English boxing rules: regulation of fists on points

The rules of English boxing: origins and developments

Let's start with the beginning. Before English boxing even existed, there was what we called pugilism. These were fights bare hands and sometimes with hand protection, but it was quite rare… 👊

When we talk to you about boxing, it was a very, very long time ago. This practice especially developed during the ancient Greece.

Over time, years and centuries, boxing ended up being forgotten and even banned. Is the 18th century that the boxing commence à faire surface. De nombreux combats entre boxeurs anglais ont lieu, mais attention, pas comme la boxe anglaise que vous connaissez aujourd’hui. 

The fights are fought with bare hands, without time limits, without weight categories, etc. We grant you it was nonsense… 

It was not until a boxer lost his life in a fight that a regulation be established. These rules come from boxer Jack Broughton. In 1743, it offers a first version of what regulated boxing looks like. 📋

It's in 1838 that Jack Broughton's rules were used to implement what was called the London Prize Ring Rules. They were then reviews in 1853 to give the first fundamental rules of this combat sport:

• L’interdiction de donner des coups de pied
• The ban on hitting below the waist
• The ban on hitting a boxer on the ground
• Etc.

Then in 1867, these rules ended up being replaced by the Rules of the Marquess of Queensberry. The goal is to make boxing safer for preserve health boxers. But all this should also highlight their agility rather than their strength. 🤸‍♂️

The rules were as follows:

• Fighters must wear gloves padded
• The fights take place in several rounds 3 minutes
• Each round is cut from 1 minute of rest
• The fights take place on a ring about 7 meters
• There struggle East prohibited
• A boxer placed on the ground must get up 10 seconds before being declared KO
• Etc.

It's sort of the basis of rules which we know today for the noble art. Of course, others have been added since, for example:

• The appearance of categories weight
• The establishment of a rating system fight by 3 judges
• The transition from 15 rounds per fight to 12 rounds maximum
• Etc.

Rules which are now applied both in amateur boxing and in professional boxing. Besides, you may be wondering if there is a difference between the two. Well yes on certain points!

Common rules in amateur and professional English boxing

For amateur boxing like professional boxing, the aim it's from to touch with fists (only) without being touched. 🥊

You have to put your opponent KO to win. And if the KO does not fall, you must touch the most times (with damage if possible) to achieve victory following the judges' decision.

In English boxing, no fight can exceed the 12 rounds of 3 minutes, both amateur and professional. Between each round, your coach and a trainer enter the ring. 

In addition to these main rules that you can find in amateur and professional English boxing, there are also:

1. THE categories weight
2. The specificity of ring
3. The presence of the referee
4. Types of victory
5. THE shots allowed And prohibited

1. Weight categories

In this combat sport, whether amateur or pro, there are different weight categories. You and your opponents must be part of the same category to make the fights fair. 🤝

To check that 2 boxers weigh the weight of their category, there is what is called the weighing. It is done approximately 24 hours before the fight. And if ever a fighter doesn't make the weight, he or she has one hour to try again.

On the other hand, the weight categories are not quite the same in amateur and pro:

• In amateur, There is 13 categories among men And 12 at the women. There are also Olympic categories (8 for boxers and 5 for female boxers).
• In professional, There is 17 weight categories among men. At the women it's almost the same, but they can vary depending on the organization.

2. The specificity of the ring

All English boxing fights take place on a square ring. A ring to 4 strings which must be a minimum of 16 feet (4.9 meters) square and a maximum of 20 feet (6.1 meters) square.

The boxing ring is also raised about 1 meter, sometimes more, to allow everyone to better see the fights.

Each corner of the ring is specific. Two corners of the ring are designated for boxers and the two others are considered neutral. It is into these neutral corners that the referee sends the boxer who knocked out his opponent 💤

On the other hand, you are not allowed to use the ropes to hang on or even to gain momentum in order to throw a blow!

3. The presence of the referee

In each English boxing fight, amateur or professional, a arbitrator is present for ensure your safety. He/she can stop the fight if he/she judges that a boxer is in danger or that he/she is no longer able to defend himself/herself.

The referee is also there to ensure that the rules are respected. If this is not the case, he/she does not hesitate to call the boxers to order. 🤚

The referee uses different gestures precise during a fight for:

• Report it beginning and the END of a round
• Warn fighters and give penalties
• Stop a fight in case of KO or TKO
• Do a break in combat (low blows, mouthguards on the ground, etc.)
• To separate boxers
• Etc.

