Boxing Rules
South African Amateur Boxing Organization (SANABO)
76-88 No. 26161 GOVERNMENT GAZETTE, 26 MARCH 2004
| Referee | |
|---|---|
| 27. (1) | The referee shall be the chief official during a bout and he or she shall take up his or her position in the ring and exercise general supervision over the bout. |
| (3) | Only the referee may inform the announcer of the decision of the outcome of the bout to be announced. |
| (4) | During a fight, whether in the course of a round or during an interval between rounds. A referee shall not converse with any person in the audience, and he or she may not criticize in public m y decision given by the judges. |
| (5) | A referee may not exhibit to or discuss with the public the scorecards handed to him or her, but in the case of a world title fight or an elimination fight for a world title or in the case of any other bout if so directed by Boxing SA, the points allocated for the fight. As a whole by the individual judges, and by the referee if he or she keeps a scorecard, shall, subject to sub regulation |
| (4) | Be announced by the announcer to the public from the ring immediately after the bout. |
| (6) | The referee shall - |
| (a) | Prior to the start of a bout - |
| (i) | Establish that each boxer´s seconds are duly registered as such with Boxing SA and if they are not he shall request them to leave the boxer’s corner |
| (ii) | Ascertain the name of each boxer´s chief second and inform them that he or she holds them responsible for the conduct of their assistants during the bout and for the proper tying on of the gloves |
| (iii) | Ensure that the provisions of regulations 22 and 23 have been duly complied with |
| (b) | During the bout - |
| (i) | Whenever necessary, by issuing the command "stop!", order a cessation of boxing during a round and, thereafter, by the command
"box on!" order a resumption of boxing, and he or she shall ensure that during each stoppage the boxer or boxers remain standing in the ring without any support whatsoever; |
| (ii) | with the command "break!", order the boxers to separate when in a clinch and, at his or her discretion, separate them himself or herself
Should they fail to obey promptly, but the referee shall not tap the gloves or arms of the boxers while they are in a clinch; accept a boxer´s acknowledgement of defeat if he or she is unable to resume boxing at the timekeeper´s signal or turns his or her back on his or her opponent during the bout or signals in some other manner to the referee that he or she does not wish to continue with the bout; stop the bout if he or she considers it to be one-sided even though a boxer has not at that stage sustained excessive punishment, and award the fight to the best boxer; subject to the provisions of regulation 35(11), stop the fight if a boxer is accidentally disabled or unable to defend himself or herself and award the fight to his or her opponent; if a boxer goes down, order the opponent to retire to the furthest neutral corner, by pointing to that corner, and while leaning over the boxer who is down, he or she shall start counting each second audibly up to nine and indicate the tenth second as well as the end of the fight with the word "out", and award the fight to the opponent if by that time the boxer who is down has not arisen: Provided that should a boxer go down as a result of a blow and gets up, the referee shall give him a mandatory count of eight before ordering the boxer to continue boxing, and - |
| (aa) | a boxer who was down may not resume boxing until the referee has finished counting eight; |
| (bb) | a boxer may take the count either on the ring floor or standing; and |
| (cc) | if a boxer rises during the count, the referee must satisfy himself or herself that the boxer is in a position to defend
himself or herself before ordering the contestants to "box on";
should a boxer go down and claim that he or she has been hit below the belt by a blow that the referee did not see, shall count up to ten but shall not pronounce the word "out", upon which he or she shall consult the judger, and thereafter give his or her decision; stop the fight when a boxer goes down three times in the same round as a result of legal blows; Should a boxer go down without being hit, or go down and remain down after having been hit and the referee is of the opinion that such boxer is or remains down without just cause, count to ten, but shall not pronounce the word "out" and shall disqualify the boxer; |
| (x) | stop the fight and at his or her discretion either warn or disqualify a boxer if the boxer commits any of the acts constituting unlawful conduct and behavior in terms of regulation 37, and in the event of a disqualification, award the decision in the favour of that boxer´s opponent; |
| (xi) | stop the fight if he or she is of the opinion that one or both of the boxers are not boxing to the best of their ability, in which case he or she shall disqualify one or both of the boxers; |
| (xii) | where a boxer is knocked through the ropes and out of the ring, grant that boxer twenty seconds to re-enter the ring unassisted and if the boxer fails to do so declare that boxer the loser by knockout; |
