Alright, someones gotta do it. Guess it'll be me.... shit, I was new not so very long ago. First off, good to see you're excited about boxing. It's a hell of a sport, and I'm sure you'll love it even more after you really try it. Nice to start young, I'm a bit older than you (22) and wish I had gotten started much younger. With a bit of skill, a bit of commitment, you'll be great when your my age as opposed to me, who is just starting off at 22. Now, with the age thing. Parents can be a bitch man, that's why I didnt start any younger. Are they cool with you boxing? Will they take you to a gym and support your ambitions? Your post says you would like to teach yourself. While this might be a half way decent way to start, I would strongly recommend going to a gym. Your young, and now is the perfect time to develope correct technique, footwork, fundamentals etc etc etc. If your parents arent into the idea, this might be tough. If this is the case, ask them just to take you to the gym, just to see what its like. I find trainers have a way of explaining things to parents to make them feel a lot more comfortable about the whole idea. Hype up the whole deal of "it'll get me in shape" and "it'll keep me off the streets" arguaments, and try not to mention the whole fighting part of the sport lol.

Secondly, with your jaw. This might or might not be a problem. I am not a doctor (nor do I think anyone on this board is, so dont take anyones advice as 100% solid) and would not take it upon myself to make any recommendations other than ask YOUR doctor. The guy who fixed the f***in thing for you. He's more qualified than anyone to answer this for you. Even someone with "first person experience" as you put it will not be able to tell you for sure, because every broken jaw incident will be different.

Third. Those gloves are shit man. Can't blame you for trying, but try again =). Check out www.ringside.com Pick up a pair of 14 or 16 ounce (depending on your weight, I'm 133 and use 16 ounce gloves for training) training gloves. I use the "IMF Tech" gloves, and absolutly love them. As a boxer, your gloves are your most important piece of equipment, so a bit of money invested is a good thing.

Also, to expand on the glove issue. Two pairs of gloves are good to have. When training, you'll most likely have a pair for use on the heavy bag and focus mitts. These are going to be a more inexpensive pair (however, better than what u already bought). Check out the "Super Bag Gloves" at Ringside.com. Thats what I use. They are a bit lighter (12 oz). These are the gloves you will beat the crap out of while hitting the bag HARD. Hence the reason they are the more inexpensive pair.

Now, assuming you get to a gym, and are sparring, you'll also want to invest in a pair of sparring gloves. For this I use Ringsides "IMF Tech" gloves. These are going to be a heavier pair (14-16oz) of gloves. Reason being, more padding = less of a chance of hurting your sparring partner. While this is a sport where the point is to punch your opponant, you're not trying to kill anyone (usually ) in a sparring match.

My last piece of advice, drop the "No, I'm not just some other punk that thinks he can step in the ring with another fighter and woop his ass any day. I KNOW I can be beat, but I want to learn" attitude. Train train train untill you you KNOW you CAN step into the ring with another fighter and woop his ass any day, and untill you KNOW you CANT be beat. Might never be the case, but train with that attitude, and you'll push yourself that much harder. Anyway, good luck kid, keep us posted on any progress, and let us know if u have anymore questions.