There is, moreover, no only one arbitrator authorized to be on the ring. The other referees are judges which note the fight and are located outside of the ring. They judge the performance of each boxer, something that the referee does not do! 

4. Types of victory

In boxing, as in most other combat sports, there is 3 ways to win the victory :

• To the decision judges
• By KO
• By T.K.O.

Victory at the judges' decision

At the end of the fight, the boxer who accumulates most points wins the victory. Points are awarded by judges according to different criteria. Once all rounds are over, they return their decisions :

• Unanimous when the 3 judges agree on the same winner (unanimous decision)
• Majority when 2 judges see the same winner and the last one sees a tie (majority decision)
• Shared when 2 judges see the same winner and the last one sees the other boxer winning (split decision)

Sometimes it can also happen that a fight ends on a equality. But it remains quite rare. In this case, there is also different types of equality as for victorious decisions: shared, majority and unanimous.

There disqualification of a boxer can also lead you to victory. If your opponent break the rules or commits serious misconduct, one or more times, the referee disqualifies him. ❌

Victory by KO

It's simple, it's when you put your opponent on the mat and he/she is stunned. If the boxer does not unable to get up after a count of 10 seconds given by the referee, victory is given by KO (knockout). 😴

As soon as your opponent is on the ground, the referee indicates a neutral corner while waiting for the 10 second countdown. If the opposing boxer found himself outside the ring, the count is 20 seconds.

Victory by TKO

Often TKO (technical knockout) is confused with KO. And at first I myself didn't see the difference.

In fact, victory by TKO is when the referee makes the decision to end the fight. It could be because your opponent is injured, because he/she can no longer continue or because he/she doesn't arrive no longer able to defend oneself. 🤕

That's the difference, with the TKO, it's the referee who decides to stop the fight. Whereas with KO, it is because your opponent is on the ground that the fight ends.

When a boxer gives up or his corner throws in the towel, it is also considered a TKO

5. Authorized and prohibited blows

You have the right to strike your opponent face (from the front, side and forehead) and body (at the level of the torso and on the sides). For this, the main punches you can use are:

• THE jab (direct from the front arm)
• THE cross (direct from the rear arm)
• THE uppercuts
• THE hooks/hooks

The shots sent must be made with the closed fist and the front part of your glove. For a little more detail, it's with the head of the metacarpals. The first phalanges are also accepted. 🤜

You also have the right to go to clinch with your opponent until the referee separated. In this case, you must take a step back before waiting for the referee's signal to resume. You can't strike right after you've been separated.

You also do not have the right to:

• Hit with the inside of your glove, your wrist, the back or side of your hand.
• Hit your opponent if he/she on the ground in the ring or if he/she is on one knee.
• To bite (no don’t be like Mike Tyson…) or spit on your opponent.

In English boxing forbidden moves are those worn:

• In the back
• In the neck and in the neck
• In the kidneys
• Under the belt

It can happen that a unintentional blow arrives below the belt. When this is the case, the boxer in front of you has until 5 minutes to recover. 🧭

And in addition to these 5 identical regulations in amateur and professional boxing, there are others!

Other common rules

As an amateur or a pro, boxers must tap their gloves at the start of the fight and at the start of the last round. THE gloves boxing are also part of the mandatory equipment with the mouth guard and the shell. 🥊

During a fight, you do not have you are not allowed to spit out your mouthguard in the middle of a round to hope to save time. On the other hand, if your mouthguard falls involuntarily, the referee stops the fight to give it back to you.

In English boxing you don't have no right to lower your head below the belt. As can be the case with a dodge. You also cannot hold on to the ropes or hang on your opponent (except in the clinch).

THE clinch it's a bit special, you can hang your opponent, but in a quite particular position (arms under shoulders). If you want to know more, we wrote an article for you on the English boxing clinch !

Although all these rules are similar in amateur and pro, there are still some different aspects between the two.

Rules specific to amateur English boxing

When we talk about amateur English boxing, we talk about competitions departmental, regional, national And international. But amateur boxing is also Olympic Games ! 🏅

For a long time, only amateur boxers could participate in Olympic Games. But since the 2016 games in Rio, professional boxers now have their place. But it still remains a “amateur” competition.

THE Olympic Games have also long been a front door around the professional boxing. We think, for example, of our Frenchman Tony Yoka. He launched his professional career after his gold medal in boxing in Rio in 2016.

