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HOW IS BOXING SCORED?

POINTS, RULES, SCORES AND
DEDUCTIONS USED BY
JUDGES AND REFEREES
LIAM HAPPE

Mar 14, 2022 | 5:53 PM

5 min read   

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Getty Images

Boxing scoring can be confusing for some and

highly contentious to many. Here's a rundown
of the basics.

The sport of professional boxing has always appealed

based on the promise of spectacular, dramatic and
brutal knockouts. When a Eghter can land a Enishing
shot or combo on their opponent to the point that they
cannot continue, the contest comes to an immediate
stop, regardless of how many rounds it was supposed
to last.

However, if no knockout occurs and the bell sounds for

the Enal time, how exactly do we decide a winner?

Scoring in boxing is more complex than, say, soccer,

where whoever scores the most goals wins. As a result,
it draws a much higher volume of controversy and
debate.

If you're looking to Egure out how it works, or want to

clear up a particular part of the process, you've come to
the right place.

WHO SCORES A BOXING FIGHT, JUDGES OR

REFEREE?

In most bouts, three judges are seated at ringside to

watch the Eght up close. Those judges are approved by
the same body that licences the Eghts, and when
possible, are usually from a neutral location compared
to the contestants. For example, if an American boxer is
facing a French boxer, judges from Canada, Britain and
Mexico may be preferred. Similarly, if a small British
promoter has two English Eghters face oO and one is
from Hull while the other is from London, perhaps
judges from Manchester, Southampton, CardiO etc.

A three-judge system is mandatory for championship

Eghts. However, if a newly-turned professional is
making their debut in a four-round Eght, such Eghts are
often judged by one person and one person alone: that
bout's appointed referee,

HOW IS THE FIGHT SCORED?

The modern boxing scoring system is known as the '10-

Point Must System'. Here is a basic overview of how it
works:

+ Judges score each round individually, on a 10-point

scale. Most rounds are scored 10-9, with the boxer
who did better scoring 10 and 'winning' the round,
with the other Eghter scoring 9.
+ If a boxer is knocked down or hurt enough to prompt
a standing count from the referee, that Eghter loses
a point. So, if a boxer dominates a round, controlling
and landing better punches throughout and also
knocks their opponent down, the end result is a 10-8
round.
+ If both Eghters score a knockdown in the same
round, the deductions 'cancel each other out (so it
would probably still be a 10-9 round in favour of the
better boxer)
+ A judge is able to award a 10-8 round without a
knockdown, if the Eghter scoring 10 dominated the
round by a huge margin (this is usually only used if a
round is total one-way trabc, or perhaps if a Eghter
was saved from a knockdown because the round
expired).
+ 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 Eghters.

ARE 10-10 ROUNDS REALLY ALLOWED IN

BOXING?

Yes! A judge has the right to score a round even, just as

they do to score it 10-8 without a knockdown. Judges
are encouraged to avoid it as much as possible, and to
only use these scores if they truly feel it's the correct
appraisal of that round. This urging is to ensure they are
not overused. The 10-10 round in particular can become
too easy a fallback option for judges.

ARE POINTS DEDUCTED FOR BREAKING THE

RULES?

In addition to the above, the referee can instruct all

three judges to deduct a point from a Eghter in any
given round. They will do so if a Eghter has done
something to break the rules, such as an intentional
foul (low blow, headbutt, or Mike Tyson's favourite,
biting an opponent's ear). A referee can also decide that
a Eghter has committed accidental fouls far too often
than is acceptable, and deduct one point for the
repeated oOences. 

What do boxing judges look for?

Here are the following areas in which boxing judges are

encouraged to determine who 'won' or 'lost' a round:

+ E@ective Aggression: Being aggressive gives the

impression of dominance, but unless the boxer is
landing shots and not constantly getting countered,
it isn't really 'eOective'. Judges look for eOective
aggression, where the aggressor consistently lands
punches and avoids those from his opponent.
+ Ring Generalship: The Eghter who controls the
action and enforces their will and style.
+ Defense: How well is a boxer slipping, parrying, and
blocking punches? Good defense is important.
+ Hard and Clean Punches: To the untrained eye, it
can appear as if a boxer is landing a lot of shots,
when, in fact, most are being blocked or aren’t
landing eush. A judge needs to look for hard shots
that land clean.

TYPES OF BOXING RESULT

If nobody has won via knockout after the scheduled

number of rounds, the judges' round-by-round
scorecards throughout the Eght will determine the
winner. With each round being worth a maximum of 10
points, that means a Eghter can score as high as 120 in
a 12-round Eght, 100 in a 10-round Eght and so on.

The three judges will each have an overall winner, or

perhaps have scored the Eght dead even. Here are the
various results that can lead to:

+ Unanimous decision: All three judges have the

same Eghter ahead on their scorecards.
+ Split decision: Two judges have Boxer A ahead,
while one judge has Boxer B ahead. That means
Boxer A wins, two scorecards to one.
+ Majority decision: Two judges have one
Eghter ahead, while the third judge scored it as a
draw. The winning Eghter did not get a unanimous
decision, but did take the majority of the cards.
+ Draw: If one judge has Boxer A ahead, one judge has
Boxer B ahead and the third has scored it as a draw,
the overall result is a draw (also known as a 'split
draw'). Of course, if all three judges had it dead
even, that is also a draw (a 'unanimous draw').
However there is also...
+ Majority draw: If two of the three judges have a Eght
even but the third judge had Boxer A ahead, such a
slender edge is not enough for Boxer A to be
declared the winner. Instead, it is declared a
'majority draw'.

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