Professional boxing and boxing technical decisions define the outcome of fights when they are not solved by a knockout or stoppage. If the fight is deemed a decision, then scores on the judges’ scorecards determine the winner.
These are crucial decisions because they aim to create policies that make the game fair and orderly despite its ruggedness. In this article, let’s try to demystify all that you should know about those choices. Keep reading to learn more!
What Are Slap Boxing Rules?
Slap boxing is a form of sparring in which practitioners use their hands with or without fingers and without making a fist. Though it’s usually informal and lacks official regulation, there are general guidelines that can help maintain safety and fairness:
- Open Hand Only: Punches are prohibited, and all blows must be administered with an open hand; slaps only, no elbows or other parts of the body.
- No Hitting Below the Neck: Most subjects are the face and upper torso while some areas such as the abdomen or groin area are forbidden.
- No Closed Fists: You can’t punch but you are allowed to slap with an open palm even though this goes against the concept of martial arts.
- No Grappling or Wrestling: The participant’s attitude is to just stand and kick and strike but no arms, or go to the ground.
- Control of Force: But there is an understanding that while working, probably you won’t try to strike very strong and you won’t get badly hurt.
- No Hitting While Down: Ground attacking or where a participant has fallen or has been knocked down, then he or she cannot be hit.
- End of the Match: Slap boxing bouts generally are settled when one competitor gives in, is to beat up to proceed, or when the agreed time elapses. There is no winner usually, but if players decide on some clear objectives for a winner, those are the winners.
Despite that slap boxing is more or less street fighting, these rules may not be strictly followed given the situation or contender.
Boxing Results and Technical Decisions Explained
Here’s an overview of key types of decisions and outcomes in boxing, with a focus on technical decisions:
Knockout (KO)
A knockout is when a boxer is knocked out off his or her feet and is unable to get back up before the referee has completed a count to ten. This may be a result of confusion or a very nasty concussion.
For instance, if a fight lasted to round three then KO would be referred to as KO 2. As contrasted to past times when power punches prevailed up to the point that the knockout happened, technical knockouts or TKOs are more common in the new safe course of boxing.
Technical Knockout (TKO)
A TKO is when the referee decides that one of the two boxers can no longer continue boxing safely. When it comes to the TKO there is no ten count the way there is with a KO and it is up to the referee based on their expertise. A referee might stop the fight if a boxer:
- Is knocked down, and gets up but looks almost like he cannot fight anymore (lame movement, dazed look).
- Is on the back foot, feeling the pain, and not counter-attacking when absorbing blows.
- Looks like they get tired easily or lack the strength to tackle games as is expected due to much punishment they may have incurred.
- Does their corner give up, has their corner quit the fight?
Boxing Scorecards
Judges give each round a score on a 10-point scale where the winner of a round normally gets all 10 and the loser of the round receives 9 or less based on the events such as knockdowns and the level of dominance the winner exercised.
If one cannot decide which of the contestants deserves a round 10, then the round becomes 10-10. Instructors also have access to all of the times that were recorded in the previous rounds and the total of these scores is used to make the final decision at the end of the fight. The scoring system also enables decisions to be categorized as unanimous, split, or majority decisions.
Decisions
Importance of Boxing In case a match is to go to the full Bout rounds, then the Judges will determine the winner depending on factors like; effective punches landed, defense used and ring control among others. There are different types of decisions:
- Unanimous Decision (UD): Even though it is a split decision all of the three judges give it in favor of one particular boxer.
- Split Decision (SD): Each of the three judges has a different preference as to which of these boxers should win the bout.
- Majority Decision (MD): One judge scores the fight in favor of one boxer, and the other two judges give it a draw.
Technical Decision (TD)
A Technical Decision is used in a case where one fight was ended as a result of a foul, though more than 4 rounds have been completed. Judges’ scorecards are used in declaring the winner and the boxer with the most points scored is declared the winner by way of TD when the fight lasts the full round.
For Instance; Boxer A wins at the end of the 8th round using the knockdown rule (TD 8). If both the judges give the bout a fair split and four rounds have been fought, a Technical Draw is issued. In case the fight lasts less than four rounds, the ‘No Decision’ is given.