| (xiii) | where a boxer is knocked down during any round and while the referee is counting the bell or gong indicates the end of the round, irrespective of which round it is, continue to count until he or she calls "out" or the boxer rises, whichever happens first; |
| (xiv) | where the boxers go down at the same time, continue to count so long as one is still down: Provided that if both boxers remain down until the count equals "out", the referee shall stop the- bout and declare it a draw; |
| (xv) | stop the fight if a boxer´s chief second throws the towel into the ring signifying the retirement of the boxer; |
| (xvi) | before a boxer may resume boxing after having been knocked down, fallen down or slipped to the ring floor, wipe any accumulated resin from the boxer's gloves with a damp towel or the referee&Acute;s shirt; |
| (xvii) | if a boxer loses his or her mouth protector during the round, replace it as soon as there is a lull in the action; |
| (xviii) | decide on the interpretation of any matter concerning the fight not expressly provided for in these regulations; |
| (c) | after the fight – |
| (i) | immediately hand the judges´ scorecards to the supervisory official; |
| (ii) | in the case of a disqualification, report thereon in writing to Boxing SA within 36 hours of such occurrence. |
| (7) | Referees shall complete a course in the medical aspects of boxing, which course shall be run annually by Boxing SA in consultation with Boxing SA´S medical affairs portfolio committee. |
| (8) | A referee may consult with the judges before rendering a final decision |
| (9) | A referee may not leave the ring until the bout has been completed and the decision has been announced. |
| (IO) | Referees must comply with the code of ethics for referees and judges that may be prescribed by Boxing SA from time to time. |
| (11) | Boxing SA shall ensure that a referee is subjected to a medical and fitness test on a regular basis, but at least once per annum. |
| (12) | No licensee shall verbally or physically abuse a referee. |
| (13)(a) | It shall be the duty of the supervisory official at a tournament to evaluate and grade each referee’s performance in each bout over which he or she presides. |
| (b) | The grade contemplated in paragraph (a) shall either be satisfactory or unsatisfactory and shall be determined by considering such factors as the referee´s ability to exercise effective control over the bout, his or her knowledge and application of the rules and his or her due regard for the medical safety of the boxers. |
| (c) | Where the supervisory official grades the referee as unsatisfactory he or she must give written reasons there for. |
| (d) | The grade and the accompanying reasons must be submitted to Boxing SR after the bout. |
| (e) | A supervisory official must not disclose or discuss his or her report with the referee or any other person. |
| (14)(a) | If an unsatisfactory grading is submitted for a referee pursuant to sub regulation |
| (13) | Boxing SA shall notify the referee thereof in writing and shall furnish him or her with a copy of the supervisory official’s report. |
| (b) | Boxing SA shall after complying with paragraph (a) hold a hearing to determine what steps should be taken against the referee. |
| (c) | Pending the outcome of a hearing contemplated in paragraph (b), the referee may not officiate in another contest as referee. |
| (15) | If a referee becomes incapacitated and is unable to finish refereeing a boxing contest, the timekeeper shall stop the clock and the supervisory official shall appoint another referee to referee the contest. Provided that in such event the substitute referee shall continue the round from the time that the clock was stopped by the timekeeper. |
| Judges | |
| 28.(1) | The judges shall be seated on three sides of the ring and the timekeeper on the fourth side. |
| (2) | The judges and timekeeper may not leave their seats until the bout has been completed and the decision of the outcome 0.f the bout has been announced. |
| (3) | Every judge shall independently award points to the boxers and be ready at all times to assist when requested by the referee to-decide whether a foul has been committed and they may at the end of a round bring any other matter to the attention of the referee. |
| (4) | At the end of a bout lasting the scheduled number of rounds the judges shall hand their scorecards to the referee. |
| (5) | Only official scorecards approved and supplied by Boxing SA may be used by the judges. |
| (6) | A judge shall not, while officiating, converse with any person in the audience, whether during the course of a round or during an interval between rounds. |
| (7) | A judge shall not criticize in public any decision given by the referee or any other judge. |
| (8) | Subject to regulation 27(5), scorecards must not be exhibited by any official to the public or discussed with the public during or after a fight. |
| (9) | Judges shall comply with the code of ethics for referees and judges that may be prescribed by Boxing SA from time to time. |