Organization and regulation

On the side of Olympic Games, English boxing takes place in:

• 3 rounds of 3 minutes at the men
• 4 rounds of 2 minutes at the women (sometimes 3 rounds of 3 minutes)
• 3 rounds of 3 minutes for juniors

At an international level, the IBA (International Boxing Association) formerly called AIBA, manages THE amateur circuit of the noble art.

As an amateur, gloves are heavier to absorb more blows. In terms of outfit, you must wear a tank top and one helmet. But the helmet has no longer been compulsory at the Olympic Games since 2016.

In amateur boxing, there is a true sportsmanship which stands out from professional boxing. In addition, boxers are not paid for their fights, unlike the pros. 🏆

Weight categories

Here are the weight categories for amateur competitions according to the IBA :

And here are the Olympic weight categories, always according to the IBA :

The rating system

In amateur boxing, the scoring system has long been manual. But since 2011 it has been a computerized system.

Each boxer is assigned a score at the end of the rounds based on 10 points. The, the winner score 10 points and the loser scores 9 points, or sometimes even less.

Judges base their ratings on different criteria :

• THE number of shots workforce (quality and especially quantity)
• There domination of the fight
• There competitiveness
• There technical and the tactical

To give you an example, at the Olympic Games, 5 judges score the fights. They press a button as soon as a blow hits a boxer. 🖲️

This is a system of rating instead different of the one you can find in professional boxing. And this is not the only difference in terms of regulations.

Rules specific to professional English boxing

When we talk about professional boxing, we talk about boxers who play in the big leagues. global organizations.

Fighters who box professionally are paid for this. There is a contract that stipulates a scholarship, how income is distributed, etc. There is a financial aspect And promotional très important qui n’existe pas en boxe amateur. 💵

Many promoters and boxers rely on the show and the entertainment big fights to generate even more income.

Organization and regulation

In professional boxing, you fight without helmet and shirtless for men. The women enter the ring in bras.

Boxers can choose their outfits (mainly shorts) within the limits of the regulations. To give you an example, in May 2021, Canelo Alvarez fought the American Billy Joe Saunders wearing shorts made by the Dolce&Gabbana brand.

At the level of gloves, they are less padded than in boxing amateur and therefore lighter. The bands you wear under the gloves are also a little thinner.

For a professional fight, there is between 4 and 12 rounds of 3 minutes. The format you most often see is 12 rounds for boxers and 10 rounds for female boxers.​​ 🛎

From professional boxing organizations, there are 4 majors which you may have already heard of:

• There WBO (World Boxing Organization)
• There WBC (World Boxing Council)
• There WBA (World Boxing Association)
• The IBF (International Boxing Federation)

There is also other world federations a little less known as:

• The IBO (International Boxing Organization)
• The IWBF (International Women's Boxing Federation)
• There GBU (Global Boxing Union)
• There WPBF (World Professional Boxing Federation)

Weight categories

In professional boxing, weight categories are defined by the organizations. They more or less agree on each category. They are also different from those you find as amateurs. ⚖️

At the men there is a total 17 weight categories :

At the women, weight categories are defined by organizations, as for men. They stay more or less the same.

The rating system

In professional boxing, it is the same system of rating out of 10 points than in amateur boxing. Judges score each round on a scale of up to 10 points. 

The boxer or boxer who wins the round takes 10 points and his opponent 9 points, or less. He is possible also that a round is noted ex aequo (10-10 or 9-9).

Moreover, if a boxer who is knocked out and the referee starts the 10-second countdown, he or she loses a point. So for example, if you control the round from A to Z and you take your opponent to the ground, you win the round 10-8.

Unlike amateur fights, rating system stay manual. The judges have a score sheet, that we call scorecard in English. It is on this sheet that they note each round. 🗒

Moreover, the criteria scoring are different from those used in amateur boxing. The judges award points according to:

• Aggression and the pressure
• There connection clear and precise blows
• There defense active
• There ring management

Conclusion

THE rules of boxing, c’est un peu comme le mode d’emploi de votre jeu vidéo préféré. Que vous soyez amateur ou pro, l’objectif reste le même : touch without being touched, all in respecting strict rules.

Weight category, gloves, protections, referee, judges' rating, KO or TKO, it's all part of the game. Whether you choose amateur or professional boxing, the ring is your playground, but don't forget the rules! 💥

And if you ever have want to know more about the noble art, we invite you to take a look at our article on boxing. You will learn more about the history of this type of boxing !

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