I think in my time here (and that isn't a HUGE amount of time), I think i've read 200 times the question "am i too old to start boxing", "is 17 to old to start boxing", "can I still become a pro if i'm 23 now", "how old do you need to be to start boxing".....

They are very open ended questions that no one can really answer....

To the question "am I to old to start boxing"? The answer is, NO... You can be 4 or 104, as long as you can still lift your arms and throw them out, you can start boxing. It's that simple. Not everyone who plays tennis aims to win a grand slam. Thousands & Thousands of people play tennis every day trying to better themselves and keep fit, but 99.9% of them will never compete at a high level, or possibly ever want to.
It seems that EVERYONE thinks that before you start boxing, it has to be analyzed whether you're old enough to become world champion before you even thinnkkkk of going to the gym. For someone to become a world champion, it takes every inch of their heart/soul & body to get their. And if every part of your body, heart & soul is in becoming world champion, you certainly won't be wasting your time on here asking people if you are to old to start. You'd be in the gym training.
Boxing is a great sport! It is fun number 1. It is challenging. It will test you all the time. It keeps you fit. It stimulates your mind. It is great in thousands of ways and can benifit you as a being to no end!! No one is ever to old to take benifit from starting boxing. And the decision to start or not lays firmly on your shoulders. Forget age, forget weight, forget everything! Seek out a gym, or download/buy some instruction video's, get some equipment, and start training & having fun....
That is boxing!! NO ONE needs to weigh up their ability to become a champion before they start.. You know, their will always be younger people that are better than you.
On money issues, do you decide at age 25 that you are to old to start making millions because you've heard of other people who are 19 that have already made millions? Do you decide at age 50 that you're to old to start making millions because most people twice as young as you have made millions already?? Trust me, when your 50 and deciding that you want to make millions, you'll be wishing you'd started when you were 25.
The exact same goes for boxing! I started boxing at age 22. I remember when I was 16!!! thinking to myself that I am to old to start boxing because I assumed people at the gym had probably been training since they were 6 and would be WAY better than me. I now wish I HAD started when I was 16. I would be twice as good as I am now and probably 4 times better than most people around me.... But, I put it off all those years ago by second guessing myself based on what level I thought everyone else was at. Now I have to regret it. It's a gaurantee that just about ANNNYTHING in the WORLD you can POSSIBLY think of starting, their will be people younger, and better than you at it!! FACT!!! But is that a reason not to start? Does that mean YOU won't get as much out of it?? No f'n way!

My question to you is, do you want to keep asking yourself today "am I to old to start boxing?".. because I gaurantee if you have any passion to start this sport, it's not worth waiting another 4 years to ask yourself the same question again. And you will in 4 years... and the question will be just as irrelavent in 4 years as it is today... You are NEVER to old to start boxing!!! You'l just be 4 years older than the LAST time you considered starting!! You'd be shocked how much you can improve over 4 years!!! shocked!! so why the hell waste those 4 years, or ANY years, considering whether you're to old.... Trust me, you're never going to get any younger....

Are you to old to become a champion PRO? That's a totally different question and involves a hell of a lot more things than age. And I think if you are seriously considering being a PRO boxer, then it probably does require you to be fairly young if you want to really excel.. That's assuming you havn't boxed much. If you're 30 but have been training since you were 10, you could probably have a bit of fun in the Pro's. You may not become world champ, but is that really your goal?

Look, I could go on forever but I think the question is relevant to just about everything in life. You ask yourself if your toooo old or tooooo 'whateverrrr' to start something, because you are doubtful of yourself. The only way you will ever get where you want is to stop thinking of reasons why 'NOT' to do something, and just get the f'ck in there and do it! The sooner you dive in, the sooner you'll start to get something out of it!!!

No excuses and no regrets!!

[ Edit : Okay a sticky is fine ]

happy boxing everyone!