| (10) | No licensee shall verbally or physically abuse a judge. |
| (11) | The provisions of regulation 27(13),(14) and (15) shall apply subject to the changes required by the context, to a judge: Provided .that in determining a judge´s grade for a contest, the supervisory official shall consider whether his or her scoring of the contest is generally consistent with that of the other judges: Provided further that a judge shall be graded as unsatisfactory only if his or her scoring of the contest is grossly inconsistent with the scoring of the other judges. |
| Timekeeper | |
| 29.(1)(a) | The timekeeper must be seated at the side of the ring close to the gong or bell, and her or she shall be provided with a suitable stopwatch that shall permit him or her to make due allowance for stoppages ordered by the referee. |
| (b) | The timekeeper´s chair must be sufficiently high to give him or her a clear view of the ring. |
| (2) | The timekeeper shall indicate the beginning and the end of each round by sounding the gong or bell and shall not sound the gong or bell to indicate the end of any round if a boxer is being counted out. |
| (3) | Ten seconds before the beginning of a round, the timekeeper shall call out the words "seconds out!", and announce the number of the round, and after he or she has called out the words "last round", he or she shall add the command "shake hands". |
| (4) | When a boxer is down, the timekeeper shall, by motioning his arm, give the referee the one second intervals for his count, provided that the referee’s count shall be the official count. |
| (5) | Ten seconds before the end of each round, the timekeeper shall give warning thereof to the referee and the contestants by means of a suitable signal. |
| (6) | No licensee shall verbally or physically abuse a timekeeper. |
| (7) | The provisions of regulation 27(13),(14) and (15) shall apply, subject to the changes required by the context, to a timekeeper. |
| Announcer | |
| 30.(1) | The announcer shall before a bout starts announce from the inside of the ring and in a satisfactory manner, preferably by microphone, the names of the boxers and their records, their weights. the title at stake, if any, the number and duration of the rounds and the names of the referee, judges, timekeeper, supervisory official and ringside physician. |
| (2) | The announcer shall after the bout announce the result of the fight as and when instructed thereto by the referee. |
| (3) | At the request of the promoter or the referee and with the prior approval of the supervisory official, the announcer may make any other announcement. |
| (4) | The announcer may not during a bout look at the judges’ scorecards, nor divulge to any person any information that he or she may have gathered in connection therewith. |
| (5) | The announcer shall perform his duties at a tournament subject to the direction and control of: the supervisory official. |
| Ringmaster | |
| 31. | The ringmaster shall- |
| (a) | be in control of the ring and all accessories, and shall ensure that the floor of the ring is kept properly resined and that a sufficient quantity of clean water is available; |
| (b) | be responsible for distributing the gloves and shall ensure that time is not waged between or during fights as a result of being unprepared on the part of the boxers; |
| (c) | attend to any other related matters if requested thereto by the referee or supervisory official. |
| Second | |
| 32.(1) | A second is a person who, seated or standing at the boxer’s corner of thee ring, assists or advises a boxer before a bout begins and during the intervals between rounds. |
| (2) | Each boxer shall, unless otherwise agreed by Boxing SA, be entitled to have not more than three seconds at his or her corner, and all three seconds shall be attired to the satisfaction of Boxing SA. |
| (3) | A chief second shall be nominated to the referee by each boxer prior to the start of a bout, and the said chief second alone may declare the retirement of his or her boxer from the bout by throwing a towel into the ring and by orally drawing the referee’s attention thereto. |
| (4) | During rounds a second shall not speak to his or her boxer or advise him or her nor shall he or she throw, squirt or spray water or anything else over his or her boxer’s head or assist him or her in any other way, and with the exception of water, no other substance shall be administered to a boxer during an interval between rounds. |
| (5) | Only one second of each boxer shall be allowed in the ring between rounds and on the timekeeper’s command "seconds out!", he or she shall leave the ring immediately, removing all obstructions such as chairs, buckets, etc. and none of those articles shall again be placed on the ring floor before the gong or bell has signaled the end of the round. |
