FOULS IN BOXING: Violating any boxing rules and regulations will get considered as a foul.

Boxing fouls can result in a warning, a points deduction, or a disqualification by the referee.

Some unsporting behaviour and fighting fouls are more serious than others. As a rule, the safety of both opponents determines the severity of the penalty.

Most professional fight referees tolerate a limited amount of pushing. A stiff push rarely results in an official warning even though it is illegal.

In general, fighters will get warned up to 3 times before the referee starts deducting points. He uses discretion before deciding the seriousness and verdicts of any boxing fouls.

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Worst Boxing Fouls in a Professional Bout

• Boxers cannot hit below the belt, hold, kick, trip, bite, head-butt, wrestle, spit on, or push an opponent.
• You cannot hit you opponent with your shoulder, forearm, elbow, or your head.
• You cannot hit with an open glove, the inside of the glove, the wrist, the backhand, or the side of the hand.
• You must not turn your back to an opponent repeatedly. Refusing to make any attempt to fight is against the rules in boxing.
• You cannot punch your opponent in the back, on their kidneys (kidney punch), or back of his head or neck (rabbit punch).
• A boxer cannot throw a punch while holding on to the ropes to gain extra leverage.
• You must not hold your opponent and strike him at the same time.
• Boxers cannot duck so low that their head is below their opponent’s waist or belt line.
• You must take a full step back when the referee breaks you from a clinch. It is then illegal to immediately hit your opponent (called hitting on the break).
• You cannot bide some rest time by spitting out your mouthpiece on purpose.
• Scoring a knockdown means you must go straight to the farthest neutral corner. The referee then makes the 10 second count.
• You cannot leaving your neutral corner without a signal from the referee. Your cornermen cannot enter the ring during any live boxing action.
• Boxers cannot hit an opponent when he is on the canvas having hit the floor or slipped.
• A floored boxer has up to ten seconds to get back up on his feet before losing the bout by knockout.
• A boxer who gets knocked down cannot get saved by the bell in any round. Exceptions apply in some localised jurisdiction rules.
• Boxers must not make any punches after the bell strikes.
• If you get hit with an accidental low blow you have up to five minutes to recover. A knockout gets awarded if he cannot continue after 5 minutes.
• What if a boxing foul results in an injury and causes the fight to end immediately? In this case the official boxing rules disqualify the boxer who committed the foul.
• What if a similar foul causes an injury and the bout continues? In this case the referee orders the judges to deduct 2 points from the boxer who caused the injury.
• What if an unintentional boxing foul causes the bout to get stopped immediately?
  • The bout would get ruled a ‘no contest‘ if 4 rounds did not get completed in full. Three rounds if scheduled for four only.
  • The judge scorecards get tallied if 4 rounds got completed.
  • The fighter ahead on points gets awarded a technical decision.
  • It will be a ‘technical draw‘ if the scores are even.
• Boxers get a count of 20 seconds if they get knocked out of the ring. They must get back in the ring and stand on their feet (he cannot get assistance for this).
• A standing 8 count or the three knockdown rule also may be in effect in some local jurisdictions. In some cases only the referee can stop the bout.
• Disrespecting a referee or failing to follow his instructions is a foul in boxing.
• Displays of excessive showboating is not tolerated in professional boxing matches. Showboating means using too much talking or gesturing and not enough fighting.

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