A Primer on the Sweet Science

Boxing Scoring--Judges score each round based on who lands the most punches, who’s more aggressive and who’s carrying the action of the bout. Punches that land on the arms of an opponent don’t count. Rounds are three minutes long, with a one-minute rest period between rounds.

Rules vary from country to country, state to state and even boxing organization to boxing organization. Here in California, most fights use the 10-point must system, but there is no standing 8 count, no three-knockdown rule, and fighters can be saved by the bell in the last round only.

Ten Point Must Scoring System--The winner of a round gets 10 points, the loser gets 9. If one fighter knocks his opponent down or dominates him during the round, the winner still gets 10 points, but the loser only gets 8 points.

Three-Knockdown Rule--If a fighter is knocked down three times in one round, he is considered knocked out and the fight is over.

Saved by the Bell--If the fighter is knocked down near the end of the round, the bell signaling the end of the round will “save” him, even if he is down for longer than a 10-second count.

Tomato Can--An opponent for an up-and-coming fighter, usually a good bet to lose.

Flesh Peddler--Manager who specializes in providing tomato cans for bouts with up-and-coming fighters.

Fouls--No hitting below the belt, on the back of the head or body. No kicking, biting, holding or using elbows.

Maximum Weight for each division

Flyweight--112 pounds

Bantamweight--118 pounds

Featherweight--126 pounds

Lightweight--135 pounds

Welterweight--147 pounds

Middleweight--160 pounds

Light-Heavyweight--175 pounds

Cruiserweight--195 pounds

Heavyweight--more than 195 pounds