Chris Hemsworth didn't box as a teen to protect his 'pretty face,' his trainer says. Now he regularly spars with a UFC coach.

• Chris Hemsworth's trainer, Luke Zocchi, has known the actor since they were kids growing up in Australia.
• Zocchi says Hemsworth knew at a young age he wanted to be an actor.

Chris Hemsworth is an avid boxer, but he used to avoid sparring in a ring to protect his face, according to his long-time trainer Luke Zocchi.

Zocchi told Insider that he has known Hemsworth since they were children growing up in Australia, and they played sports like baseball and Australian rules football together through high school. But the one sport Hemsworth didn't compete in as a teenager was boxing, Zocchi said.

Zocchi said when he and Hemsworth were 16, he invited him to box and the future star declined.

Hemsworth had no problem practicing jabs and uppercuts on a punching bag, according to Zocchi, but he wouldn't get in the ring with an opponent because he didn't want to risk damage to his face.

"He didn't want to ruin that pretty face," Zocchi told Insider, while promoting the wellness and lifestyle app Centr, which he and Hemsworth founded. "I used to say, 'do you want to do a few rounds in the ring?' and he was like 'No way! I'm going to Hollywood, I can't get punched in the face!"

Hemsworth spars with a UFC coach, but still protects his face

Now as an established actor, Hemsworth boxes regularly.

Hemsworth has posted several videos on social media of him practicing moves on a punching bag and has previously said boxing is a main part of his bodyweight workout routine for his roles as Thor in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and as Tyler Rake in the upcoming Extraction 2. Boxing is one of the many workouts that he promotes on Centr, as it works out the upper-body, lower-body, and core while also being an intense cardio workout.

Zocchi said Hemsworth spars with him and renowned UFC coach Jorge Blanco, who worked with former UFC champion George St. Pierre. Still, Hemsworth has rules in place to protect his face, which includes wearing his mouth guard at all times and only taking body shots, Zocchi said.

"Jorge has been very gentle and uses a little jab here and there, but is definitely not going too hard," Zocchi said. "Chris is pretty respectful. He knows that Jorge could probably kill him if he wanted to. So Chris throws a few punches, and they move around."