Actually, I was too young when I started.
In the junior's back in those days, you had to be at least 12 years old.
But because of who my father was in having been a very well known and popular fighter here back in his day. They let me fight in the juniors despite the fact I was under the age limit and begin fighting in the juniors at age 9. Only back in those days they didn't call it juniors they called it the "miget gloves" touraments fights.
I had a lot of kid fights back in those days, every body I fought was older than me 12, 13 and 14 year olds. I had more fights than I could count or remember. I just remember at age 9, and at age 10, I had won touraments in my weight class and the state title, also some other titles in some inner city fights. I only lost two fights in the juniors.
As I grew older boxing in the amatuer ranks I fought as an open-class middleweight, and later as a Light-heavyweight. I won some titles in both weight divisons, ended with an amatuer record of 36-1, with 19 KO's.
I had an ambition to turn pro ... but got married, and that changed that. I came to see easier paths available to me make money than to spill my blood, and to risk my brains and life in an unforgiving arena of a square ring.
You really had to be salty to fight pro especially in those days, and even before my time it was so. There was by far more talent in the weight divisions in both the amatuer and professional ranks in boxing back in those days than there is today, and there was only eight weight divisions, and the rules and regulations were a little different also back in those days.
As a sport and most especially in the amatuer ranks boxing isn't as tough a sport today. Its softened a lot since the time I was there.
JC