If you’ve never seen Olympic boxing before, you’ll very quickly notice that it is different from professional boxing. The fights are shorter, there’s more gear for the competitors to wear, and the competitors push out bout after bout in their quest for Olympic gold.
Today, we’ll look at Olympic boxing while also slightly highlighting how Olympic boxing (which is technically amateur boxing) is different from professional boxing.
Scoring
In 2016, the Olympic boxing scoring system changed. Before 2016, boxers won their bouts based on the number of successful blows they landed. The rules are now much more like professional boxing.
In Olympic boxing, five judges watch each bout. They keep an eye out for
– The number of blows landed.
– How much a competitor is “dominating” the round.
– Technique.
– Tactics.
– How competitive the boxer is.
– Whether any deductions need to happen (due to fouls).
At the end of each round, the judges will score it. The winner of the round will be awarded 10 points (this never changes), and the other competitor will be awarded between 7 and 9 points, depending on how well they performed. So, a close round would be 10–9 in the score, while one with a clear gap between the competitors, including a few knockdowns, would be 10–7. The fighter with the highest total score from the judges will be deemed the winner of the round.
There will always be a winner in an amateur boxing round. Normally, scoring is fairly easy for the viewer to predict. If you’re into sports betting, you’ll be pleased to know that for many boxing events, you can bet on the sport live. It may be worth trying to understand the types of sports betting to know what you can gamble on with Olympic boxing, as there is a lot to predict.
Other Ways to Win
While most Olympic boxing matches will be decided on whoever wins the greatest number of rounds, there are other ways to win Olympic Boxing. These include
– Winning by a knockout, which is rare in Olympic boxing due to the equipment used, plus the shortness of the rounds.
– If a competitor commits three fouls, they’ll be declared the loser. Committing one or two fouls during the bout will count against them, too. They won’t be disqualified, but each foul will lead to them losing a single point.
– TKO: If the referee believes that the competitor cannot continue, generally because they are being beaten heavily or injured, the referee will call a halt to the proceedings.
In almost all amateur boxing bouts, the winner will be determined by score. The only time you’ll see anything else is (rarely) when there is a clear mismatch between the competitors or a competitor has decided to pull out for various political reasons, for instance, which has happened a few times in Olympic boxing.
The Foul System
If you’re watching Olympic boxing, you might notice that the referee, every so often, will declare a foul has occurred. As we said before, three declared fouls will trigger an automatic loss for the offending party. However, the referee doesn’t technically need to give a foul should an infraction occur. They can give a warning that a foul will be declared should the offending party continue to exhibit bad behavior. If the behavior is severe enough, the referee can declare an end to the fight right away. No warning.
There are loads of fouls in Olympic boxing, although most center on not deliberately hurting the other competitor, hitting below the belt, hitting the head, hitting certain parts of the arm, holding, biting, etc. Pretty normal stuff.
Number of Rounds
If you watch Olympic boxing, you’ll very quickly notice that the matches are much shorter than professional bouts. No Olympic boxing match will take longer than 11 minutes.
In male Olympic boxing, each bout is 3 rounds of three minutes. There is a rest of one minute between each round. The competitor must return promptly from the rest; otherwise, they’ll be disqualified.
For female Olympic Boxing, there are 4 rounds of two minutes each.
This is a stark contrast from professional boxing, where it is not uncommon for bouts to last up to 12 rounds. This is why amateur boxing is a very common and popular youth sport that has fewer risks than the professional world.
Equipment, Including Gloves and Head Guards
Up until 2016, males were required to wear headgear. They now compete without headgear. Women always wear headgear (although this may change in the future). Headgear is not worn in professional boxing.
Gloves in Olympic boxing are slightly different. Male gloves are either 10 oz (in weight class 51 kg to 63.5 kg) or 12 oz. Female gloves will always be 10 oz.
Professional boxing viewers will notice that the gloves in Olympic boxing are slightly heavier than their professional boxing equivalents. This is because there is a lot more padding, drastically reducing the risk of harm to the competitors and reducing the number of KOs.
In addition, competitors must always wear professional hand wraps and gumshields. Removing your gumshield during a bout (not between rounds) can potentially trigger a foul call.
Weight Classes
There are 13 different weight classes for competitors. There is a weigh-in on the day of the competition.
Males:
– 51 kg
– 57 kg
– 63.5 kg
– 71 kg
– 80 kg
– 92 kg
– Over 92 kg
Female:
– 50 kg
– 54 kg
– 57 kg
– 60 kg
– 66 kg
– 75 kg
This means that boxing has many medals available. However, unlike in other Olympic sports with many medals, the fighters in boxing won’t compete in different classes.
How the Boxing Pans Out
Olympic boxing happens fast. It is a simple knock-out tournament lasting around a week.
All draws are randomized. There is no seeding. This means that, in theory, the two favorites for the games can be matched against each other in the first round.
Knock-out rounds continue until you have a winner. First place takes gold, second place takes silver, and third and fourth place take bronze (there’s no third-place showdown).
Honestly, if you love professional boxing, watch Olympic boxing. While it won’t quite have the dizzying allure of the big professional boxing events, it is still a lot of fun to watch. The boxing style is different, the matches are quicker, and you’ll see way more competitors at these events.
Content Disclaimer: Our articles and podcasts, including those on sports betting, are for entertainment and informational purposes only and are not intended to promote or endorse betting. If you choose to bet, we urge you to do so responsibly. Help is available for those facing challenges with gambling. Contact the National Problem Gambling Helpline at 1-800-522-4700 or visit ncpgambling.org. North Carolina residents can also find resources at More Than a Game. If you need immediate assistance, call 1-800-GAMBLER. For more details, see our full disclaimer.
Content Disclosure: Some content on this website may include links to third-party products, services, or websites. While we may or may not receive compensation for the time and effort spent curating and creating this content, we do not receive payment specifically for the sale of products. We only share content and resources that we believe offer value to our readers and align with our editorial standards. All opinions expressed are our own, and any content or links are subject to review for quality and relevance. For more details, see our full disclaimer.