Boxing champions like Lennox Lewis and Floyd Mayweather don’t show up on your sports channel as often as you’d wish to watch them. On the other hand, upcoming boxers who’re trying to make a name for themselves in the sport tend to jump in the ring almost every month. This begs the question, how often do boxers fight?
Quick answer:
Professional boxers who have built a name for themselves tend to limit their fights 1 to 3 times every 12 months. They already have a huge fan base and can make more money that they need. New boxers, on the other hand, can box up to 12 to 27 times a year to build their name and gain recognition.
To be abundantly clear, the frequency of engaging in a boxing match often comes down to personal decision and one’s boxing goals. In addition, factors such as safety concerns, level of fighting experience, and payment per session can also affect the frequency at which boxers fight.
Factors that Determine How Many Times Boxers Fight
The following are the major factors that determine the number of times that boxers tend to get in the ring every year:
1. Boxing Stars Who Earn More Fight Less Yearly
Boxing stars will appear 1 to 3 times in the ring, and for a good reason – money.
Lennox Lewis and Floyd Mayweather are some of the big guys that appear in the ring. And when they do, you can be sure as hell they’ll be walking home with a lot of money. They’re champions who’ve fought, won and hold titles, and only need to fight once or twice a year to make millions of dollars.
You fight less as you become more popular, but you make more money because you’ve made a name for yourself.
Another reason why famous, pro boxers fight less is risk. If you think about it, champion-level fights are often longer, lasting 10 to 12 rounds. There’s also increased skill of the competition, which often make every round more difficult. In such competition, the risk of injury tends to be higher – and they can be lethal.
The bottom line is this:
Pro, famous boxers fight 1 to 3 times a year because they make more money and to minimize the risk that comes with advanced boxing.
2. Upcoming Boxers Fight Frequently to Become Popular
Up and coming boxers are professional fighters in the making. As a prospect, you are yet to build a name for yourself and getting in the ring more often is the best way to get the world around you to notice you.
Many upcoming boxers opt to play frequently because the fight lengths tend to be shorter. Quite too often, they’ll get the opportunity to fight 4 to 8 rounds, with each round lasting only 3 minutes max. Shorter rounds mean you take less damage during each round.
The more fights you get the more skilled you become. It’s possible to get to the point where you outdo your opponent quickly by a large margin and become victorious without sustaining serious injuries.
Another reason why up and coming boxers fight more frequently is money. The very goal of becoming a pro boxer isn’t exactly because you want to have strong self-defense skills. And while self-defense is a reason to become good at boxing, how much you take home after every fight determines whether you’ll be coming back in the ring next month.
Upcoming pro boxers can earn an average of $1,000 per debut. That isn’t a good purse compared to what the pros who have built a name for themselves earn. And it explains why these upcoming fighters have to compete in as many fights as possible to support themselves.
Related article: How to become a pro boxer
3. Amateur Boxers Fight More Times a Year
An amateur boxer doesn’t have skills or experience to take part in a major fight. So practicing and fighting more frequently can help them hone their boxing skills. It’s highly likely that amateurs can have as many as 300 fights throughout the year, and for good reasons.
For starters, boxing as a beginner is a good way to learn boxing and get the fighting experience necessary to become a pro. You’ll make many mistakes in this stage, but those errors can be valuable lessons that push you a step closer to becoming a pro.
Second, having an amateur record means you have been on a journey that prepared you to become a professional in boxing. And you’ve become more experienced over time that you can get in the ring and fight for the championship.
Related article: How to find more fights as an amateur fighter
3. Safety Issues Determine How Often Boxers Fight
To the fans watching their stars punch their opponents, boxing seems like the one of a kind sport to watch for a lifetime. But if you’ve ever had a hard conversation about how boxers feel when they leave the ring, you’ll realize that it’s not always as rosy.
Here’s why:
Boxing is a dangerous sport. While a boxer can go in the ring and come out alive, they sure put themselves to many health risks, with brain tumor being the primary concern for most boxers.
Brain tumor hardy ever heals. And the chances of its getting worse increases with the more a boxer gets in the ring. Because sustained injuries can be dangerous to boxers’ overall health, many often prefer to take fewer fights throughout the year.
If you’ve ever sat through an entire boxing match, you must have noticed that the entire game goes for 12 rounds, each lasting three minutes long. A boxer will be in the ring for a total of 36 minutes, and every round increases the chances of brain damage.
Related article: Why you shouldn’t switch from amateur to professional too soon
Final Thoughts
We can sum up by saving that the frequency at which a boxer fights depends on their fighting skills, how much they earn, and how experienced they’re. If anything, an amateur who fights only 3 times a year won’t go as far as a professional boxer would. There’s also the health and safety factor, which you need to take seriously when determining how often boxers fight.
