I need advice...

[DDMA200]

I'm in my early 20s and applying for the army as a career, but i'm also interested in learning boxing at some point. I hope to have a serious boxing career someday, and with the army it lets you train amateur boxing , and you can also compete.

Would it help say if I joined the army for 4 years, and learn amateur skills, and turn pro at some point after I leave. Or would it hold me back from learning the technique and skills, and it would just be better to learn from a normal boxing gym, without the army career, if I want a sucessful career in the future?

[CodeBreaker]

If you want to commit to boxing in the future, start now in a boxing gym. No other way.

If you will just have boxing as a hobby, then continue with your plan on going to the Army, it can help.

[j.razor]

I'm in my early 20s and applying for the army as a career, but i'm also interested in learning boxing at some point. I hope to have a serious boxing career someday, and with the army it lets you train amateur boxing , and you can also compete.

Would it help say if I joined the army for 4 years, and learn amateur skills, and turn pro at some point after I leave. Or would it hold me back from learning the technique and skills, and it would just be better to learn from a normal boxing gym, without the army career, if I want a sucessful career in the future?

Don't join the army & do boxing if that's what you really want to do.

[abracada]

I'm in my early 20s and applying for the army as a career, but i'm also interested in learning boxing at some point. I hope to have a serious boxing career someday, and with the army it lets you train amateur boxing , and you can also compete.

Would it help say if I joined the army for 4 years, and learn amateur skills, and turn pro at some point after I leave. Or would it hold me back from learning the technique and skills, and it would just be better to learn from a normal boxing gym, without the army career, if I want a sucessful career in the future?

Don’t put all your eggs into being a pro boxer and earning good money.

Harsh reality.... 99.9% of all pro boxers earn under $500 per fight many earn $0.00.

Earning $2k per match is above average.

Sorry to burst your bubble but I would focus on a career and try boxing pro just to see where it takes you but don’t expect to be a Mayweather.

[SUBZER0ED]

How many top fighters have you heard of were taught to box in the army?

[Eff Pandas]

I'd do some research if I was you. See where you might be stationed if you were to join the Army. See if there is any notable cats in that region or guys who trained notable cats at the base or off the base. Some good fighters used to come out of the military. That doesn't seem to be the case so much anymore, but that doesn't necessarily mean anything good or bad for you. Randomly I believe the military champion used to get a Olympic Trials spot as recently as the 88 Olympic Team (Ray Mercer was among them I know that, he was Army).

I think Jamel Herring (Marines) might be the most notable military guy around today. I'd probably try DMing him on twitter to get his input to see how much time you can work on your craft or if you should learn more boxing outside the military if I was you or how it all works or any specific question you got.

Mainly doe if you wanna box I'd suggest wtf are you waiting for? Army, local gym or w/e. When I was trying to fight I was living in the UP of Michigan in the middle of nowhere & I spent all my money buying Ringside equipment & just started doing the sh^t I saw cats on TV do in the basement & running & out rowing on a lake & just getting in the best shape I could get into daily. I'd say you should get it moving now & then adapt when you figure out what direction you wanna do. I mean sh^t today there are some really respectable videos online that can teach you some sh^t on your own til you find the way you're going.

[Eff Pandas]

Here's an article about Army boxing from 2012 that might be of interest to OP or other people.

Sgt. Toribio Ramirez prepares to enter the arena for his fight in the finals of the 2012 Armed Forces Boxing Championship at Camp Pendleton, Calif, Feb. 3. Ramirez fights for the Army in the 132lb. weight class. The Pentagon Channel will air its Armed Forces Boxing series, March 9. (Photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Elliott Fabrizio)

Punch that guy as much as you can.

If that’s an order you’d love to carry out, the Army has a place for you: The All-Army Boxing Team.

The Army’s boxing program gives Soldiers the chance to fight their way through its rankings. If they win enough, they may even find themselves representing the U.S. in the Olympics.

“I tell these Soldiers, ‘Write your own story,’” said Staff Sgt. Charles Leverette. “Somebody gave me an opportunity, and now I stand before you as All-Army Boxing head coach.”

Army boxing consists of a series of programs with hard-won victories as the admission price to each successive level.

The path of “Pvt. Iwannabe A. Boxer” begins at the command level with boxing smokers. These can take the form of unit and brigade competitions or commander’s cup events.

