Recreational Boxing
This page is dedicated to the sport of recreational or "backyard" boxing and as it is practiced by thousands of participants worldwide.
It often starts as a friendly match between friends. Lots of excitement and energy, but little skill or technique. After a while, it gets boring. In order to get better, we learn the rudimentary skills. We are then on our way. We seek out gyms where we can learn more, improving our skill, and practice with others under the watchful eye of our trainer. It is fun, but, as one of the competitor's below told me "it ain't amateur boxing, dude! That's something special."
So what's the difference? Recreational or "backyard boxing " describes what we learn from our fathers, uncles, older brothers, or coaches. It is practiced in backyards, basements, garages, and gyms. We can make of it whatever we like. We do it for fun, and its non-competitive, not quite sanctioned competition but more than unsupervised brawling with gloves. It is the recreational form of boxing--a great activity for people of all ages. But it is not, repeat not, amateur or Olympic-style competition that is sanctioned by USA Boxing, the governing body for amateur boxing in the United States. The kid above is right, that's something really special. Unless explicitly identified, all activities shown on this website are recreational, non-sanctioned bouts. I hope that if you are interested in amateur boxing, you will pursue your dream to its conclusion. After all, amateur boxing is the ultimate expression of the sport.
If you are looking for a "fight club" or "steetfighting" or "toughman/toughkid" you have come to the wrong place. If you have an agenda other than recreational boxing, I suggest you look elsewhere.
Risks of injury, sometimes serious, are part of any contact sport. Especially dangerous is senseless brawling with gloves that some believe is part of recreational boxing. It ain't. Clicking to this story from Oregon illustrates that point. Training, supervision, the proper equipment, evenly matched competitors, and a sense of sportsmanship help reduce, but cannot eliminate those risks. Please be safe and please be careful. Some of the images on these pages show boxing in the past, without head gear and so on. Today, I would not encourage anyone to participate in recreational boxing without a rudimentary knowledge of technique and all proper safety equipment.
Please be advised that where noted, all photographs on these pages are copyrighted by the author who reserves all rights for their use. Please do not duplicate these images except with the express written permission of the author who may be contacted at oldbxr@mailcity.com.
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