Basics Of Amateur Boxing

Boxing has been a favorite past time for many centuries. That is, from the times of the Egyptians in the 2nd millennium B.C. until now when there are more rules to govern the field and spectators to watch the not-so-brutal fights. This is evidenced partially by the inclusion of boxing in the modern Olympics since it started in 1908 as well as the popularity of professional boxing.

In their present forms, amateur boxing and professional boxing are different in many respects. Below are the marked differences that anyone who is considering a career in amateur boxing might want to know.

Amateur boxing is somewhat less popular than professional boxing an is oftentimes seen only in the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games and other games sponsored by independent sports bodies. In some of the places in the former Soviet Union and Cuba, however, amateur boxing gathers more fans and enthusiasts than its counterpart.

Scoring system
The scoring system used for amateur boxing games is designed such that only the clean blows are recognized and scored instead of the damage that each blow renders.

Scoring
A clean blow is one that lands cleanly on the designated scoring points. To score, a boxer must land a clean contact with the knuckles of his glove either on the head or on the part of the body above the belt. Judges award the score by hitting the button of computer scoring system for each blow. Three out of the five ringside judges must hit the button in no less than one second apart.

During an infighting, that is when the fighters are fighting up close, scores are awarded to the player who throws the better punches or exchanges.

Blows that are not awarded are those that infringe the rules of amateur boxing, punches that did not land on the white strip of the gloves' knuckles and those that lack weight.

Rounds
Depending on which sports body is sponsoring the amateur boxing game, the number of minutes per round can vary between two to three minutes. Nonetheless, the number of rounds remain the same. For both the Commonwealth Games and the Olympic Games, there are 4 rounds that last three minutes each. For other bouts, however, such as those sponsored by the Amateur Boxing Association, there are just two minutes for each bout.

Protective gears
Boxers are required to use protective headgears. Gloves have a white stripe around the knuckles. The official gloves weigh only 10 ounces and should have the standard white strip.

Officials
The main man on the ring is the referee who basically monitors the conduct of the players. He also takes care of maintaining fair play as well as regulate movements on the rings. He also addresses all violations in the ring.

Weights
Unlike professional boxing, amateur boxing only has the basic weight divisions. They consist 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 illegible only in the ring if they are wearing the proper protective gear and recommended shirts and pants.

The fighter with higher points, regardless of the power of the blows, wins.

The boxer must move fast since amateur boxing only lasts for 3 to 4 rounds, depending on the bout's sponsor.

The winning boxer is determined by the number of points except on bouts where the referee stopped the game. In case of a tie, the judges will deduct the worst and best scores from the total score of the boxer. The winner is the one with most points left.