How fit are boxers?

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How does boxing fitness levels compare with other sport?

When watching the Martinez vs Dzinziruk, it was commented on Martinez's style that it is very energy intensive and if not for his grounding in cycling and soccer he would find much more difficult to fight at that level.

How does boxing compare with these sports in terms of endurance?

I know boxing covers a range of fitness levels but for cardio and endurance are sports like football and cycling much better or did the commentators have no idea what they were talking about?

HumanWindmill wrote:

TRUSSMAN66 wrote:Couch potato one minute, creosoted and flexing the next...

Just think rugby is a bit girlie......

You're just afraid that they're whispering about you in the scrum.

Or maybe that they're NOT talking about him...super ego taking another blow....and we're back to Wlad!!!!!

tri-athletes must get a mention, those guys are animals.

but yeah boxers are generally regarded as some of the fittest sportsmen - along with tennis.

but fitness is all relative, if you consider bleep tests as a measure of fitness, beckham is/was on of the fittest in the world, he could finish the test, along with henman and many man more im sure.

D4thincarnation wrote:

azania wrote:The fitness level needed for boxing is very different to other sports. No other sport requires ou to take punches as you go.

You don't need to be fit to take a punch.

You hear about some athlete are so fit that there heart only need to beat round 30-40 times a minute when resting.

Does boxing make boxer super fit? Not for me.

You need a certain level of fitness to take the second one and still remain standing.

Barry McGuigan had a seriously low pulse rate. So did Calzaghe.

D4thincarnation wrote:

Pekchenko wrote:Rugby League guys have to be supremely fit. Surprisingy, i think Alan Baxter, the skier, seemed to perform well on superstars which would suggest that perhaps skiing could be up there with the most demanding sports.

Yeah skiers have incredible endurance, I remember seeing a program about some cross country skiers from Scandinavia that had a gene that made able to carry more oxygen in there blood, and that was one of the reason why they excelled at the sport.

Micheal Phelps is a genetic freak, his body does not build up lactic acid.

He also has larger webbing between his fingers. The man was built for swimming. Huge lung capacity also. Probably helped with his liking for the odd bong or two.

Don't know if it is a sport but do they compete in tournaments. If darts passes as a sport then it must. Ballet dancers are probably top of the pile for strength conditioning especially in the lower body. I'm a big believer in all sportsman can take things from other sportsman and especially boxers some of the ballet dancers leg strenght conditioning work could be of a benefit to them.

TRUSSMAN66 wrote:How fit are boxers..

A young christy martin was alright..

Leila Ali

azania wrote:

D4thincarnation wrote:

azania wrote:The fitness level needed for boxing is very different to other sports. No other sport requires ou to take punches as you go.

You don't need to be fit to take a punch.

You hear about some athlete are so fit that there heart only need to beat round 30-40 times a minute when resting.

Does boxing make boxer super fit? Not for me.

You need a certain level of fitness to take the second one and still remain standing.

Barry McGuigan had a seriously low pulse rate. So did Calzaghe.

Butterbean could take a punch

D4thincarnation wrote:

azania wrote:

D4thincarnation wrote:

azania wrote:The fitness level needed for boxing is very different to other sports. No other sport requires ou to take punches as you go.

You don't need to be fit to take a punch.

You hear about some athlete are so fit that there heart only need to beat round 30-40 times a minute when resting.

Does boxing make boxer super fit? Not for me.

You need a certain level of fitness to take the second one and still remain standing.

Barry McGuigan had a seriously low pulse rate. So did Calzaghe.

Butterbean could take a punch

You have to be kidding me. I've seen him rolled like a drunken hippo trying out MMA.

Being an amatuer fighter from the age of 9 until 15(official record 26-2, lost first 2 fights then won 26) I used to fight back when the spectators could smoke inside and these fights used to happen in welsh social clubs. I used to be extremely fit but after a minute bobbing weaving whacking and getting whacked and your lungs filled with smoke,it felt like I had just run a half marathon...the ceilings were usually within reachin distance while in the ring too, was magic though...gave it up to play football and because of that I am reportin live from llandough hospital in cardiff waiting to get my knee reconstructed...should have stuck to the boxing!its my birthday too :-( haha anyways yeh you need to be incredibly fit to box,boxercise training alone is killer!!

thebawwse wrote:Being an amatuer fighter from the age of 9 until 15(official record 26-2, lost first 2 fights then won 26) I used to fight back when the spectators could smoke inside and these fights used to happen in welsh social clubs. I used to be extremely fit but after a minute bobbing weaving whacking and getting whacked and your lungs filled with smoke,it felt like I had just run a half marathon...the ceilings were usually within reachin distance while in the ring too, was magic though...gave it up to play football and because of that I am reportin live from llandough hospital in cardiff waiting to get my knee reconstructed...should have stuck to the boxing!its my birthday too :-( haha anyways yeh you need to be incredibly fit to box,boxercise training alone is killer!!