| (6) | Unless prior permission has been given by the supervisory official to carry other items, only the following items may be carried by seconds for use when working in a boxer’s corner: Clean white towels white petroleum jelly sterile cotton wool sterile gauze in small sealed packets swab sticks and ear buds a quantity of adrenalin made into a 1-1000 aqueous solution or such haemostatic as shall have been approved by Boxing SA a pair of edged scissors an ice bag a roll of Elastoplast or other adhesive bandage of a smooth texture a quantity of soft bandage an eye iron known as an "endswell" a transparent plastic water bottle an extra mouthpiece |
| (7) | No stimulant(including, but not limited to smelling salts or ammonia) may be given to a boxer other than water sprinkled on the body or used as a mouth wash or drink. |
| (8) | At the end of each interval, the seconds shall ensure that their boxer´s corner is dry and clear of all debris. |
| (9) | No boxer shall use any substance for massage or any other purpose on any part of his or her body which may be harmful or act as an irritant to his or her opponent before or during the fight but the discretionary use of vaseline around the eyes or on the face shall be allowed, but the use of vaseline or any other oil or lubricant on the arms, legs or body is not permitted. |
| (10) | The seconds must wear surgical gloves, as approved by Boxing SA, at all times during a bout. |
| (11) | During rounds a second shall not encroach upon or bang on the ring apron or in any other manner whatsoever distract the referee or the contestants or otherwise constitute a nuisance. |
| (12) | During or after a bout a second may not shout at, abuse, obstruct, interfere or argue with the referee or any other official, c)r incite public dissatisfaction with the referee´s or any other official´s decision. |
| (13) | If the referee orders a stoppage during a round, a second may not converse with his or her boxer or provide any assistance to his or her boxer, save as expressly permitted by the referee. |
| Supervisory official | |
| 33.(1) | The supervisory official shall exercise overall control and supervision at a tournament and may take final decisions on all matters relating to the tournament, including but not limited to the stoppage of the tournament, save for the decision on the outcome of the bouts which shall be the prerogative of the referee and judges. |
| (2) | Prior to the commencement of a tournament, the supervisory official shall- |
| (a) | Convene a meeting of the security and medical personnel to ensure that the security and medical arrangements are adequate and to discuss contingency plans to deal with emergency situations; |
| (b) | Convene a rules meeting to confirm that all participants and officials are familiar with the provisions of the Act and these regulations |
| (c) | Appoint suitably qualified persons as inspectors for the purpose of performing specified tasks at the tournament. |
| (3) | The supervisory official may confirm the identity of any person claiming to be the holder of a certificate of registration and if the supervisory official is not satisfied with the credentials of a particular person, he or she may prohibit that person from participating in the tournament or order the removal of such person from the venue. |
| (4) | The supervisory official shall compile a written report relating to the tournament, which shall include the decisions of all bouts, the punishment indices, the purse monies paid to the boxers, an assessment of the security and medical arrangements at the tournament and a performance evaluation of the officials. |
| (5) | In the event of a duly appointed official not being able to officiate in a bout or being unable to continue officiating in a bout for whatever reason, the supervisory official shall appoint a substitute. |
| (6) | The supervisory official shall within three days after the tournament forward to Boxing SA his or her report contemplated in sub regulation (4). |
| Points scoring | |
| 34.(1) | At the end of each round of a fight 10 points shall be awarded to the boxer who has given the best performance and a proportionate number of points shall be awarded to his or her opponent, but if they tie, 10 points are awarded to each. |
| (2) | Half points or other fractions shall not be used and the number of points scored by a boxer shall be recorded on his or her scorecard at the end of each round. Provided that ,the points awarded for defense shall not outweigh those awarded for attack. |
| (3) | Points shall be awarded for - |
| (a) | attack, consisting of direct, clean blows with the knuckle side of the clenched glove on my part of the front or the sides of the head or body above the belt, in this regulation referred to as the "the target area", and also for effective aggression; |
| (b) | defense, consisting of guarding, slipping, ducking, blocking and in general, cleverly evading blows, and for countering. |
| (4) | Points shall not be awarded for - |
| (b) | blows off the target area; |
| (c) | blows on the arms; |
| (d) | blows which are not delivered with the knuckle part of the glove. |
| (5) | Points shall be deducted for unlawful conduct that is not serious enough, the sole opinion of the referee to warrant disqualification, in which case he or she shall instruct the judges as to how many points should be deducted. |
| Decision | |
