Become a Boxer

Become an amateur boxer

In order to become an amateur boxer, athletes first have to become members of one of our affiliated boxing clubs. See below on how to contact a club. The athlete trains for approximately 6 – 12 months at the club learning the fundamentals of boxing; stance, defense, ring craft, offense, combinations, rules, and shadow boxing (non-contact boxing). When the athlete, and/or coach and parent decide the athlete is ready to spar, the coach then must register the athlete as a competitor with Boxing Ontario (to register see below). Once this is completed the coach can arrange sparring sessions for the boxer, which are contact boxing trainings that are not scored. The purpose is to hone the boxer’s skills and knowledge before stepping into the ring for an actual bout.

When a boxer has developed a sufficient skill set to begin boxing, the coach then arranges to bring the athlete to club shows and matches them up with an opponent of similar age, weight, skill level, and gender. The next step from club shows is novice developmental tournaments. Once a boxer becomes “Open Class”, meaning they have competed in 11 bouts or more, they are eligible to compete in provincial championships. If you win a provincial championship you become part of a Provincial Team that competes at National Championships hosted by Boxing Canada. After the Nationals there are International shows and tournaments, Commonwealth and PanAm Games, and ultimately the Olympics.

We often have new boxers join our membership in Olympic years hoping to participate in the Olympic Games in that year – this is not possible! It takes many years of competing on a provincial,national, and international level to reach the Olympic Qualifiers and have an opportunity to box at the Olympic Games. Generally it would take an athlete 6-10 years to reach this level. So it’s best to start early – boxers over 40 years of age are not allowed to compete internationally.

Contact a Registered Club

In order to compete as an amateur boxer it’s best to contact a registered amateur boxing club. Check out the list of registered clubs for clubs in your area. All amateur clubs registered with Boxing Ontario are required to have at least one Level I NCCP certified coach providing instruction. Beyond that the clubs function independently, setting their own program schedules and prices, so it’s in your best interest to visit a few clubs to find the one that best suits your goals, budget and time frame.

Complete Registration Form and Medical

Once you join a registered amateur boxing club, the coach will provide you with a registration form to become a member of Boxing Ontario. You can either become a Recreational member (non-sparring) or a Competitor (sparring) registering with Boxing Ontario provides insurance coverage. If you are registering as a competitor you will require a complete medical examination, indicating that you are fit to box. When you register as a competitor you will receive a competition passbook that will be used to record all your bouts.

Obtaining the Registration Forms

Contact a coach from the Club Directory page.

Online Registration is now available, links can be found here

It should be noted that boxers MUST be affiliated with a registered club in their area to be approved for registration, Boxing Ontario does not register unaffiliated boxers. When registering, boxers must return:

    • CABA Registration Form
    • Medical Form – Current and dated by the physician. No medicals older than 6 months will be accepted. Forms must be the original.
    • Copy of Birth Certificate – or other valid proof of age
    • The appropriate fee

Please note that the turnaround time for Boxing Canada to process applications is 2-3 weeks. Please allow this time for your registrations.