Happy birthday, mate. Pretty difficult under the circumstances, but even so.

HumanWindmill wrote:

thebawwse wrote:Being an amatuer fighter from the age of 9 until 15(official record 26-2, lost first 2 fights then won 26) I used to fight back when the spectators could smoke inside and these fights used to happen in welsh social clubs. I used to be extremely fit but after a minute bobbing weaving whacking and getting whacked and your lungs filled with smoke,it felt like I had just run a half marathon...the ceilings were usually within reachin distance while in the ring too, was magic though...gave it up to play football and because of that I am reportin live from llandough hospital in cardiff waiting to get my knee reconstructed...should have stuck to the boxing!its my birthday too :-( haha anyways yeh you need to be incredibly fit to box,boxercise training alone is killer!!

Happy birthday, mate. Pretty difficult under the circumstances, but even so.

Take it you won't be having a knees-up to celebrate?

In terms of cardiovascular output, cycling, long distance running and swimming are at the ahead of the pack. The energy output with the endurance sports mentioned above is much greater. A marathon lasts 2 hours if you are very quick, obviously the Tour De France is an all day event. They have to keep performing at a physically high level and maintain an optimum heart beat for longer. Thats not taking into account triathalons, ultra marathons and iron man contests.

Bioxers are fairly adept at reducing body fat mass ratio's and maximising muscle mass. But, sprint athletics at the moment is still far ahead, evidently in their discipline it is necessary to defeat opponents and records by 1/100s of a second. While body shaping is a standard boxing training technique, sprint athletics by its nature is defined by it. How many people have ever run under 9.9 seconds in the 100m? Boxing requires a high degree of fitness, but wouldn't say its at the top. A person could be unfit and compete successfully for 12 rounds, James Toney and Saul Alvarez are not in prime shape.

Manny Pacquiao is quite fit; I like his little beard...

ArchBritishchris wrote:In terms of cardiovascular output, cycling, long distance running and swimming are at the ahead of the pack. The energy output with the endurance sports mentioned above is much greater. A marathon lasts 2 hours if you are very quick, obviously the Tour De France is an all day event. They have to keep performing at a physically high level and maintain an optimum heart beat for longer. Thats not taking into account triathalons, ultra marathons and iron man contests.

Bioxers are fairly adept at reducing body fat mass ratio's and maximising muscle mass. But, sprint athletics at the moment is still far ahead, evidently in their discipline it is necessary to defeat opponents and records by 1/100s of a second. While body shaping is a standard boxing training technique, sprint athletics by its nature is defined by it. How many people have ever run under 9.9 seconds in the 100m? Boxing requires a high degree of fitness, but wouldn't say its at the top. A person could be unfit and compete successfully for 12 rounds, James Toney and Saul Alvarez are not in prime shape.

you're confusing physical appearance with fitness - they're not always matched. dont think alvarez isnt fit because he looks a bit chubby. chris moyles is fat but climbled kilimanjaro, something i could never do and im in ok shape. he can runs miles, something that i cant and if you copmpared us standing next to each other, you'd say i would run rings around him.

im guessing you've never laced up gloves - if you were unfit you litteraly wouldnt last a round in a boxing ring, nevermind 12. its like saying you can complete the london marathon if you can jog round the block.
to say you can be unfit and still compete successfully for 12 rounds is probably the stupidest thing ive read in years.

i think in boxing to an extent you can get away with been unfit- especially at domestic level (look at tyson/chisora/williams/sexton etc), but when fighting at world level it is another story

Back on the matter, bost boxers arent that fit as they have to do stregnth training. Cyclicsts are much fitter, but the one most people miss, which are the fittest sports persons are formula one drivers.

Formula one drivers are like jockeys fitness wise, trying to get to the lowest weight they possibly to put less weight on the car or horse. Think most top level boxers are amongst the fittest athletes on the planet for all round fitness.

prettyboy1304 wrote:Formula one drivers are like jockeys fitness wise, trying to get to the lowest weight they possibly to put less weight on the car or horse. Think most top level boxers are amongst the fittest athletes on the planet for all round fitness.

I think that's only the case nowadays when said boxers are in training camp for a title fight & fight night itself. All to often champions put there feet up until the next training camp for the next defense, obviously there are exceptions to the rule but boxers dont live in the gym these days. Hatton is the obvious example & his poor showing in superstars showed this. On the other hand boxers that are starting out are often training flat out & are probably in great condition, its just that other sports, football & rugby to name 2, have shown vast improvements in training techniques & fitness & are now some of the fittest sportsmen out there due to the nature of their respective sports & the demands of the modern game.

sohotnot wrote:

prettyboy1304 wrote:Formula one drivers are like jockeys fitness wise, trying to get to the lowest weight they possibly to put less weight on the car or horse. Think most top level boxers are amongst the fittest athletes on the planet for all round fitness.

