In Front of the Camera

I’ve been a boxing fan for as long as I can remember. I grew up watching fighters like Mike Tyson and later Floyd Mayweather, and over the years that interest has taken me from watching fights as a fan to actually working ringside and covering some of the biggest events in the sport.

One of the things I’ve realized along the way is that boxing can be intimidating if you’re a new fan.

There are different weight classes, multiple sanctioning bodies, different belts, complicated scorecards, and enough terminology to make you feel like everyone else knows something you don’t.

But you really don’t need to understand everything to start enjoying boxing.

Here are the basics I think every new fan should know.

How Does a Boxing Match Work?

Professional boxing matches are divided into rounds, usually lasting three minutes for men’s boxing and two or three minutes for women’s boxing, depending on the bout and rules being used.

A fight can end early by knockout or technical knockout, or it can go the scheduled distance and be decided by the judges.

And this is where things get interesting.

How Does Boxing Scoring Work?

Most professional boxing uses what’s called the 10-point must system.

The fighter a judge believes won the round typically receives 10 points, while the other fighter usually receives nine. Knockdowns, penalties, and particularly dominant rounds can change those numbers.

At the end of the fight, the judges’ scores are added together.

That can result in a unanimous decision, where all three judges agree on the winner, a split decision, where two judges choose one fighter, and the third chooses the other, or a majority decision, where two judges choose the winner, and one scores the fight a draw.

This is also why boxing fans can have some VERY passionate conversations about scorecards.

What’s the Difference Between a KO and TKO?

A knockout, or KO, happens when a fighter is knocked down and cannot beat the referee’s count.

A technical knockout, or TKO, happens when the referee, ringside doctor, or a fighter’s corner determines the fighter should no longer continue.

Both end the fight before the final bell.

Why Are There So Many Belts?

This is probably one of the most confusing parts for new fans.

There are four major sanctioning organizations in professional boxing: the WBA, WBC, IBF, and WBO. Each can recognize its own world champion within a weight class.

When a fighter holds titles from more than one organization, you’ll hear them called a unified champion.

When someone holds all four major belts in a division at the same time, they’re the undisputed champion.

That’s a VERY big deal.

What Should I Actually Watch During a Fight?

When I first started watching boxing, I wasn’t thinking about punch statistics or judging criteria. I was watching the personalities, rivalries, and excitement.

You can do the same.

As you watch more, start paying attention to things like the jab, footwork, defense, combinations, body shots, counterpunching, and how fighters adjust throughout the fight.

One of my favorite things about boxing is that it becomes more interesting the more you understand it.

You start noticing the strategy behind what initially looks like two people throwing punches.

You Don’t Have to Be an Expert to Be a Fan

This might be my biggest piece of advice.

You don’t need to know every champion, prospect, division, or sanctioning organization before you’re allowed to have an opinion or enjoy a fight.

Pick a fighter you’re interested in. Watch a big card. Learn as you go.

That’s how most fans start.

I’ve been lucky enough to go from watching boxing because I loved the sport to interviewing fighters and experiencing major fight weeks from behind the scenes.

And I can tell you that no matter how much more I learn about boxing, there’s still nothing quite like the energy right before that opening bell.

If you had told the younger version of me watching Mike Tyson on TV that one day I’d be the one working major fight weeks and interviewing fighters myself, I’m not sure I would have believed you.

I’ve been a boxing fan my whole life.

Long before I was working around the sport, I was watching the greats and attending fights simply because I loved boxing. It was one of those interests that existed separately from my career for a long time.

Then something unexpected happened: The career I built online created a pathway into the sport I had always loved.

Building the Platform Before the Opportunity

I’ve spent over a decade building my audience as a creator.

My content has evolved through lifestyle, fashion, beauty, travel, wellness, fitness, and eventually areas like entrepreneurship and AI.

I wasn’t building an audience because I thought it would eventually get me into boxing.

But every video taught me something.

I learned how to speak naturally to a camera. I learned how to hold people’s attention. I learned how to communicate with an audience and be comfortable putting myself out there.

Eventually, those skills started creating opportunities beyond social media.

When Boxing and Content Finally Connected

After building my platform and developing more hosting experience, opportunities started coming from companies working in the sport.

DAZN saw my content and hosting work and reached out about getting involved in boxing coverage.

That was an incredibly easy yes for me.

Suddenly, two parts of my life that had developed independently started coming together.

I could take everything I had learned about content creation, communication, and engaging audiences and bring it into a sport I genuinely loved.