| 35.(1) | At the conclusion of a bout that lasts the full scheduled number of rounds, the winner shall be determined by a majority decision of the three judges taking into account the total points awarded by a judge in respect of all the rounds, and not by the greater number of rounds won by one of the boxers. |
| (2) | When the majority decision has been ascertained in a bout that has lasted the scheduled number of rounds, the referee shall authorize the announcer to announce the result. |
| (3) | The result of a bout that lasts the full number of scheduled rounds shall be announced as a draw if- |
| (a) | the three judges each declare it a draw; |
| (b) | two of the judges declare it a draw and the third judge awards it to one of the boxers: |
| (c) | one of the judges declares it a draw, the second judge awards it to one of the boxers and the third judge awards it to the other boxer. |
| (4) | In a championship fight for a vacant title, each judge shall nominate a winner and the winner of the bout shall be the boxer nominated as the winner by the majority vote of the judges. |
| (5) | In the event of a draw in a championship fight for the defense of a title, the title holder shall retain his or her title. |
| (6) | In cases where the fight does not go the full number of rounds scheduled, only the referee shall render the decision and that decision shall be final. |
| (7) | If a boxer commits any of the acts set out in regulation 37, the referee may, except where the injury is a cut, allow the injured boxer a period not exceeding five minutes to recover. If the injured boxer refuses or is unwilling to continue to box on the instruction of the referee, after the said period of recovery has elapsed, the referee may award the fight to his or her opponent. |
| (8) | If the referee is of the opinion that the act contemplated in sub regulation (7) constituted deliberate unlawful conduct by the boxer, the referee shall, if he or she is of the opinion that the injured boxer is unable to continue boxing as a result of such injury, disqualify the other boxer and award the fight to the injured boxer. |
| (9) | In the event of deliberate unlawful conduct contemplated in sub regulation (7), the referee must, if he or she is of the opinion that the injured boxer can continue boxing, notify the judges and the supervisory official that the injury was the result of deliberate unlawful conduct and, if the unlawful conduct in question caused a cut to the injured boxer, the referee shall deduct two points from the injured boxer´s opponent. |
| (10) | If during a contest the fight is stopped as a result of deliberate unlawful conduct contemplated in sub regulation (9). the following action shall be taken by the supervisory official - |
| (a) | If four rounds have not been completed, a technical draw shall be declared; |
| (b) | if four rounds or more have been completed and the injured boxer is equal or behind on points, a technical draw shall be declared; |
| (c) | if four or more rounds have been completed and the injured boxer is ahead on points, the injured boxer shall be declared the winner by a technical decision. |
| (11) | In the event of accidental unlawful conduct contemplated in sub regulation (7), the referee shall, if he or she is of the opinion that the injured boxer can continue boxing, notify the judges and the supervisory official that the injury was the result of accidental unlawful conduct. |
| (12) | If during a contest the light is stopped because of a head butt contemplated in sub regulation (11) the following action shall be taken by the supervisory official- |
| (a) | If four rounds have not been completed, a technical draw shall be declared; |
| (b) | if four or more rounds have been completed, then the boxer who has scored more points on the judges’ scorecards will be declared the winner by a technical decision, provided that if the points are equal, a technical draw shall be declared. |
| (13) | For the purposes sub regulations (9) and (II), the judges shall also score any partially completed round. |
| (14) | In the event of deliberate or accidental unlawful conduct contemplated in sub regulation (12), the referee shall, if the injured boxer refuses or is unwilling to continue boxing on the instruction of the referee and the referee is of the opinion that the injured boxer is able to continue boxing, disqualify the injured boxer and award the fight to his or her opponent. |
| (15) | If a cut is caused by a legal blow and in the opinion of the referee the injured boxer cannot continue, the injured boxer shall lose the bout by a technical knockout. |
| (16) | If a blow is delivered at the same time the bell or the gong is sounded, it must be considered as a legal blow and consequently the referee shall act according to the rules and count the boxer if he or she goes down as a result of such blow: Provided that the subsequent rest period of one minute shall not be reduced. |
| (17) | If a blow is delivered accidentally or deliberately after the bell or the gong is sounded, the provisions of sub regulations (8),(9),(1O),(11) or (12), as the case may be, shall be applicable. |
