The Sport of Boxing: Explored and Explained
We explain the rules, jargon and answer questions about boxing. All thrilla, no filler.
Does A Shorter Boxer Have Any Advantages?
Being taller than your opponent has many advantages but there are some aspects of boxing that play into the hands of the shorter boxer, if they can be exploited. First off, the fighting style might be hard to adjust to, in particular with timing counter punches, as well as the distances and angle of the…
What Is The Worst Type Of Cut?
Cuts and bleeding are common in boxing, and can be caused by punches or by accidental or deliberate fouls. The most common situation to cause a cut is from a clash of heads. This happens a lot due to the way boxers move, during clinches and especially when a southpaw is up against an orthodox…
Do Boxers Drink Water Between Rounds?
Immediately before and during a fight, boxers are often seen taking water, and spitting it out into a bucket. They may be thirsty, especially in the later rounds of a fight, but the reason they rarely swallow it is due to how it feels to be punched to the body with water on the way…
What Is A Top Prospect?
A prospect is a promising fighter, often young, who is rising through the ranks with the intention of one day being a contender for a title. When they reach the higher levels and have an impressive win to loss ratio, they are often referred to as a top prospect. At this time they may have…
What Is A Gatekeeper?
The informal name applied to the status of a boxer who is well skilled, high ranking and who would provide a test for another fighter who aims to become a contender. They are higher status than a journeyman, so the prestige of beating one is greater, but they are not currently themselves a likely title…
What Is Heart In Boxing?
Watch the video above to give your eyes a break and your ears a treat. In the context of boxing ‘heart’ is more about mentality than the body. Although the physical conditioning of boxers is vital, it is a determination, conviction and drive to perform that fans and commentators mean when discussing the ‘heart’ of…
Why Is It Called A Ring?
In the past, boxers would fight in a circular area, sometimes with a rope around the edge, resembling a ring. The name has stuck ever since, even when the standard shape for a fighting zone became square. As boxing evolved and rules began to be standardised, ropes around the sides of the ring were introduced,…
What Is A Contender?
A high level boxer who is considered to be worthy of a title shot, or likely to get one soon. Due to the politics of boxing and the alphabet soup of titles, there is a lot of negotiation and involvement when setting up fights, but the contenders are the top ranking fighters with realistic hopes…
How Many Rounds In a Bout?
The number of rounds varies and is predetermined by the management and promoter. It is normally between 4 and 12 rounds in professional boxing, and is based on the age and experience of the boxers, and whether or not it is a title fight. A young or generally inexperienced professional boxer will typically start their…
What Is A Tune-Up Fight?
A professional boxer may choose to take a fight to keep their boxing skills sharp, to avoid ‘ring rust’ or to add to their win or knockout tally. They do this by fighting opponents with seemingly lesser skills, and where it is considered to be a relatively easy win for them. They may choose to…
What Is A Mandatory Eight Count?
When a boxer is knocked down, the referee begins his normal ten count. Even if the boxer gets up before eight, the referee is required to continue the count to eight. This gives the downed boxer an extra few seconds to regain their composure before continuing the bout. It was introduced to protect the boxer…
Is A Ten Count Ten Seconds?
The referee counts in approximated seconds in their head. In practice this leads to variations in the number of actual seconds in the count, but in nearly all cases it’s perfectly acceptable as an approximation. A particularly fast or slow count can lead to controversy and the perception of unfairness to either boxer. The Queensbury…
Can A Boxer Be Saved By The Bell?
Under current professional boxing rules, a boxer cannot be saved by the bell in any round, including the last round. A fighter must rise after being knocked down, even if the bell sounds to end the round. This is the case in all major sanctioning bodies and the Unified Rules Of Boxing. Historically, a boxer…
What Is A Standing Eight Count?
This rule was introduced to protect a boxer who is taking heavy damage, and even though they have not been knocked down, the referee would break the fighters and begin a count to eight. If the boxer can continue, the fight resumes and they have had a short break from fighting. It is no longer…
Do Boxers Cheat?
