopable in the ring.