Since then, I’ve had opportunities around major events with DAZN and Most Valuable Promotions, including hosting events like Xander Zayas vs. Jaron “Boots” Ennis and Claressa Shields vs. Franchon Crews-Dezurn to working the red carpet at Jake Paul vs. Anthony Joshua.

I’ve gone from watching fighters as a fan to standing ringside, interviewing them, talking with fans, and experiencing what happens before and after the cameras capture the moments everyone sees.

What Recent Fight Weeks Have Taught Me

The biggest thing I’ve learned is how much happens that audiences never see.

Fight night might be the culmination, but there are days of media events, interviews, preparation, production, training, weigh-ins, conversations, and anticipation leading into it. Being there gives you a completely different appreciation for the athletes and the teams around them.

It has also taught me to trust myself in live environments.

You can prepare questions and research everything beforehand (and you absolutely should). But once you’re live, anything can happen.

Someone gives you an unexpected answer. A schedule changes. You suddenly have access to someone you weren’t expecting to interview.

You learn to listen and respond, instead of worrying about delivering everything perfectly.

Your Interests Don’t Have to Stay Hobbies

This experience has reinforced something I believe about building a multifaceted life.

You never know which skill or interest will eventually connect to another part of your career.

My love of boxing didn’t initially have anything to do with becoming a creator. Creating content didn’t initially have anything to do with becoming a sports host.

Eventually, they connected.

That’s why I’m such a believer in continuing to learn, developing different interests, and putting yourself in new environments.

Sometimes the opportunity you’re preparing for isn’t even one you know exists yet.

For me, getting to combine content creation, sports, and live events has become one of those opportunities. And I still have a lot more I want to do ringside.

I’ve spent years talking to a camera. I’ve filmed thousands of pieces of content, shared my life with millions of people online, gone live with my audience, and gotten comfortable putting myself out there.

So when I started doing more professional hosting, I thought one part would come naturally: being on camera. And it did, to an extent.

But I quickly learned that filming content for social media and hosting something live are two very different skills.

On Social Media, You Get Another Take

When I’m creating a Reel or TikTok, I have control.

If I stumble over a word, I can start again. If I don’t like how I explained something, I can rephrase it. If the lighting is terrible, I can move. If I film something and decide I hate the entire thing, no one ever has to know it existed.

Live hosting takes away that safety net.

Once the camera is on, you’re on.

You have to listen, respond, remember what you’re supposed to communicate, watch your timing, pay attention to what’s happening around you, and keep the conversation moving.

And you have to do all of it knowing there isn’t an edit button coming later.

That was an adjustment.

You Have to Stop Trying to Be Perfect

One of the biggest things live hosting has taught me is that trying to deliver everything perfectly can actually make you worse on camera.

If you’re thinking too much about the exact sentence you planned to say, you’re probably not fully listening to the person standing in front of you.

While preparation is incredibly important, memorization isn’t always the goal.

I want to know the fighter I’m interviewing. I want to understand the matchup. I want to know the storylines and have questions ready.

Then I need to be willing to throw some of that preparation away, because someone might give you an answer you weren’t expecting, something might happen around you, or the entire conversation might suddenly become more interesting in a completely different direction.

That’s live television.

Instagram Live Was Training Without Me Realizing It

Looking back, I think social media prepared me for live hosting in ways I didn’t appreciate at the time.

Going live on Instagram meant there was no editing there either. I had to talk directly to people, read comments, answer unexpected questions, fill silence, move between subjects, and keep a conversation going without knowing exactly what was coming next.

Most importantly, I got used to being myself when I couldn’t redo the moment.

That built confidence.

Sharing my life online also taught me that audiences respond to authenticity. I’ve talked before about how important it is to let your community see the real person behind the content and to actually engage with them rather than simply broadcast at them.

Those same lessons translate surprisingly well to hosting.

Live Hosting Forces You to Listen

Being a good interviewer is mostly about listening well enough to know what to ask next.

That’s something I’m continuing to learn every time I host.

Especially in boxing, emotions can be high. You might be talking to someone immediately before or after one of the biggest moments of their career. You can’t approach every conversation exactly the same way.

You need to read the person in front of you.

Sometimes the best follow up question isn’t anywhere in your notes.

Confidence Comes From Doing It

I don’t think you become confident and then start doing things that scare you.

Usually, it’s the opposite.

You do the uncomfortable thing enough times that it stops feeling quite so uncomfortable. Every Instagram Live, every video, every interview, and every live event has added another layer of confidence.

