GETTING STARTED IN AMATEUR BOXING

HOW TO REGISTER FOR YOUR FIGHT LICENSE
Do not register under IronGloves club name unless you are given permission to do so!

EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW BEFORE COMPETING
Written by: Joe Leinhauser/Owner IronGloves Boxing Gym
USA BOXING Registered Club #023

‘Rules & Regulations’ as per USA Boxing Rule Book

USA Boxing Facebook ● USA Boxing Twitter ● USA Boxing Arizona Facebook

LICENSING FEES:
Fighter registration – $80
Clubs – $205
Coaches – $125
First thing you need to do is get your Arizona Amateur Boxing License, your Athlete Passbook. This can only be done online. Form of payment Visa or Mastercard, no American Express or checks.
Once you have completed all the required steps and mail it in, it takes approximately 2 weeks to receive your official boxing license passport book in the mail.

1. Visit USABoxing.org and select Join/Renew from the drop-down menu.
2. Select Register, then select either “New Member” or “Renew Your Membership” depending on whether you’ve registered in the past or not.

New Member login click here
Registered Member login click here
USA Boxing home page click here

If you do not have a licensed club to represent you, or if you do not have a USA Boxing licensed coach, then on the application you must claim ‘Unattached’. If you do select to fight as Unattached, you will not be able to call out your name during the match-ups. You are only allowed to respond if no other club responds. In other words, you do not have priority to get matched up with another fighter. You must wait until a boxing club coach cannot match their fighter, then you will be allowed to call out for yourself.

STEPS TO GET REGISTERED AND WHAT TO MAIL IN TO JAKE/President/AZ USA Amateur Boxing :

• Complete online registration. Print out a black and white copy, approx 3 pages, print all the way to the end that shows the dollar amount that you paid.
• Once you have completed and paid for online registration, print out ID card in color. The photo for your online ID card can be one you have taken with your phone, make it is a head shot with a plain background (see below example ‘SELF TAKE PHOTO’). To upload your photo, you must log out and log back in, once you do this you will see where and how to add your photo.
• Get 2 passport photos taken from Walgreens, Office Max, or wherever, they cannot be photos you’ve taken, they must be authentic passport photos (see below example ‘PASSPORT PHOTO’). Jake will tape one photo into your booklet, he keeps the second photo for his records.
  
• Copy of your birth certificate (no other ID acceptable).
• Need to get doctor’s sport physical. Go to USA Boxing home page and click on top tab that says FORMS.
• If you are not careful you will end up paying too much for your physical, so please go to these suggested places:
  1. Concentra Urgent Care
  950 W Southern Ave
  Tempe, Arizona 85282
  480-968-7200  MAP
  2. FastMed Urgent Care
  3705 S Arizona Ave, Suite 1
  Chandler, Arizona 85248
  580-214-7828  MAP

In the envelope for mailing you should have ALL the following:

1. Copy of your registration form ( black & white is okay).
2. Your cut out color ID photo. Also, before you print out your card page… make sure your photo you take is uploaded and shown on your card. This means you will have to print out your card page again in order to have it be in color, then this is what you cut out to send in.
3. Two passport photos. You can get these take at Walgreen’s, CVS, or Staples.
4. Copy of birth certificate (DO NOT SEND ORIGINAL).
5. Your doctor’s PHYSICAL EXAMINATION FORM. To obtain this form please follow these steps: Click here then on this page see first column, click on the Medical Forms, then see the second column and click on Annual Athlete Physical Form to download the PDF. Download the three pages, take all three pages with you to your physical. The very last page is what you will send in, BUT MAKE VERY SURE THE ATTENDING PHYSICIAN DID SIGN AND/OR STAMP THE LAST TWO PAGES OF YOUR FORMS BEFORE YOU LEAVE… and please make sure the correct date is on there, because we did have two situations where the technician wrote the wrong year. So look it over before you leave the medical facility.
6. Use 2 stamps to mail your envelope, and as courtesy enclose inside 2 stamps for Jake to have on hand to mail your fighter’s book to you (or your club).

