Boxing how does it work

A few professional organizations allow rings up to 25 feet. There are a number of things a boxer is not allowed to do inside the ring -- this helps prevent injury and keeps matches from degenerating into an uncontrolled brawl. Boxers may not do any of the following:. Committing any of these acts may result in a foul, which can cause the deduction of points by the judges. Committing a foul repeatedly or very flagrantly will result in a disqualification by the referee.

A boxing match is divided into rounds of two or three minutes, with a one-minute rest period in between. Professional matches are 12 rounds at the championship level they used to go for Ten rounds or less may be scheduled at lower rankings. Amateur matches have only three, four or five rounds, with rounds lasting two minutes. Junior divisions can have even shorter rounds.

Boxing gloves are made from padded leather, designed to protect the hands as well as reduce the damage done to an opponent. Under the gloves, the hands are carefully wrapped in athletic bandages -- this wrapping is closely regulated. Amateur boxers also wear headgear that primarily protects against cuts and scrapes. A boxer's goal is to knock his opponent down, stunning him so severely that he can not regain his feet before the referee counts to ten.

This is called a knockout KO , and results in a victory for the boxer still standing. When a boxer knocks his opponent down, he must retreat to a neutral corner, i. If the knocked-down boxer can stand quickly enough, the referee the only person allowed in the ring other than the boxers makes sure he's OK and able to defend himself, and the fight goes on.

Sometimes the rules call for a mandatory eight count. That is, even if the boxer jumps to his feet immediately, the referee makes him wait until he's counted to eight to rejoin the fight. In some rules systems, if a boxer is knocked down three times in one fight, the result is a technical knockout TKO. This is usually recorded as a KO on the winning boxer's record. A TKO may also occur when the referee, a ringside doctor, a boxer's trainer or the boxer himself decides that he is too injured to carry on with the fight.

Some rules allow a knocked-down boxer to be "saved by the bell. Other rules systems do not allow this -- the ten count continues even after the round ends. Often, a match will end without either fighter being KOed. In this case, the winner of the match will be determined by judges, and the result is known as a decision.

Professional matches use three judges or sometimes two judges plus the referee. Olympic boxing uses five judges. There are variations in scoring systems, as well, but they all boil down to this: the judges watch each round and determine which boxer won that round. They assign points to each boxer for winning a round. The points for all the judges are tallied at the end of the match, and the boxer with the most points or rounds is declared the winner.

Who won the round is mostly based on counting "scoring punches" -- punches with the knuckle side of the fist that strike the front or sides of the opponent's body above the belt or head. Olympic judges use a device to track who lands more scoring punches in a round.

Fouls are also tracked and affect the scoring when a boxer commits a foul, his opponent is given two extra punches for the round. Judging a pro boxing match can be more subjective. The judges may count punches, but they also take into consideration aggression, control of the ring, control of the tempo of the fight and damage inflicted. For example, if the red boxer lands a dozen decent jabs in a round, but his opponent, the blue boxer, nails him with two hard hooks late in the round that leave the red boxer dazed and staggered, the judges could very well award the round to the blue boxer.

In fact, in such a case, different judges may score the round differently. The points themselves are based on five-, or point systems, but they all work the same. In a point system, the boxer who wins a round is given 10 points, and the other boxer gets nine points. If there was a knockdown in the round, or one boxer utterly dominated the round, the score may be If a judge can't decide who won the round, it is scored There is a very rare result known as a majority draw, when two judges score a draw and one judge scores in favor of one boxer.

For the last years or so, boxers have been divided into weight divisions. This provides safety and ensures even fights. Because the power of a punch is derived from a boxer's weight and muscle mass, a match between a lb. The weight divisions are mostly uniform worldwide, although some sanctioning bodies recognize intermediate divisions ones that fall in between other divisions. For example, Super Bantamweight is called Jr. Featherweight by the IBF. The weight noted is the upper limit for that division.

Within each division, there is one World Champion crowned by a given sanctioning body. The championship is represented by a decorative belt. Different sanctioning bodies each have their own world titles in each division, so it is often quite confusing to determine who is truly the world champion. Whom you regard as the "true" champion depends on which organization you feel is more prestigious. When this occurs, promoters will often try to set up "unification matches. The winner becomes champion of both organizations, "unifying" the championship in that weight division.

Someone who holds two belts within a division is a Unified Champion; three belts is a Super Champion; holding all four belts in a division grants the boxer the title Undisputed Champion. You are your biggest competition.

Dig deep and remind yourself that, yes you CAN. Not sure which location to book? Subscribe today for unlimited at-home streaming and discounted live Virtual Training! Staying Motivated. How Roadwork Helps Boxers. Aerobic and Anaerobic Energy Training Roadwork for boxers helps improve both your anaerobic energy system and your aerobic energy system. Sample Roadwork Session for Boxers. De-conditioned and New Runners Whether you're new to boxing training entirely or it's been a while since you've gone for a run, you may not be where you want to be in terms of fitness and stamina.

Start jogging at a comfortable pace and continue for 2 minutes. You should not be wholly winded or struggling to breathe. Your goal here is to get your heart rate up. For the next minutes, run at your base pace for 2 minutes before switching to a different movement pattern for 60 seconds. Go through a shuffle, backpedal, skip, sprints, and a roll. A match may end for four different reasons:. Fighters need to be in the same weight class, and from there, the rules are fairly straightforward.

You cannot hit below the belt nor hold, trip, kick, headbutt, wrestle, bite, spit at, or push an opponent. You also cannot hit with your head, shoulder, forearm, or elbow, says Moffa. An intentional foul is a two-point deduction, or immediate disqualification, depending on the severity.

However, a subtle use of fouls is part of professional boxing. For example, Mike Tyson punched people on the hip by the sciatic nerve, Floyd Mayweather gets in some good elbow strikes, and Bernard Hopkins had some pretty good head butts in his career. Again, this usually occurs with respect to illegal or overly aggressive and violent moves, like headbutting or low blows.

There are all kinds of terms used to describe boxers, says Moffa, but typically, these four are used:. At the same time, boxing styles tend to fall into three different categories: outside fighter, brawler, and inside fighter. Muhammad Ali was considered a notable outside fighter, says Moffa, meaning he used a classical boxing style and maintained his distance in the ring by fighting with fast, long-range punches to mentally and physically endure an opponent.

Brawlers like George Foreman are less technical, but more powerful—and entertaining to watch. They tend to use simple, one-two punches to make up for a lack of foot mobility, and are willing to take a hit to give a hit based on a nuanced defense strategy. Think Mike Tyson. Figure out your own workout style with audio fitness classes in the Aaptiv app. This usually means wrist straps or hand wraps, boxing gloves, and other protective gear.

Boxers are scored on a point system from , with most fighters receiving a ten or a nine depending on if they win or lose, respectively. These points vary depending on the number of times a boxer is knocked down. At the end of each round, three judges determine allocated point values for each player, and at the end of twelve, these points are added up to declare a winner. These points are awarded based on four criteria: effective aggression, defense, ring generalship, and clean punches.

Since the scores are subjective, the judges might dispute the results. When that happens, the game might end in a draw, a disputed win, or many other variations depending on the outcome. Keep these rules in mind the next time you watch your favorite fighters on TV because you might look at the game in a totally different way. How is Boxing Scored?

How Do the Points Work? How Is a Winner Chosen? Ring Generalship In every boxing match, there is an opponent who seems to control the action, play style, and tone of the spar. Hard and Clean Punches When you watch a boxing match, most people think they can easily tell when a boxer is landing punches or nailing their opponent properly.

Are the Scores Ever Disputed? About us. Written by.