Amateur boxing is the best way to begin testing your skills, fitness and heart.

It can lead you to ‘the road to pro’, but most fighters are happy to fight at an amateur level for the length of their careers.

The beginning

When a boxer is ready to compete, the ABA medical is done and the boxing permit applied for. There’s no minimum or maximum time frame, it’s always gauged by when the boxer is ready. Once everything is in place we look for appropriate matches through the national database and arrange the fight.

All boxers are trained and cornered by Ultimate Boxing’s qualified and experienced staff who hold a minimum level 1 ABA coaching qualification and are DBS checked. Spring Boxing Academy is affiliated with the Amateur Boxing Alliance, and all our training is regulated with correct safety procedures.

“Excellence is doing your very best, in everything, in every way.”  Jack Johnson

Junior boxing

For those youngsters who wish to take things a bit further than the junior youth club and take boxing up more seriously we have a tried and tested system of progression in place.

When we see kids (usually from the age of 10 upwards) showing the necessary focus and commitment to step things up we start to talk to them about trying amateur boxing, and working on their skills. The first step into amateur boxing is to attend (with parents permission) our invite-only sparring session which takes place on Saturdays. Here we start with light sparring, gradually stepping things up as the weeks go on.

Once some meaningful punches are given and taken it’s far easier for a young person to decide whether boxing is for them or not. If they feel it’s harder than they first envisaged there’s no shame in stepping back down to the after school junior youth club where they will be welcome to train and box in a non-contact environment. Another try-out when they are a bit older is often worthwhile to see if they find it a different experience once they have matured.

For those who take to sparring well the next step is to be invited to join the Academy and move on from training after school to training in the evenings with the squad. Our Spring Boxing Academy squad is the place where the harder training and sparring begins. Experienced boxers up to professional level attend these sessions, so it’s a great learning environment for the juniors.

Boxers can compete in what are known as skills bouts from the age of 10. This gives some experience with no winner or loser. Competitive bouts begin at age 11.

Adult boxing

It’s not all about the youngsters though, even if you’re past the grand old age of 20(!) it’s not too late to try amateur boxing – success is all down to commitment and fair matching. We have boxers in the academy from age 11 through to thirty-somethings (40 is the age limit to fight in amateur boxing). Some are novices with just a handful of bouts under their belt, but we also have a few experienced boxers who have competed over 20 times. It’s a friendly, supportive, hard-working environment which encourages you to give your best, however you decide to box.