How to Become a Featherweight Boxer

Featherweight boxers, as their name implies, are lightweight fighters known more for longer fights with more moving and dancing than the short crushing knockout style fight displayed by heavier fighters. To become a featherweight boxer you must possess a lot of athletic ability. On top of that you must work on three key areas while training in a gym. This is a very physically demanding endeavor where you must hone you footwork, hand-eye coordination and punching skills.

Instructions

    • 1

      Find a good gym to train in. A place with good equipment like the speed and heavy bags and an actual ring you can train and spar in. Latch onto a good trainer. Someone with lots of experience who can guide you and evaluate where you are as a fighter and then help you improve.

    • 2

      Get in top fighting shape. The heaviest a featherweight fighter can weigh for a fight is 126 lbs. (according to the espn.com rankings). This is considered a very light weight class so you should train for speed and stamina rather than power (like a heavyweight would do).

    • 3

      Address the state of your footwork. Improve it by sparring with a partner under the watchful eye of your trainer. Learning how to move in the ring takes time. Learn this skill or don't bother fighting, a stationary fighter is akin to a punching bag.

    • 4

      Concentrate on throwing rapid fire jabs and combinations on the speed bag and the heavy bag. You won't possess the knockout power of a heavier fighter so you need to stick and move to wear your opponent down.

    • 5

      Tune up your cardiovascular conditioning. Do this by running frequently and jumping rope. The featherweight style dictates that you will have long fights as you grind down your opponent and try to outlast him. Your stamina will be a key component to your success.