Tylor O’Brien’s nose is bleeding, and his white shirt is flecked with blood, but his tired arms are held high in triumph.

O’Brien, 19, an amateur Fall City boxer who is taking his career to the next level, held his own in a recent Saturday night Sizzler sparring session at Cappy’s Boxing Club in Seattle’s Central District.

“This was a war,” O’Brien said. “But it was a good one.”

Fellow boxers said that O’Brien’s flurries of firmly-connecting straights and hooks to the head and body can remove a sparring partner’s desire to go on. His fists speak strongly, but his modesty shows through. O’Brien’s emotions fail to show any sense of self-congratulation or arrogance, and he doesn’t need any false bravado to take charge in the ring.

The Mount Si High School alumnus is now ready to take himself to the next level in his young boxing career. 

A 16-year resident of Fall City, O’Brien has spent the past three years training to become the best amateur boxer he can be. Though he’s been forced to give up many of the things his peers enjoy, O’Brien feels his hard work in the ring is providing benefits that go far beyond a weekend party.

“There’s parties every night I hear about. All my friends go. I choose the other route,” he said. “I have to sacrifice a lot for the sport, but I definitely enjoy it.”

“I love the lifestyle it makes me live. I have to live healthy,” he said.

O’Brien will join Cappy’s teammates Ashlee Choi, Tammy Sanchez and Jeff Petersen in August at the Ringside World Championships in Kansas City, Mo. Coach Cappy Kotz made O’Brien and his teammates sign a training contract in the run-up to the tournament that includes a five-day-a-week training regimen and two weeks on the road.

The largest annual boxing event in the world, the championship draws fighters from across the globe. Over 1,500 boxers are expected this year, and competition will be fierce as they try to prove themselves and return home with a championship belt.

 At 165 pounds, O’Brien will face off in one of the toughest divisions.  But he feels he’s ready and has been training hard to prepare himself for the event.  He makes the trek to Seattle several times a week to train with his teammates. Training consists of countless hours of roadwork, sparring and various boxing drills, all designed to increase his skill to the level needed to compete in a national competition. With several fights under his belt, O’Brien has used his ring experience to increase his confidence. 

While O’Brien entered the sport later in life than most pro boxers do, there’s a chance, if he keep progressing, he could go pro in a few years.

“We take it one step at a time,” he said.

For O’Brien, boxing brings excitement as well as fitness.

“There’s definitely adrenaline there,” he said.

O’Brien is excited about the Ringside tournament, but knows the sacrifices a trip like this can bring. To defray these costs, Cappy’s club members have been busy working in various ways to raise money. They started by raising awareness of the club, assisting in a neighborhood clean-up day. They’ll also participate in a boxing-oriented theme event on Saturday, July 18.

That event helps defray the costs of the attending the tournament.

• Ringside team member Jeff Petersen contributed to this article.