| (18) | If during the interval a boxer decides to retire and not continue with the fight, the referee shall declare his or her opponent the winner by a technical knockout in the following round. |
| (19) | In the event that a bout which is already underway cannot, in the discretion of the referee, be proceeded with due to reasons unrelated to the action taking place in the ring, the bout shall be stopped and ruled a technical draw: |
| (a) | if less than four rounds have been completed; |
| (b) | if more than four rounds have been completed, the boxer who is ahead on points on the judges´ scorecards at the time when the bout is stopped shall be declared the winner. |
| (20) | A decision rendered at the termination of a fight may not be changed save in the following circumstances: |
| (a) | If Boxing SA at any time following the announcement of a decision determines that there was collusion between the officials affecting the result of the fight; |
| (b) | if Boxing SA determines that in the compilation of the judges´ score cards there was a calculation error which resulted in the wrong decision having been given, then such decision shall be changed as Boxing SA may direct. |
| Punishment Index | |
| 36.(1) | A punishment index as set out in Annexure L shall be completed in respect of each bout by the supervisory official and shall be signed by him or her. |
| (2) | The supervisory official shall submit all the punishment indices to Boxing SA immediately after a tournament and those indices shall be retained by Boxing SA as part of its permanent records. |
| Unlawful conduct and behaviour by boxer | |
| 37. | The following acts shall constitute unlawful conduct and behaviour by a boxer: |
| (a) | A blow below the belt; |
| (b) | hitting an opponent who is down or who is getting up after having been down; |
| (c) | hitting with the inside or the butt of the hand, wrist of elbow; |
| (d) | butting with the head; |
| (e) | making use of the kidney punch; |
| (f) | knocking or kicking with the knees; |
| (g) | making use of the pivot blow; |
| (h) | making use of the rabbit punch; |
| (i) | intentionally going down without having been hit; |
| (j) | not being in earnest or not trying to be in earnest; |
| (k) | retiring from the bout without sufficient cause; |
| (l) | committing an unfair physical action that may injure an opponent; |
| (m) | refusing to obey the referee; |
| (n) | delivering back-handed blows, or hitting or flicking with the open glove; |
| (o) | holding an opponent in a clinch or holding or locking an opponent’s arms or head after being ordered by the referee to break; |
| (p) | holding an opponent with one hand and hitting him or her with the other; |
| (q) | holding on to the ropes with one hand for the purpose of obtaining greater force in hitting an opponent with the other hand; |
| (r) | boring or lying on an opponent; |
| (s) | wrestling or roughing; |
| (t) | not breaking promptly when ordered to do so; |
| (u) | resting on the ropes during a stoppage; |
| (v) | after a stoppage has been ordered, resuming or attempting to resume boxing without being ordered to do so; |
| (w) | using offensive language or bad behaviour during a fight; |
| (x) | weaving, ducking or bobbing below an opponent’s waistline during an attack; |
| (y) | a passive defense: |
| (z) | clowning; |
| (aa) | deliberately exposing a vital part of his or her body to an opponent; |
| (bb) | biting; |
| (cc) | hitting after the bell has sounded ending the round; |
| (dd) | continuous dropping of his or her mouthpiece; |
| (ee) | jabbing his or her opponent´s eyes with the thumb of his or her gloves; or |
| (ff) | deliberately expelling or spitting out his or her mouth-piece. |
HISTORY OF BOXING
In ancient Greece, boxing was a popular sport and was included in the Olympic Games. In ancient Rome, boxers often wore the cestus, a metal-studded leather hand covering with which they maimed and even killed their opponents, sometimes as part of gladiatorial spectacles. The sport declined in popularity after the fall of the Roman Empire. The first record of a boxing match in modern times is in England in 1681 when the Duke of Albemarle organized a fight between his butler and his butcher. In the 18th century, boxing was revived in London in the form of bare-knuckle prizefights in which the contestants fought for money and the spectators made wagers on the outcome.The first boxer to be recognized as a heavyweight champion was the Englishman James Figg, in 1719. In 1743 a later champion, John Broughton, formulated a set of rules standardizing some practices and eliminating others, such as hitting opponents when they are down or seizing opponents by the hair. Broughton´s rules governed boxing until 1838, when the Original London Prize Ring rules, based on those of Broughton, were devised. Modifications known as the Revised London Prize Ring rules were drawn up in 1853, and they controlled the sport until the end of the 19th century, when the Queensberry rules came into use. These rules were drafted in 1857 under the auspices of John Sholto Douglas, 8th Marquess of Queensberry.