Technical Draw (TD)
An occurrence of Technical Draw occurs when the fight ends due to a strike which is permitted but not fair and the fight has not had a conclusive result according to the judges; at least 4 rounds must be done.
For example, a bout could end with a Technical Draw at the end of round seven (TD 7) and both the fighters scored the same- 67-66.
No Decision (ND) / No Contest (NC)
A No Decision or No Contest is used when the bout is not finished after 4 rounds, whether it was due to an unfair intended strike or any other incident.
For example, if first Boxer A head butts B and B falls and gets a severe cut in the first round, and then the bout is stopped in the third round because the cut has worsened then it will be an ND/NC. A result like UD 12 can also be changed post-fight to ND/NC, known feces such as when a fighter tests positive for illegitimate substances.
Disqualification (DQ)
A Disqualification is when a boxer is disqualified for an offense, a prohibited act, or several of them, and the referee halts the bout. That includes headbutts, strikes to the groin, rabbit punches, biting, the use of an elbow in a prohibited manner, or striking your opponent when the bell has already rung.
A fight could finish with a disqualification in the 3rd round, for example (DQ 3).
Retired (RTD)
The term “Retired” in boxing is used upon a decision made before the final bell that a particular boxer will not be able to proceed with fighting. This can be made by the boxers themselves or their corner; usually due to the welfare of the fighter.
Draw (D)
A “Draw” occurs when all three ringside judges have the same similar score in a fight ending in an even manner. For example:
Judge 1: 114-114
Judge 2: 114-114
Judge 3: 114-114
This is unusual because the scorecards of the judges tend to vary in marginal ways only. The outcome was documented as “D 12.” The outcome is a Split Draw in the event that two participants have equal scores; the Majority Draw is if three contestants have equal scores.
Split Draw (D)
A Split Draw means that all of the three judges had different opinions on who should be crowned the winner of the match. For example:
Judge 1: Even
Judge 2: Boxer A
Judge 3: Boxer B
In doing so, if neither candidate gets a decisive triumph, the score would be “D-12.”
Majority Draw (D)
A Majority Draw is a situation where the two ringside judges protocol the fight in a draw, whereas the third ringside judge gives the fight to one of the boxers. For example:
Judge 1: Even
Judge 2: Even
Judge 3: Boxer A
As there is a draw with no winner of the game the code is noted as “D 12.”
Points (PTS)
A Points decision is made by a single judge who is also the referee of the bout and not like Unanimous, Split, or Majority Decision judges. This is so in fights with eight or fewer rounds, usually for relatively inexperienced boxers in the initial stages of their professional careers or for non-championship bouts in England.
A round is also judged like a panel of judges and the referee announces the score for each round.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Is a KO better than a TKO?
Of the two types of knockouts, knockout (KO) and technical knockouts (TKO) are both acknowledged victories in boxing. There isn’t a general opinion that one is better than the other, but a KO means that the opponent is knocked out by a punch to the head or any other blow or submission that makes the opponent unable to rise to a standing position before the count of 10… A TKO is when the referee steps in and stops the boxing match because one of the boxers is unable to defend himself.
Are boxers still paid even if they lost the fight?
Of course, boxers are usually compensated regardless of the outcome of the fight. Their monies which are called the purse are determined before the fight and are signed for by both the fighters, their managers, and the promoters of the event.
What is the difference between SD and UD?
In Unified Initialization (UI), the three judges have to be in unanimity to arrive at the same decision. However, a Split Decision (SD) is when one judge scores the fight for one particular boxer, and the other two score for the other.
Who decides the winner in boxing?
Usually in any paid fight, especially a championship, the fight is judged by three judges at ringside. Each of the judges has a tally of the individual round and the total amount given to the winner. Judges are given licenses from the organization that approves the fight.
Conclusion
All of these are done based on the rules and regulations, the discretion of the two Referees, and the health state of the two fighters.
Technical decisions usually happen in a situation when the injury in the course of a fight makes the fighter unable to carry on the fight any further, it halts the fight but the result is determined depending on the number of rounds fought.