I think that's only the case nowadays when said boxers are in training camp for a title fight & fight night itself. All to often champions put there feet up until the next training camp for the next defense, obviously there are exceptions to the rule but boxers dont live in the gym these days. Hatton is the obvious example & his poor showing in superstars showed this. On the other hand boxers that are starting out are often training flat out & are probably in great condition, its just that other sports, football & rugby to name 2, have shown vast improvements in training techniques & fitness & are now some of the fittest sportsmen out there due to the nature of their respective sports & the demands of the modern game.

I see your point they train more of the year round and are at game time fitness for more of the year.

sohotnot wrote:

prettyboy1304 wrote:Formula one drivers are like jockeys fitness wise, trying to get to the lowest weight they possibly to put less weight on the car or horse. Think most top level boxers are amongst the fittest athletes on the planet for all round fitness.

I think that's only the case nowadays when said boxers are in training camp for a title fight & fight night itself. All to often champions put there feet up until the next training camp for the next defense, obviously there are exceptions to the rule but boxers dont live in the gym these days. Hatton is the obvious example & his poor showing in superstars showed this. On the other hand boxers that are starting out are often training flat out & are probably in great condition, its just that other sports, football & rugby to name 2, have shown vast improvements in training techniques & fitness & are now some of the fittest sportsmen out there due to the nature of their respective sports & the demands of the modern game.

Better diet also with more high protein and carb intake. No more steak, chips washed down with 20 pints and some vodka shots.

No more steak, chips washed down with 20 pints and some vodka shots.
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Those were the days! Certainly produced a few characters!!

Elite fighters like Manny and FMJ are phenomenal athletes always in the gym. To many guys don't go any where near a gym when they are not in training camp. They also don't eat the right stuff and drink which leaves them needing to lose a lot of weight in training camp leaving less time in training dedicated to sparring and different techniques needing to be worked on. So many fighters now look very soft round the gut.

prettyboy1304 wrote:Formula one drivers are like jockeys fitness wise, trying to get to the lowest weight they possibly to put less weight on the car or horse. Think most top level boxers are amongst the fittest athletes on the planet for all round fitness.

They are nothing like jockeys. The have to be fit to deal with the G forces.

AdZacO wrote:

prettyboy1304 wrote:Formula one drivers are like jockeys fitness wise, trying to get to the lowest weight they possibly to put less weight on the car or horse. Think most top level boxers are amongst the fittest athletes on the planet for all round fitness.

They are nothing like jockeys. The have to be fit to deal with the G forces.

I meant in the sense that they try and bring their weight down as low as possible because they rely on the speed of something else.

Leila Ali is pretty fit if you ask me

I think boxers need to be very fit - and the higher the level, the more important it is.

However, it's difficult to compare fitness levels with other sports as boxers mix endurance fitness (movement over a number of rounds) with explosive fitness (delivering punches).

The effort output profile during a swimming race or a cycling road race has a much flatter profile than during a fight, where there is a high baseline output with extreme spikes when punches are thrown.

prettyboy1304 wrote:

AdZacO wrote:

prettyboy1304 wrote:Formula one drivers are like jockeys fitness wise, trying to get to the lowest weight they possibly to put less weight on the car or horse. Think most top level boxers are amongst the fittest athletes on the planet for all round fitness.

They are nothing like jockeys. The have to be fit to deal with the G forces.

I meant in the sense that they try and bring their weight down as low as possible because they rely on the speed of something else.

Get what you mean, but they dont get it down as low as possible, because the car and driver have to be a certain weight. the have to have neck muscles that can withstand up to 5g incertain corners. They have to be able to maintain 200bpm on their heart for races of about 1hr 45 mins. They have to deal with losing pn average 5kg of swet during a race.

AdZacO wrote:

prettyboy1304 wrote:

AdZacO wrote:

prettyboy1304 wrote:Formula one drivers are like jockeys fitness wise, trying to get to the lowest weight they possibly to put less weight on the car or horse. Think most top level boxers are amongst the fittest athletes on the planet for all round fitness.

They are nothing like jockeys. The have to be fit to deal with the G forces.

I meant in the sense that they try and bring their weight down as low as possible because they rely on the speed of something else.

Get what you mean, but they dont get it down as low as possible, because the car and driver have to be a certain weight. the have to have neck muscles that can withstand up to 5g incertain corners. They have to be able to maintain 200bpm on their heart for races of about 1hr 45 mins. They have to deal with losing pn average 5kg of swet during a race.

I bow to your superior knowledge.

