Professional boxers box in professional events for money. Professional
events are any shows that require the purchase of a ticket by the audience.
Amateur boxers often fight for show only.
Boxers must train, often as long as five hours or more a day, to be physically
fit and capable of withstanding up to 12 rounds of fighting. This includes
weight, strength and stamina training. Additionally, boxers must maintain
certain weight limits for the class in which they compete.
Amateur, Olympic-style boxing features 12 weight classes. Unlike the pros,
amateur boxers wear protective headgear. An Olympic-style bout consists of
five, two-minute rounds, with a one-minute interval between rounds.
Professional rounds last two minutes for women and three minutes for men.
Women box an average of six rounds per fight, unless they are competing for
a belt, in which case they box 10 rounds. Men box 10 rounds per fight, except
for title fights, when they box for 12 rounds.
Boxers train in private or public clubs and often have personal trainers
and managers to help direct their training and career moves.
Andrew Krooner is an Olympic boxing contender. "Many people don't think
of boxing as a team sport, but really it is," he says.
"My father and brothers help with my training and keeping me motivated,
and my mother makes sure I eat like I should to stay in my weight class. It's
a very team-oriented sport if you want to succeed, because you can't do it
alone."