Emphasizing boxing skill rather than wrestling and agility over strength, the Queensberry rules helped to undo the popular image of boxing as a savage, brutal brawl. The new rules prohibited barefisted fighting, wrestling, hugging, hitting opponents while they are helpless, and fighting to the finish. Under the Broughton rules, a downed man was allowed 30 seconds to square off at a distance of 1 yd (90 cm) from the opponent, aided by handlers if necessary. If the boxer failed to square off, that fighter was considered beaten. Under the London Prize Ring rules, the boxer had to reach scratch (a mark located in the middle of the ring) unaided within 8 seconds after the 30-second time lapse; and a round ended when a boxer went down. Under the Queensberry rules, matches were divided into 3-minute rounds with 1-minute intervals of rest between them. A contestant who remained down, either recumbent or on one knee, after 10 seconds lost the match. The rules also stipulated that matches be conducted in a roped-in square, called a ring, measuring 24 ft (7.3 m) on a side.
The last bare-knuckle heavyweight champion was the American John L. Sullivan, who fought and won the last sanctioned bare-knuckle fight in 1889, against Jake Kilrain. Fighting with gloves under the Queensberry rules, the popular Sullivan lost the world heavyweight boxing championship to James J. Corbett in New Orleans, Louisiana, on September 7, 1892. The Queensberry rules have remained the code governing the conduct of professional boxing.
INFORMATION
Boxing, athletic contest between two people, each of whom uses the fists to try to knock the other unconscious or to inflict enough punishment to cause the opponent either to quit or to be judged beaten. A boxing match is conducted under established rules and procedures and has a referee, judges, and timekeeper. The primary aim of each participant is to strike blows to the front of the head and torso of the opponent that will knock down and render the boxer incapable of rising to a standing position and defending himself within ten seconds.
Many fights are decided on points scored. A point system was first established in England by the Amateur Boxing Association. Today several systems are used throughout the world. For many years professional boxing in Britain preferred the 5-point system, but in 1973 adopted the 10-point system which had been used in the United States and elsewhere for some time. The better fighter is given the maximum 10 points in each round; if judged equal then both boxers must be given the maximum. A fighter who loses a round is normally awarded 8 or 9 points. Points are generally awarded for clean hits with the knuckle part of the glove delivered with the clenched fist to any part of the front or sides of the head, or body above the belt. Points are also awarded for good defensive work in guarding, slipping, or ducking. Where contestants are equal in these respects, maximum marks go to the one who is the most aggressive or displays the better technique. Professional boxing in Britain is scored by the referee: in most other countries, the referee and two judges score the fight and the decision is given on a majority vote.
Originally the term prizefighting was used when money was at stake, but the term professional boxing now bears the same meaning. Amateur boxing refers to bouts in which prize money is not at stake. The term pugilism (from Latin pugil, meaning "a boxer") is sometimes used for the sport.
PROFESSIONAL BOXING
In the 20th century, professional boxing was subject to increasing control by national and international bodies. Official codes governing professional boxing include specifications for ring construction, for example 16 to 20 ft (4.9 to 6.1 m) square; a minimum weight, 6 to 8 oz (170 to 227 g) for padded gloves; a maximum number of rounds (usually 12 in championship bouts); specifications for the conduct of referees and judges; definitions and penalties for fouls; and systems of scoring points to decide winners of contests that do not end in knockouts. Codes also define grounds on which a bout may be stopped by the referee to prevent serious injury to contestants who have not been knocked out, but who can no longer defend themselves. Such a decision is listed in official records as a knockout, and not, as is often assumed, a technical knockout (TKO). A TKO occurs when a boxer is unable to answer the bell for the next round and resume the contest. The bout is then considered ended.