At this level Soldiers demonstrate raw potential, and if the All-Army Boxing coaches believe they can groom him or her into a powerful competitor, they’ll be invited to the All-Army Boxing training camp.

“Sometimes we get boxers that have been fighting for a long time and that helps, but the higher percentage of boxers we take have little to no boxing experience,” said Leverette.

Boxers interested in camp are required to register as amateurs with USA Boxing and get at least five official bouts under their belts.

The All-Army Boxing camp is either a dream come true or a nightmare, depending on the boxer’s level of commitment. Starting in late December, camp selectees can expect to eat, sleep and breathe boxing. There are three workouts per day, beginning before the sun rises and ending long after it has set.

Camp culminates with the coaches determining the best fighter in each weight class — those Soldiers advance to the Armed Forces Championship.

Each year the Armed Forces Sports Program holds its boxing championship, and the best of the best from each service’s boxing team meet to slug it out for gold. Lose there, and it’s back to the unit and soldiering. But stay fit in the off-season, because there’s always next year.

“It’s not about winning or losing,” said Leverette. “Everybody wins if you learn something. My goal as a coach is just to touch a Soldier’s life in a meaningful way. Everybody wants to be a competitor and be number one, but that’s not the most important thing.”

If a Soldier wins gold at Armed Forces, he heads to both Nationals and the Conseil International du Sport Militaire’s World Military Games, commonly referred to as CISM.

“Winning Armed Forces gold was just a stepping stone for me,” said 2012 Armed Forces Boxing Champion Spc. Steven Nelson. “It helped me move up to a new level of competition, but I’m still just a 2-year-old baby when it comes to boxing.”

Nationals is where the “rookies” are separated from the “Rockys.” If you can fight your way to the top six in Nationals against ranked civilian amateurs, you can say hello to the World Class Athlete Program, or WCAP.

“My goal is to make WCAP, so I can build my amateur career worldwide. And then when I go pro, I can get ranked as a top contender and get a chance at some world titles,” added Nelson.

Soldiers who enter WCAP are on special orders — their entire mission is to prepare for Olympic trials. There’s no prize for second place at the trials. Lose, and you are returned to your original unit — but you can re-apply for the next year’s All-Army Boxing Team.

Win at the Olympic trials, and you can dust off your passport: You will be representing Army and country at the Olympic games.

“The last WCAP Soldier to box at the Olympics was Staff Sgt. Orlando Anderson in 2000,” said Leverette.

Just getting to the Olympics is rare enough to be considered a monumental accomplishment, so what happens if that Army Boxer actually wins Olympic gold?

He can always buy some metal polish and spend the rest of their days shining their gold medal — at that point, he’ll already have a permanent place in the annals of Army Boxing. Typically, the next step is entering the realm of professional boxing.

“There have been several Army boxers to win gold at the Olympics,” said Leverette. “Ray Mercer, Kenny McKinney and Andrew Maynard, just to name a few. These Soldiers eventually left the Army and competed as pro boxers.”

From a base-wide box off to the Olympic games, the Army Sports Program will take any Soldier the distance; all they have to do is keep winning.

The Pentagon Channel series about the 2012 Armed Forces Boxing Championship will premiere, March 9. To watch the 2010 or 2011 events, visit .

And a short 18min doc.

[Boxfan83]

Don't join the army & do boxing if that's what you really want to do.

Out of curiosity, why not?

[Boxfan83]

I'm in my early 20s and applying for the army as a career, but i'm also interested in learning boxing at some point. I hope to have a serious boxing career someday, and with the army it lets you train amateur boxing , and you can also compete.

Would it help say if I joined the army for 4 years, and learn amateur skills, and turn pro at some point after I leave. Or would it hold me back from learning the technique and skills, and it would just be better to learn from a normal boxing gym, without the army career, if I want a sucessful career in the future?

Good luck in your Army career! The military is a rough life at time but can be very rewarding!!

As for joining to make the All Army team, good luck! Its a process like Eff Panda found for you. And although Ive heard rare stories of guys that have made Military teams with no experience (mostly HW's), most have a good chunk of Amateur experience prior to enlisting.

I personally did a few smoker competitions (smokers are Exhibition matches) in the Marines but to make an All Military team you have to be really good. Winning a smokers or few is a far cry from grabbing a spot on the team. But Rome wasn't built in a day so good luck to you!

[OctoberRed]

Out of curiosity, why not?

Im wondering the same.