That’s something I’ve learned throughout my career in general. I’ve gone from studying biochemistry to becoming a creator, building Hydra Powders, working in AI education, and stepping into live event hosting. I’ve never wanted to believe that you need to stay in one lane simply because it’s where you started. I’ve said that continuing to learn new skills and interests has been an important part of my own life.

Hosting has been another example of that.

Sometimes You Just Have to Trust Yourself

There’s a different energy that comes with knowing you only have one take. It’s intimidating, but it’s also what makes live hosting exciting.

You prepare as much as you can. You know your subject. You understand the people you’re talking to. And then the camera turns on and you trust yourself.

I’m still learning every time I step in front of a live camera.

But that’s also one of my favorite things about it.

Content creation taught me how to talk to an audience.

Live hosting is continuously reminding me how to be completely present with one.

I’ve been a boxing fan for as long as I can remember. I grew up watching the sport, and now I’ve been lucky enough to experience it from a completely different perspective through my work in hosting.

Working fight weeks and being around fighters before and after they step into the ring has given me an even greater appreciation for what they do. Some of my favorites are fighters I grew up watching, while others are part of the generation I’m now getting to watch up close.

Picking favorites is never easy, but if I had to choose three male and three female fighters, these six stand out.

My Top 3 Male Boxers

1. Mike Tyson

Mike Tyson is one of the reasons I became interested in boxing in the first place.

I grew up watching him and was immediately drawn to the intensity he brought to the ring. His combination of power, speed, and presence made his fights feel like events. Even if you weren’t a huge boxing fan, you knew who Mike Tyson was.

Now that I work around boxing myself, it’s pretty surreal to think that my relationship with the sport started as a kid watching fighters like him.

2. Jaron “Boots” Ennis

Boots is one of the fighters I love watching from this generation because he’s so technically gifted while still being incredibly exciting.

Getting to work around his fight with Xander Zayas gave me the opportunity to see the excitement surrounding him firsthand. He’s fast, powerful, confident, and the type of fighter who makes you pay attention every time he steps into the ring.

Working around major fights has changed the way I watch boxing because I’m able to see so much more of what happens before the opening bell. Boots is definitely someone I’m excited to continue watching.

3. Vergil Ortiz Jr.

Vergil Ortiz Jr. is another fighter who has become one of my favorites to watch.

I love fighters who are willing to take risks and make fights exciting, and Vergil brings that mentality into the ring. His combination of pressure, power, and willingness to engage makes his fights fun to watch from beginning to end.

Being around boxing through my work with DAZN has introduced me to even more fighters and styles, and Vergil is one of the names that continues to stand out to me.

My Top 3 Female Boxers

1. Amanda Serrano

Amanda Serrano has to be at the top of my list.

What she’s accomplished across multiple weight divisions is incredible, but I also admire what she has represented for women’s boxing. Amanda has been part of some of the biggest moments the sport has seen and has helped prove that women’s fights deserve the same massive stages, attention, and investment.

Through my work around Most Valuable Promotions, I’ve also been able to see the continued growth of women’s boxing up close, which has made me appreciate fighters like Amanda even more.

2. Katie Taylor

You almost can’t talk about Amanda Serrano without talking about Katie Taylor.

Their rivalry has produced some of the defining moments in women’s boxing, and I have so much respect for what Katie has accomplished throughout her career.

What I love about their fights is that they brought people into women’s boxing who might not have been watching before. Great rivalries can change a sport, and Taylor and Serrano helped show just how big women’s boxing can become.

3. Alycia Baumgardner

Alycia Baumgardner is another fighter I love watching because she brings so much more than talent into the ring.

She’s powerful, athletic, stylish, confident, and has built a presence that extends beyond boxing. I really admire athletes who understand that their career can be multidimensional, and Alycia has been able to combine being an elite fighter with building a recognizable personal brand of her own.

As someone whose own career spans content creation, entrepreneurship, and sports, I appreciate seeing women who refuse to limit themselves to one lane. Alycia represents that in a way that feels very aligned with how I think about building a modern career.

Why My List Keeps Changing

One of the best parts about working more closely within boxing is that my list of fighters to watch keeps getting longer.

Mike Tyson represents where my love for boxing started. Fighters like Boots and Vergil represent an exciting generation of the men’s side of the sport. Amanda, Katie, and Alycia represent the incredible talent, personalities, and momentum driving women’s boxing forward.

And now I get to experience some of that evolution from ringside. Ask me again after my next few fight weeks, and I might have a completely different list.

That’s part of the fun.