The combat sport Boxing has been a favorite past time for centuries. That is, as back in the times of the Egyptians the 2nd millennium B.C. and now when there are more rules placed to govern the field and spectators to watch fights that are not so brutal. This is evidenced by the inclusion of boxing in the modern Olympics since it started in 1908 as to the popularity of professional boxing.
In today’s forms, amateur boxing and professional boxing are different in many respects. Below are the written differences that any person who is considering a career in amateur boxing should know.
Amateur boxing is a little less popular than professional boxing is oftentimes seen only at the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games and other games sponsored by independent sports bodies. In some places in the former Soviet Union and Cuba, however, amateur boxing gathers more fans and enthusiasts than even its counterpart.
Amateur Boxing Scoring system
The scoring system used in amateur boxing games is designed that only the clean blows are recognized and scored instead of any damage that each of those blows renders.
Scoring
A clean blow is any blow that lands cleanly on the designated scoring points. To score points, a boxer must connect with the knuckles of his glove either on the head or on part of the body above the belt. Judges award points by hitting the button of computer scoring system for each blow. Three out of the five ringside judges must hit this button and award a point in no less than one second apart.
During an infighting situation, that is when the boxers are fighting up close, points are awarded to the player who throws the better punches or exchanges.
Blows that are not awarded points are those that infringe the rules of amateur boxing, punches that did not land on with the white strip of the gloves’ knuckles and those that also lack weight behind the blows.
Rounds
Rounds usually depend on which sports body is sponsoring the amateur boxing game, now the number of minutes per round can vary between two minutes to three minutes. Nonetheless, the number of set rounds remain the same. For both the Commonwealth Games and the Olympic Games, there are 4 rounds that last a total three minutes each. For other bouts, however, those sponsored by the Amateur Boxing Association, there are just two minutes for each boxing match.
Protective gears
Boxers are required to use protective headgears in amateur boxing. Gloves have a white stripe around the knuckles of said gloves. The official gloves weigh only 10 ounces and should always have the standard white strip.
Officials
The Third man in the ring is the referee who basically monitors the conduct of the fighters. The official also takes care of maintaining fair play as well as regulating movements in the rings. The referee also addresses all violations in the ring.
Weights
Amateur boxing differs than professional boxing when it comes to weight categories as well, amateur boxing only has the basic weight divisions. They are made up of the following (from the lightest weight divisions to the heaviest weight divisions):
Light Flyweight
Flyweight
Bantamweight
Featherweight
Lightweight
Light Welterweight
Welterweight
Middleweight
Light Heavyweight
Heavyweight, and
Super Heavyweight
Basic Rules
Boxers are allowed only in the ring if they are wearing the proper protective gear and recommended shirts and pants.
At the end of the bout, the fighter with higher points, regardless of the power of the blows, wins.
The boxer must move fast since amateur boxing usually only lasts for 3 to 4 rounds, always depending on the bout’s sponsor of course.
The winning boxer is awarded the win by the number of points except on bouts where the referee is forced to stop the fight. In case of a tie, the judges will then deduct the worst and best scores from the total score of the boxer. The winner is the one boxer with most points left.
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