I've always thought boxers to be much fitter than footballers and many other sports people. However, I guess that different sports require different kinds of fitness.
I'm looking to put a fitness challenge together where sports people, of similar levels but from the disciplines of boxing, football, rugby (union and league), athletics, cycling, rowing, distance running, tennis and triathlon can undertake a series of fitness tests to see who comes out on top. Has anyone got suggestions to what fitness tests I could include to determine various levels of fitness between sports?

GeoffSnapes wrote:I've always thought boxers to be much fitter than footballers and many other sports people. However, I guess that different sports require different kinds of fitness.
I'm looking to put a fitness challenge together where sports people, of similar levels but from the disciplines of boxing, football, rugby (union and league), athletics, cycling, rowing, distance running, tennis and triathlon can undertake a series of fitness tests to see who comes out on top. Has anyone got suggestions to what fitness tests I could include to determine various levels of fitness between sports?

As I mentioned in an earlier response to this, the demands of the modern game with regards to premiership football & rugby has changed. As has their approach to training & nutrition. Also they have a long season & need to be constantly at the peak of fitness, they are playing every week (injury aside) rather than maybe only one fight a year for a world champion. This is where we have seen a rise in the fitness levels of said sportsmen, where as boxers have not really progressed & in some cases actually regressed, no longer are they gym rats. Hatton was the example I used, we all know how he would balloon between fights due to his drinking & poor diet, not to mention his appalling display in superstars, how many dips did he manage? In the old days champs could defend up to 4 times a year & for the rest these guys were rarely out of the gym. Nowadays to many fighters put their feet up & just do a training camp for a title defense. At the bottom end of the spectrum the guy starting out, fighting 6 times a year or more is probably in very good shape but probably no more than top pros in other sports. There just seems to be more competitions round the world nowadays for sports such as tennis & cycling etc.

With regards to your fitness challenge I would suggest a selection of runs, 100m, 400m, 800m, 1500m & 3000m for example. Some circuit training circuits(?) that have a mixture of bodyweight, legs/lower, core & upper body, exercises, some lowish weight barbel & dumbell with a short run or skipping inbetween laps/circuits. Maybe some cycling & swimming thrown in as well. Look into the original & recent superstars series for some ideas. Good luck.

Cheers for the ideas sohotnot - I appreciate it. I'll have a look at the superstars contest as well.

I checked the superstars format out - they did a wide range of events!

The winners in Britain have been as follows:-
British Superstars
1973 - David Hemery, 400 Hurdles
1974 - John Conteh, Boxing
1976 - David Hemery, 400 Hurdles
1977 - Tim Crooks, Rowing
1978 - Brian Jacks, Judo
1979 - Brian Jacks, Judo
1981 Challenge of Champions - Keith Fielding, Rugby
1981 - Keith Fielding, Rugby
1982 - Brian Hooper - Pole Vault
1983 - Brian Hooper, Pole Vault
1984 - Gary Cook, 400 Meters
1985 - Robin Brew, Swimming
2002 Sports Relief - Austin Healey - Rugby
2003 - Du'aine Ladejo, 400 Meters
2003 Women - Zoë Baker, Swimming & Lesley McKenna, Snowboarding
2005 - Alain Baxter, Alpine Skiing

GeoffSnapes wrote:I checked the superstars format out - they did a wide range of events!

The winners in Britain have been as follows:-
British Superstars
1973 - David Hemery, 400 Hurdles
1974 - John Conteh, Boxing
1976 - David Hemery, 400 Hurdles
1977 - Tim Crooks, Rowing
1978 - Brian Jacks, Judo
1979 - Brian Jacks, Judo
1981 Challenge of Champions - Keith Fielding, Rugby
1981 - Keith Fielding, Rugby
1982 - Brian Hooper - Pole Vault
1983 - Brian Hooper, Pole Vault
1984 - Gary Cook, 400 Meters
1985 - Robin Brew, Swimming
2002 Sports Relief - Austin Healey - Rugby
2003 - Du'aine Ladejo, 400 Meters
2003 Women - Zoë Baker, Swimming & Lesley McKenna, Snowboarding
2005 - Alain Baxter, Alpine Skiing

I didn't realise it started so early or went on for so long, not counting 2002 onwards. Will show my age & admit to seeing most of them!

As you noticed they did a wide range of things & this is what gets me about people dissing your idea, (see other thread) oh you cant possably do this. As I replied to stc 's post I think some people dont like in case their favorite sport is deemed to be lacking if the competitor from said sport doesn't win or under performs. Good luck & keep me posted if you manage to set something up.

I have a book at home, workouts of champions or something.

In this book loads of fighters (Ali, RJJ, Benn etc.) outline their workout schedule when they are in training.

The main thing that surprised me with the 'road work' now in my mind boxers would run for days yet most of the boxers i there would only go for an hours run each day.

Most of their other training was explosive work and sparring.

This I guess makes sense but would mean that against endurance athletes (cyclists, marathon runners) they would fall down. Compared to other exposive sports however (sprinting) they should fair well.