Boxing Scoring & Rules

To a certain extent, boxing is a simple sport. Either hit your opponent more often than they hit you over the course of the designated number of rounds, or you remove any room for doubt by rendering them unable to continue.

If only it was that straightforward. Scoring in boxing is more complex, nuanced and open to interpretation than the vast majority of sports.

In football, for example, the team who scores the most goals wins the game but in boxing it isn’t always the fighter who has thrown the most punches who wins and that is why some results can be highly controversial. 

If you are unsure as to how fights are scored, what the difference is between a knockout and a technical knockout or any other specific rules, we’ve put together this handy guide that will help clear things up.

What are the types of results in boxing?

There are only three main results in boxing - knockout, decision/points win or draw - but these are split into sub categories, which are: 

Knockout (KO): A knockout is when one fighter is knocked down and the referee in the ring begins a count of 10. If the fighter cannot get up or chooses not to, the referee stops the fight and declares the opponent the winner by knockout.

Technical knockout (TKO): A technical knockout is a stoppage declared by the referee who feels that one fighter is unable to continue. In some cases this can occur even if a fighter hasn’t been knocked down - for example if one fighter is no longer throwing punches or defending themselves. A TKO is also declared if a corner throws in a towel, which means a trainer has made the decision to surrender for their fighter.

Unanimous Decision (UD): When all three judges score the fight in favour of one fighter.

Majority decision (MD): Two judges have one fighter ahead and the third judge scored it as a draw.

Split Decision (SD): Two judges have one fighter ahead and the third has awarded the win to the opponent.

Draw (D): If one judge has one fighter ahead, one judge has the other ahead and the third has scored it as a draw. It is also possible, although incredibly rare, for all three judges to have scored a fight even. If two of the three judges have a fight even but the third judge has picked a winner that is not enough for a victor to be declared, instead the result is a 'majority draw'.

Who scores a boxing fight and how is a fight scored?

For most bouts, three judges are seated at ringside to watch the fight and each will provide a scorecard at the end of the bout. These scorecards are then added up to determine the result.

The judges are approved by the same body that licences the fights, for example the WBC or WBA, and generally they are usually from a neutral location compared to the two boxers. For example, if an American fighter was facing a Mexican, judges from Canada and Europe may be selected.

A three-judge system is mandatory for championship fights, but for contests over four rounds that fight could be judged by the appointed referee alone.

If a knockout or TKO occurs, the judges are not required but if the fight does go the full distance the scoring system is known as the '10-Point Must System', which works as follows.

• Judges score each round individually on a 10-point scale. The most common result for a round is 10-9, with the winner of that round scoring 10 points and the opponent nine. At the end of the judges scores are added up for a final result, so in a 12-round contest the most points a fighter can score is 120 and if they have won every round 10-9 on all three scorecards they would win by a score of 120-108.

• If a boxer is knocked down or given a standing count from the referee, that fighter loses a point. So, that round would be scored 10-8 to one fighter. If both fighters score a knockdown in the same round the deductions cancel each other out. Knockdowns themselves can be contentious, as they are called by the referee and they may decide a fighter has slipped rather than been sent to the canvas by a legal blow.

• A judge is able to award a 10-8 round without a knockdown, if one fighter is completely dominant.

• Judges are also able to award a 10-10 round, if the round in their eyes was completely even and there was nothing between the fighters, but this scoring is generally discouraged.

In addition, the referee may decide to instruct all three judges to deduct a point from one fighter. This could happen due to an intentional foul such as a blow blow, headbutt or elbow, or if a fighter has made a number of accidental fouls too often. In many cases, a referee will warn a fighter that if he commits a particular foul again he will deduct a point.

What are judges looking for when they score a boxing bout?

In simple terms, the fighter who lands the most ‘scoring’ punches generally wins the round. A scoring punch would be a clean shot to the head or body, blocked punches or shots that don’t land flush don’t count.

However, there are other points to consider and this is why there is often a debate over results. A key area is whether a fighter is using aggression effectively, one fighter may appear to be dominating but if they are consistently getting hit with counters or their punches are not landing clean they may not win that round.

A strong defence may be viewed favourably in the eyes of the judges, for example if one a boxer has an effective guard and is landing shots on the counter without taking any serious punishment they could be awarded a round even if they aren’t throwing the same volume of shots as their opponent.

bet365 News Team

• • 
  •