BOXING RULES UK :The ‘fighting’ started long before the inception of the ‘Queensberry Rules in boxing’.
Jack Broughton was a well-known English fisticuffs ‘bare-knuckle‘ boxer.
The champion wrote the first set of standardized rules and regulations in boxing.
In fact, those basic boxing rules began to govern pugilism in 1743.
Jack gets accredited with introducing many of the international standards. Many of which continue to exist in the modern day sport of boxing.
There are two classic examples of his contributions and improvements to the safety in boxing. The first is for all professional fighters to be wearing protective gloves. The second is receiving a mandatory count if a boxer is on the floor and unable to get to his feet.
The Marquess of Queensberry Boxing Rules list govern most competitive fights in the United Kingdom. They have done so since 1867 when John Graham Chambers wrote an updated version to the rules for boxing.
The British Boxing Board of Control rules and regulations formulated in 1919. They established much stricter governance in the sport. It also applied to the role of officials including boxing referees and panel judges. This simple version of boxing rules for beginners gets taken from those guidelines.
Boxing may well be world’s oldest sport. Consider how it resembles man’s basic prehistoric instinct of ‘fighting in its most basic form‘.
Even so, there are few spectacles of explosive, contact sports, which combine elegance and grace. There is no match for the magnificent power of the human body quite like two top heavyweights going ‘hell for leather‘ and ‘toe to toe‘.
Basic Rules for Boxing Regulations
Aim of Boxing
It is undeniably a combat sport! Two opponents wearing padded gloves face each other in a ring. The aim of the somewhat brutal activity is to concuss your opponent or hit and hurt them – and not get hit in return.
Boxing Ring Dimensions and Equipment
The Boxing Ring:
- Exact specifications of specific equipment varies according to the sanctioning body.
- As a rule the ‘square shaped‘ boxing ring dimensions measure around 16 – 25 feet (4.9 – 7.6 meters) along each side. It is usually positioned on a raised platform about three or four feet off the ground.
- The corner posts are 5 feet above the floor level of the ring.
- Boxers now wear gloves as standard protection equipment. This is despite there being a long and chequered history of bear-knuckle fighting.
- Most of the modern boxers’ hand gloves weigh 12oz, 14oz, or 16oz.
- As a general rule of thumb, fighting bouts take place over 12 consecutive sessions. Each session will be three minute rounds with one minute rests between each round.
- Note: Olympic boxing matches only have three rounds.
- During the break, fighters usually go to the corner of the ring assigned to them. They take on water and receive advice from their trainer.
- The only method of attack allowed within the rules of boxing is punching with a clenched fist.
- You may not strike below the belt, in the kidneys, or at the back of your opponent’s head or neck.
- You cannot use the ropes for advantage or leverage.
- You cannot hit an opponent when they are down on the floor (holding is not allowed).
- A boxer hit with a low blow can take five minutes to recover.
- The judges’ scorecards get used if a match is not decided by knockout, a retirement, or a disqualification.
- A split decision occurs if all three judges have unanimous decisions but two judges think one fighter won.
- The fight gets classed as a draw if two judges mark the fight level (or one does and the other two are still divided).
- It is not uncommon for a fight to get stopped before the 12 rounds are up. This happens most if a boxer gets knocked on the floor and cannot get up within 10 seconds.
- A technical knockout (TKO) happens if a boxer is unwilling to continue or deemed unable to do so by either the referee or his corner team or medical staff.
- Scored by the panel of judges and awarded for each boxer’s performance (if the fight goes the distance).
- A knockout method (the opponent gets knocked over and does not get up before the referee counts to ten out loud).
- A technical knockout (TKO).
- A disqualification.
- The referee may simply decide.
- Ringside judges use electronic scoring to count the number of blows landed.
The Contenders:
Boxers (competitors)
Boxing contenders get divided according to their body weight. Different boxing governing bodies have different weights and boxing terms for the groupings.
Boxers should only fight opponents of similar weights. Professional boxing rules and regulations see matching physical size crucial to each contest.
General Boxing Rules and Regulations UK
These professional boxing rules are a summary taken from the full list of boxing fouls:
Boxing Rules and Regulation for Scoring
Boxing Referees, Judges, and Officials
Bouts are often scored by three ringside judges using a subjective method. It gets based on which boxer they felt won each individual round.
Winning the Fight
The victor of a professional fight or boxing match is either:
The winner of an amateur bout gets determined by different methods:
Advanced Boxing Rules for Beginners
ALSO IN THIS SECTION
A to Z Sports Rules and Regulations: A list of popular indoor and outdoor sport categories.
Boxing Fouls: Learn how to avoid a warning, point deduction, or disqualification by the referee.
Boxing Terms and Slang: An extensive list of boxing terms and their meanings from A-Z.
Marquess of Queensberry Rules: Check out the 12 standard boxing rules established in 1867.
Chess Boxing Rules: An oddball hybrid sport combining the rules of chess and boxing.
Weird Sports Rules: A concise list of weird and wonderful sports games around the world.
Official Boxing Rulebook: [PDF Download Option]