As with all sports there is an amount of rule breaking that occurs in boxing. This can vary in severity and punishment can be instant or retrospective. Listed below are the types of cheating that are known or alleged to have occurred, but are not specific to any particular boxer or fight. Deliberate Fouls The…
What’s The Difference Between a KO and TKO?
A Knockout (KO) and Technical Knockout (TKO) are two ways a fight can be stopped before going the distance. The main difference is whether a boxer is able to beat the ten count after being knocked down – with or without a loss of consciousness. If they can’t, the result is a knockout win. If…
Are Liver Punches Allowed?
It’s a legal punch, and can take the breath away from the boxer who takes it. It’s not the easiest punch to land, but a good liver shot, or many, will be very effective at weakening an opponent. The liver is the largest internal organ, located in the right side of abdomen and although most…
What Is A Rabbit Punch?
A punch to the back of the head or base of the skull from behind. It is an illegal punch in boxing, due to the danger it poses to the receiving boxer. It can cause severe injury, and even death. Why are rabbit punches so dangerous? The area at the base of the skull is…
Why Do Boxers Clinch?
It may look like hugging, and fighters are known to hug after a fight as a show of respect or sportsmanship, but during the fight it’s tactical and is known as clinching. It’s a useful defensive technique used for a number of reasons. If it’s excessive the referee may break the boxers up, and sometimes…
What Is An Undisputed Champion?
As there are four major sanctioning bodies, and each has its own rankings of contenders and champions, it’s possible to have four different world champions at each weight division. The four belt era has been around since 2004. A boxer can hold championship belts in one or more. A unified champion is one that holds…
What Is A Lineal Champion?
Traditionally there was only one champion per weight division, and it was easy to decide the next champion by beating the current one. With the introduction of numerous sanctioning bodies – each having their own ‘world champion’, it became more complicated. The term lineal champion is used to denote a ‘true’ champion in a weight…
What Is Alphabet Soup?
Due to the fact there are many sanctioning bodies in boxing, keeping up with titles and champions can be difficult. Fights can be organised between these bodies and a boxer can hold titles and championships in one or more. The main four sanctioning bodies are known by their initialisms WBC, WBA, IBF and WBO. The…
The Basics Of Boxing – The Referee
Boxing referees give instructions to both boxers and ensure the rules are followed before and during a fight. They have the power to stop fights, and deduct points from a boxer who tries to win or gain advantage unfairly. The dressing room instructions remind the fighters of their obligations and address any questions or concerns.…
The Basics Of Boxing – The Boxer
Professional boxers compete with each other in fights that are organised by promoters and managers. Each fighter is pitted against someone of similar weight, and the weights are divided into categories called divisions. Matches are mostly fought in rounds of 3 minutes, with a break of 1 minute between rounds. The number of total rounds…
About Weight Divisions
There are currently 17 weight categories in professional boxing. Originally there were 8 ‘Traditional Divisions’ but additional categories have since been introduced. To complicate matters, the names are not consistent for each of the 4 major sanctioning bodies, however 3 out of 4 (not WBO) have aligned. Are There Too Many Weight Divisions? Whether having…
When The Mouthpiece Comes Out
When a fighter’s mouthpiece has come out, it would be safe to assume the action should be immediately stopped to prevent serious damage to an unprotected boxer. But obviously this would be open to abuse from a fighter who wanted a break, they could intentionally spit the guard out. So the rules are made to…
How Much Do Boxers Get Paid?
When you hear about the big money paid to boxers, it is worth noting how the money is divided. Boxers can and do become very wealthy, but that is not always the case. The amounts paid increase with the amount of appeal a fight has for ticket sales, broadcast deals and pay-per-view, but the boxer…
Can Boxers Have Beards?
The people who set the rules for Boxing are the Governing Bodies. As there is more than one, rules differ. The rules on beards and facial hair are therefore different. You could say it’s a hairy subject. In professional boxing, beards are generally allowed so long as neither camp objects. If they do, the fighter…
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