Building Your Boxing Team

Part of the appeal of boxing is that it is an individual sport. Ultimately, you excel or not based solely on your own merit - if you suck you lose, if you don't you win. It all comes down to the individual and there is no blaming one's teammates or circumstances for your loss. It is pretty obvious when you hit the canvas that things haven't gone so well for you. Only you can prevent that in the end.

That said, the champion boxer is by no means alone in his or her quest for glory. Let's take a look at who else is involved:

The Boxing Trainer or Coach

Websites, books, and DVDs like How to Box are great for those who can't afford a trainer or simply don't have access to one because of where they live. 

However, these means are no substitute for a good trainer and anyone looking to box competitively needs a good trainer to teach them advanced techniques and correct habits you simply can't notice yourself.  You can help your own development by videotaping your training sessions and then playing them back, being very critical of yourself, but there is nothing like another pair of eyes watching how you move, twist, punch, bob, etc...  You can even upload those training sessions on How to Box and get criticism from visitors of the site. To compete at a high level in the sport, though, you simply need to find a good trainer.

The trainer will develop the boxer's training plan and it will be all inclusive. He will monitor the boxer's progess and make changes as required. He will teach the boxing skills and drills so that the boxer can win fights. Trainers will often have some nutritional knowledge as well, as a comprehensive program involves both conditioning and nutrition. If not, a boxer's team may also include a sports nutritionist to assist with meal planning that will support the boxer's training regime.

The Boxing Promoter

Sometimes the promoter and manager is both the same person (not always a good idea), othertimes it is split up.  You've probably heard the names of the big promoters - Golden Boy Promotions (Oscar De La Hoya), Top Rank (Bob Arum), and Don King Productions.  These are people or organizations that exist to take skilled boxers and line up paying fights for them.  They are there first and foremost to make money for themselves. Never forget that. In order to do that, they need to ensure their professional boxers make money.  To that end, they will setup fights that will garner a lot of attention with the hopes of increasing the number of pay per view buys or attendance. This does not mean they will always look out for what is in the best interests of the boxers they promote.  These are the people responsible for announcing the latest superfight - or the fight of the century (which seems to occur many times a century:).

The Boxing Manager

The boxing manager will tend to the career of the boxer and not necessarily cater to the promoters. Money is obviously still an issue, but they have more of an interest in the long term career of their boxer. That is their source of income and if his career ends because of a stupid matchup, so does the flow of money. You'll often hear of family members managing boxers. The boxer tends to think they can trust their family more than anyone. Of course that has been proven wrong time and time again (Floyd Mayweather Jr for instance).

The Cutman

Cuts in boxing fights cause bleeding and excessive bleeding and damage will end a fight. Cuts are also inevitable, eventually you will get one, especially in a professional fight without headgear which lessens the chances. A good boxing cutman can literally keep you in a fight.

I'm not going to go into all the methods a cutman uses here, Dave Tenney - The Cutman does a pretty good job of describing those methods, but these people are experts at stopping blood and decreasing swelling. They have an intimate knowledge of the facial structure, arteries, veins. They have an arsenal of drugs and techniques for stopping bleeding. Cutmen are not prevalent in amateur boxing. Amateur boxing requires the use of headgear which prevents a lot of scrapes and cuts, but blood in an amateur match will generally stop the fight. Nosebleeds are an exception depending on the severity.

For must of us, a cutman will not be an option, so remember two things - direct pressure and cold. If you are bleeding, put pressure on it, preferably with something cold. The cold acts as a vaso-constrictor which will assist the pressure with stopping the blood flow. By pressure, I'm not talking about pushing a guys nose through his skull - keep it firm, but not excessive. A minute between rounds is not a long time, but can be enough to allow the clotting to start and the bleeding to stop if you act fast.

One thing to look out for with a cutman is if he is using something called Monsels Solution. It is a lead based homeostatic which works by destroying the cells around the cut (kind of like cotterizing or burning them closed). It causes permanent damage and you can recognize it by the ring of dead flesh surrounding the cut. Yes, it works, but the cost is too great and it is illegal (or should be) in most areas.

The Second

Ever hear the ref shout - "Seconds Out" just before a round begins. They are referring to the Second (and anyone else in the boxer's corner). The trainer can also be licensed as a second (and often is) and acts in both capacities, but a licensed second is someone who is allowed in the ring between rounds to give advice, water, etc... to the boxer. They generally assist the trainer in the boxer's corner.

The Boxer is Not Alone...

Those are the main teammates backing up the boxer. All of the positions require (at least in the US) licensing by the state they are operating in.

It's funny, because in the Army it generally takes a HQ that is 3-4 times as big as the fighting force to win a battle. For every infantry soldier on the frontlines there are 10 people in the rear supporting that soldier doing everything from preparing food, pushing bullets and supplies forward, dealing with medical issues, pers issues, and so on. It is the same for boxing. You can think of the boxer like one of those soldiers and it quickly becomes apparent that although the boxer is fighting alone in the ring, he has a massive support system that is ensuring all he has to worry about is fighting. Everything else will be taken care of.

So, if you are planning a professional boxing career, start surrounding yourself with people you trust that will specialize in these areas. Remain too much of an individual and you will go no where -- build a team with the foundation of support and there will be no stopping you.

Select ratingPoorOkayGoodGreatAwesome

No votes yet

---

Here's A Few More Related Posts

• Boxing Term of the Day: Bleeder
• Learn How to Box
• Boxing Gyms
• Admin's Prediction: Gatti vs Baldomir
• Boxing Training