Boxers and Education

In the wake of the big WBC Welterweight Championship between Victor Ortiz and Floyd Mayweather, it could be a good time to review the levels of educational standards of boxers.  Boxing has always been seen as a poor man’s sport, from the original Irish street fighters to people like Victor Ortiz, who was abandoned as a child.  However, more and more boxers seem to have at least a reasonable standard of education, particularly in Europe, where Lucian Bute is currently studying towards a Masters Degree and the Klitsko brothers having doctor degrees.

Most of the big boxers come from very humble backgrounds.  Due, in part, to the negative publicity of boxing, including medical professionals petitioning to have the sport banned, this emphasis, in the United States at least, now seems to have moved to basketball.  It has also been theorized that the level of education amongst boxers is low because only poor areas of cities are targeted when scouting for new boxing talent.  Boxing schools are generally found in deprived areas with high levels of street crime, where they are used by young people as an outlet for their boredom and aggression.

Secondly, in the United States at least, scholarships are often offered to high performing athletes, but these do not include boxers.  So, if you are very good in baseball or basketball, for example, you could be able to receive a scholarship for a college, but not so for boxing.  Lastly, turning professional in boxing does not require any specific background except for turning 18.  Many boxers choose to turn pro the moment they turn 18, allowing them to turn boxing into a – potentially – profitable career.

It is important to remember, however, that not all boxers can be tarred with the same brush of being of lower social background and uneducated, when many have come from middle class background and have achieved degrees, either before, during or after their boxing career. Boxing is a popular sport. Watch Mayweather vs Ortiz live and convince yourself!