When is the right time for sparring?

Once a week a couple of friends and I get together and do a bit of group training for fitness. We all come from different martial arts backgrounds and the workouts we do vary each week to keep things interesting. Sometimes we do muay thai, sometimes boxing, BJJ, kung fu, etc.

Last week we did a bit of boxing sparring, but it wasn't full-contact sparring or anything serious. We're all kinda beginners, so we just stuck to basic forward and backward movements with light jabs and crosses. It was mostly just a cardio workout with the basics of finding your range or trying to slip/block jabs.

I found out rather quickly that although my fundamental techniques are somewhat sound for a beginner, I absolutely suck at sparring.

This leads me to the question - when is the right time for sparring?

I've always thought that I needed to train a fair bit before jumping in the ring but I'm not sure if this is correct. I've been training for about 6 months in total now, but it hasn't been serious training for the full 6 months. I'd go hard for maybe 2 months then slack off for a bit, then get back into it, etc.

What would be the bare minimum before a person should consider hopping into the ring? Enough stamina to last ...2? 3? 4 rounds? If I could get a rough benchmark to aim for, that would help me heaps because then I'd have a target to achieve when training rather than just "today I will do XX rounds on the heavybag".

Thanks!

Sparring should start at the... Well soon. Wat i meen is sparing start wen your trainer thinks it its time for you to sparr. Although it should start early so you no that you no you like/dont like boxing. If you do like boxing even though your bad at sparring I won't wury about it.

Wen I use to sparr I lost all the time but now im one of the best in the gym. Last Time I sparred I went up agents this year 11(l'm in year 9).

sparring is ace, best bit about training

problem is one gym i go to over spar in the way that too much of each session is dedicated to sparring and not enough to fitness so some of the lads who just go to that gym are less fit

I definately get more fitness from the other gym i go to what is more about fitness with just a couple of sparring rounds at the end of a circuit

I'd say always do a bit tho coz its so much fun

You should spar with somebody a bit more experienced than you to start with. A good fighter will be able to spar without doing too much damage to you and you are more likely to learn off him. I wouldnt tell a boxer when he was going to spar during the trining session because sometimes they would take training easy to have more left for sparring if it was at the end of the session. Think you are ready to try a couple of rounds at this stage.

There was a trainer I used to watch in Phoenix that I thought highly of.(his son was at one time the #1 US amateur in his weight class and is currently 13-3 as a pro) What he would do start a guy jumping rope and doing situps,etc...then give him a run through on the basics of punching and turn him loose on the heavy bag. After a bit, when he could do a couple rounds on the heavy bag, he'd get him in the ring on the mitts for a couple rounds, then back to the heavy bag. After a month or so, he'd put him in for a round or two with a guy at a similar level. After that he'd spar every week.
Personally, I like to be more hands on, teaching a lot of technique, punching and protecting wise. I don't think it is fair to put a guy in without giving him some defensive knowledge to work with. I also think that, for beginners, jabs only, or left hand only, or body only sparring is pretty productive. Because it is a learning process.
Finally, I think that many, if not most, new boxers worry too much about conditioning, and devote too much time to it. Early on you are ingraining habits and building muscle memory, so hit the heavy bag, get in the ring and work the mitts, shadow box and spar. These things focus your mind on what it is that you are trying to learn, the skill your are attempting to master, while the variety of cross-training methods and what have you do not add to your boxing skill or ability. Learn how to box, do your roadwork. Conditioning is an ongoing process, achieved over years of training.

Great advice that Greys

Thanks for all the responses guys, those were exactly the kind of answers I was looking for.
I especially like the idea of using just left's when starting out, that makes a lot of sense. The guys I train with could use a lot of work on their jabs anyway.

Right now I'm not in the best financial position to sign up to a new gym (boxing is expensive where I live) so I'll keep up my own training till I find a good gym and can afford the membership.