Although there are 17 recognized weight divisions, a majority of the professional boxers compete in only eight of those classes. These classes are, with maximum weight: (1) flyweight, 112 lb (50.7 kg); (2) bantamweight, 118 lb (53.5 kg); (3) featherweight, 126 lb (57.1 kg); (4) lightweight, 135 lb (61.2 kg); (5) welterweight, 147 lb (66.6 kg); (6) middleweight, 160 lb (72.6 kg); (7) light heavyweight, 175 lb (79.4 kg); and (8) heavyweight, 195 lb (88.5 kg) and over.
For many years there has been confusion in the world of professional boxing because of the number of governing bodies. In 1962 the National Boxing Association, formed in the United States in 1920, became the World Boxing Association (WBA). This body recognizes world champions, but closer to an international governing body is the World Boxing Council (WBC), founded in Mexico City, Mexico in 1963. The situation has been even more complicated by the creation of the International Boxing Federation (IBF) in the United States in 1983 and the World Boxing Organization (WBO) in 1988. All these bodies have their own lists of champions which often are very different from each other. Consequently, four (or more since the advent of the International Boxing Federation) boxers may claim the world championship of a particular weight at any one time, which can cause a great deal of confusion.
American heavyweight champions have been among the most celebrated athletes in the sport and have inspired awe and respect for their punching power, both domestically and internationally. Jack Dempsey won the heavyweight championship in 1919 and defended his title in 1921 against the French fighter Georges Carpentier, in what was the first fight with a million-dollar gate (income from ticket receipts). Joe Louis held the heavyweight championship longer than any other fighter—from 1937 to 1949—and successfully defended his title 25 times. After winning a gold medal at the 1952 Olympic Games, Floyd Patterson won the heavyweight title in 1956; he became the first heavyweight champion to regain his title in a victorious 1960 rematch with the Swedish fighter Ingemar Johansson. In 1962 Patterson was defeated by Sonny Liston, who was one of the most feared heavyweight boxers of all time. Liston subsequently lost the title in 1964 to perhaps the greatest and most popular boxer in history, Muhammad Ali (who fought under his birth name, Cassius Clay, until later that year). Possessing strength, speed, and ring savvy, Ali revitalized the heavyweight division and gained widespread international popularity with his charismatic personality. Mike Tyson became the most feared champion in the 1990s.
Renowned boxers in other weight divisions include American welterweight and middleweight champion Sugar Ray Robinson; Panamanian boxer Roberto Duran, who held world titles in the lightweight, welterweight, junior middleweight, and middleweight divisions; American boxer Sugar Ray Leonard, who won an Olympic gold medal in 1976 and won world championships in five different weight divisions (welterweight, junior middleweight, middleweight, light heavyweight, and super middleweight); and Mexican boxer Julio César Chávez, who won world titles in the super featherweight, lightweight, and junior welterweight divisions and became a national hero in Mexico.
AMATEUR BOXING
Amateur boxing became organized in Britain in the late 1860s, and the Amateur Boxing Association (ABA) held its first championships in 1881. By the early 1900s several countries had their own amateur boxing associations. Boxing was included in the Olympic Games in 1904, and thereafter at all Olympics from 1920. European amateur championships were first held in 1924, in Paris. In 1946, the Amateur International Boxing Association was formed and this is the world government body. In the United States amateur boxing is controlled by such bodies as the USA Amateur Boxing Federation, the National Collegiate Athletic Association, and the Golden Gloves Association of America. All amateur boxers are classified in 11 Olympic weight divisions, which include, with maximum weight: (1) light flyweight 48 kg; (2) flyweight 51 kg; (3) bantamweight 54 kg; (4) featherweight 57 kg; (5) lightweight 60 kg; (6) light welterweight 64 kg; (7) welterweight 69 kg; (8) middleweight 75 kg; (9) light heavyweight 81 kg; (10) heavyweight 91 kg; and (11) super heavyweight over 91 kg. Bouts are no longer than three rounds, usually of 2 to 3 minutes each. Gloves are heavier than those of professional boxers, and protective devices such as headgear are worn.