The 10-Point Must System is complicated and there have been (understandably) quite a few threads asking about certain aspects of properly scoring a Boxing match (as well as a lot of uninformed posters answering). So I put together a brief overview and FAQ on this topic. I hope it helps increase the understanding of scoring around here... :good If you are the TL;DR type, jump to the bottom of the post and reference the FAQ. That should answer most questions, including some of the following, which have come up on this forum: A: No. Fighter B would need to completely dominate the rest of the round to earn 9 points rather than 8. Not just "win the rest of the round." Q: A: Yes. Although rarely used by professional judges, awarding 10 points to both fighters in an evenly contested round is perfectly legal and acceptable under the rules. Q: A: If each boxer was knocked down once in the same round, the knockdowns are disregarded and the winner of the round receives 10 points, while the loser receives 9 points. Q: A: 10-8 in favor of Fighter B. In terms of scoring, knockdowns cancel each other out. When Fighter A scored one knockdown, the score for this round went from 10-7 to 10-8. Q: A: 9-9. An exception is only applied to the "10-point must" part of the system when the referee calls time and docks a point from a fighter for committing a foul (repeated low blows, intentional head butts, etc...). Q: A: :think That sounds like a realistic round, I'll give it a go. First, deduct the knockdowns. If "Fighter B" scored one more knockdown than "Fighter A," the 4 other knockdowns in the round (2 for each fighter) cancel each other out. But wait, "Fighter B" was "dominated" in the round. I would start the score 10-9 in favor of "Fighter B," and then deduct 2 points from "Fighter A" for the fouls. This round would be scored 10-7 in favor of "Fighter B," although some judges may ignore the subjective concept of "domination" in a round so full of knockdowns and fouls, perhaps scoring it 10-6. Do you have a link to this crazy ass round? If you have any questions regarding scoring that this guide does not cover, please post it in this thread and I will add it to the original post. Thanks to Booradly for RTD :hat
Thanks, Juice. Any idea why judges don't score even rounds that much? I think it was much more common in the old days.
What happens if both boxers land a punch at the same time KOing the other? Is it classed as a draw or a loss for both?
Nice post but would have preferred a more extended discussion of the use of CompuBox numbers and facial damage to score fights. Pacquiao fans have convinced me that they're far and away the most important criteria.
Nice. Unfortunately, the posters who most need to read this probably won't. I forget that a round with mutual knockdowns reverts back to 10-9. I was going crazy trying to score round 6 of Ortiz/Berto.
Good job to the OP. There's one thing missing: RTD; referree's technical decision. When the ref calls the fight between rounds, that's actually an RTD, not a TKO, but we hardly ever hear of or use the term.
It's a good question. I think the closest precedent is the 1995 fight between Prince Charles Williams and Merqui Sosa. Although not a double KO per se, the Ring Dr. ruled between rounds that both fighters were unable to continue... resulting in a technical draw. :desk
They are 2 different things. A "Referee's Technical Decision" is when the ref feels that one fighter (or both fighters ) cannot continue between rounds. Michael Buffer announces it as a TKO but it goes down officially as an RTD. That is as opposed to a technical decision when the fight goes to the scorecards before the scheduled amount of rounds transpires. Ie, due to a cut caused by an unintentional headbutt.