Mail the above 1 thru 5 all to Jake President/AZ USA Amateur Boxing:
Jacob Magallanez
407 Prescott Heights Dr.
Prescott, AZ 86301
(be sure to enclose 2 stamps inside of envelope for Jake to use and send back you)

Here is your checklist of everything you’ll need on fight day:

1. USA Arizona Boxing License (your Passbook).
2. Driver’s License or a valid picture ID.
3. *USA regulation Headgear.
4. *USA approved regulation groin protector.
5. Mouth Guard (proper fit). Cannot use red color.
6. Gauze and Medical Tape. No hand wraps are used to compete in USA Amateur Boxing, only gauze and tape are allowed.
7. Sleeveless tank top type of shirt. Shirt must be tucked into trunks/shorts. Shirt color must contrast with trunks.
The shirt and trunks must 2 different/opposite colors, the referee and judges need to see the waistline.
8. Shoes can only be boxing or wrestling shoes. Sneakers are not allowed.
9. You cannot wear glasses or contact lens.
10. Gloves are provided. You CANNOT use your own gloves.
Glove size: If you weigh 106-152 lbs., gloves used are 10 oz. If you weigh 164 lbs. & up, gloves used are 12 oz.

*You must have your own headgear and groin protector. Headgear must be USA Boxing Competition certified (see the USA tag on side of helmet). When purchasing online, be sure that it states competition headgear, it will have the USA Boxing label/tag on the headgear. There in now a store in Mesa called Sports Exchange, they sell regulation Ringside gear, their website and map.

Basic Amateur Boxing Knowledge
1. Points win matches, based on the punches landed.
2. Referee controls the match. If told to stop, stop immediately. Continue to box only after the referee says to continue.
3. Never touch gloves with an opponent. Even at the start of the match, do not touch gloves. Never ever say “Sorry”.
4. Ring sizes start at 16 ft. up to 22 ft.
5. Amateur Boxing has a standing 8 count.
6. The match is always 3 Rounds for 2 minutes with 1 minute rest in between.

Weigh-ins:
1. Weigh-ins must be conducted each day of competition for all sanctioned amateur boxing event.
2. All boxers must weigh-in on the day they box.
3. Weight class determination example: To compete in the 141 lb. class, a boxer must weigh more than 132 lbs., but not more than 141 lbs.

Classification of Boxers
The following shall establish experience classifications.
1. Sub-Novice Class: A boxer who has not competed in a sanctioned USA Boxing match.
2. Novice Class: A boxer who has competed in 10 or less sanctioned USA Boxing matches. Said boxer’s 10th bout shall be in the novice class.
3. Open Class: A boxer who has competed on more than 10 sanctioned USA Boxing matches. Said boxer’s 11th bout shall be in the open class.
Note: Common sense and good judgment must be used when matching boxers, for the safety of your fighter(s).

SELF CHECKLIST
Boxing is a sport that requires dedication, hard work, and hours of training. 80% of boxing is conditioning, the other 20% is skills and heart. There are two types of boxers, one that just trains day after day, the other that trains to fight.
One of Mike Tyson’s famous trainers was Gus Damato, he once said, “Boxing teaches you to overcome fear”. Gus said that boxing probably will not take fear away completely, but, it will teach you to live and function well within fear.

There is a mental toughness that comes from training and competing. If you have made the decision to compete, you then must face the tough road that lies ahead.

Ask yourself are you ready to do ALL of the following?

• GETTING OUT OF BED EARLY, NO SLEEPING IN.
• Every morning running and sprinting roadwork.
• Weekly interval training.
• Monotonous hours of bag punching, footwork, defense, and redundant drills.
• Strength training, weightlifting training, plyometrics, body exercises, core training, and abdominal training.
• How will you be when it comes to sparring and dealing with pain. Will you be able to take hits and deal with bloody noses, cut lips, black eyes, sore shoulders, and of course the headaches.

Boxing is the toughest sport out there, there are no teammates, no time-outs to rely on. I can personally tell you, there is seriously no better reward, than the feeling of being in the ring on your own, and having only yourself to count on.