What do boxing fans of all ages need to know about how professional bouts are run and decided under the Boxing South Africa regulations? Scoring, decisions and draws, technical decisions, the bell, stoppages, bout lengths, titles, overturned results and knockout suspensions.
Under regulation 34 of the Boxing Regulations, three judges sitting on three sides of the ring each score every round independently:
At the end, each judge totals their card, and the majority of the three judges decides the winner.
Under regulation 35 of the Boxing Regulations, when a bout goes the full scheduled distance:
If the bout ends early, the referee alone gives the decision, and it is final.
These apply when a fight is stopped early because of a foul injury or an outside problem (regulation 35 of the Boxing Regulations):
| Reason the fight is stopped | Fewer than 4 rounds completed | 4 or more rounds completed |
|---|---|---|
| Injury from an accidental head butt | Technical draw | Technical decision to the boxer ahead on the scorecards (technical draw if level) |
| Injury from a deliberate foul, where the injured boxer carried on but later can't | Technical draw | Technical decision to the injured boxer if ahead; technical draw if level or behind |
| Reasons unrelated to the action (e.g. a problem at the venue) | Technical draw | The boxer ahead on the cards wins (the regulation words this as "more than four rounds") |
The judges score any partly completed round for the foul cases. If a deliberate foul leaves a boxer unable to continue straight away, the offender is simply disqualified. If a deliberate foul causes a cut but the boxer carries on, the offender loses 2 points.
No. Under regulation 27(6)(b)(xiii) of the Boxing Regulations, if a boxer is knocked down and the bell sounds while the referee is counting, the referee keeps counting until either the boxer rises or the count reaches "out", in any round. The timekeeper is also forbidden from sounding the end of a round while a boxer is being counted out (regulation 29(2)).
A punch that lands at the same moment as the bell counts as a legal blow; if it puts a boxer down, the referee counts as normal, and the following one-minute rest is not shortened (regulation 35(16)). A punch thrown after the bell is treated as a foul.
From regulations 27 and 35 of the Boxing Regulations:
A downed boxer who gets up must take a mandatory count of eight before boxing on. When a fight ends early, the referee alone decides the result, and that decision is final.
Under regulation 19 of the Boxing Regulations:
| Title | Men | Women |
|---|---|---|
| South African | 12 rounds × 3 min | 10 rounds × 2 min |
| Provincial | 10 rounds × 3 min | 8 rounds × 2 min |
| International | As agreed between Boxing SA and the international body |
Under the Boxing Regulations (regulation 17 as amended in 2005, and regulation 19):
Scorecards (regulations 27(5) and 28(8)): officials may not show or discuss scorecards with the public during or after a fight. The exception is a world title fight, a world title eliminator, or any bout where Boxing SA directs: then each judge's total (and the referee's, if they keep a card) is announced from the ring straight after the bout.
Overturning a result (regulation 35(20)): a decision given at the end of a fight can only be changed if Boxing SA later finds:
In either case Boxing SA directs how the decision is changed. Boxing SA publishes a Fight Review application form on its website.
Under regulations 10 and 24 of the Boxing Regulations:
Separately, every boxer must wait 14 to 30 days between bouts depending on the length of the last fight, and may have no more than six bouts a year, without Boxing SA's permission.