Should "Effective" Arm Punches be scoring shots?

The problem is that you can't really tell how hard they are. "Effective" is a matter of opinion, whereas an actual punch to the body is not. You run the risk of having a guy like Amir Khan becoming P4P by virtue of hitting his opponent's arms 90 times a round.

 

It's a joke how those shots count as effective scoring punches.

Canelo did the same against Lara.

 

I think most fair flowchart might be this: any punches or kicks landed on guard ( gloves, elbows, especially lower arms ) should not be scored nor in amateur nor in pros.
Unless stuff like this will happen: might happen that after landing on guard fighter is not maintaining balance, where proof is that he is down.
Another variant: guard element ( gloved fists or fighter's own elbows hits fighter after impact on guard ) hitting induces legit count done by ref on fighter who get this on his guard.
Count should be with legit reason.

Another thing is if ring generalship is used as one from criteria and you manage to get your opponent roped, repeatedly stepping back with no answer due to your activity and he is repeatedly giving up space without throwing back anything, I will consider that you are in successful process to establish dominance in the ring and this might be scored.
Not as landed punch but as ring generalship element.

 

No, because it then becomes about punches thrown, because everything will land.

It also puts power punchers in an even greater position, given that their punchers are more likely to be classed as “scoring” shots.

In a nutshell it strips skill from the game.

 

That's the rub. At a certain point those thudding "ineffective" shots tip over into aggression, in turn, ring generalship. It's old adage that you can't define ring generalship. Canelo-Lara was the perfect example: the Mexican controlled that fight, pouring in 100 more power punches—landing 70 more to the body—driving Lara back consistently. There's more than one way to win a fight.

 

Not only power punchers. If really all punches landed on guard will be scored, look what might do good jabber?
Since very light punch takes lesser time than average and even power jab takes more time than to point opponent, imagine what might happen?
Someone will take point fighter from semi contact sport and teach him a bit to box and he will throw more productive, despite weaker punches than Loma or Rigo even at CW BUT with SPEED.
For example 8 light touches vs 4 jabs or 2-3 power jabs.

We do not need next point fighting with landing on guard to score number of punches touched the guard.

 

It's harder for judges to score fights than it is for us. We have aerial view of the fight and good camera angles to see certain impacts, and we also get instant replay views straight after the round. Now saying that scoring punches should all be about how effective they are. If you got a boxer on the ropes, and then you got another one hitting that boxer on the ropes, but hitting mainly arm shots, then that boxer is still going to win the round, because he was the more effective. If though you got one boxer that is powerful, but hitting mainly arm shots while getting countered by good shots, then that's a different story. Body language also plays a big part in scoring punches. For example Naseem Hamed made Barerra shots look more effective than they did by being off balance when getting hit, therfore his head was flying back with his own movement, as well as the effect of the punch. At the end of the day everyone has a different opinion on how they score a fight, everyone is bias in their own way. Some like aggressive punchers, some like counter punchers, some like slicksters etc.

 

No they should not count... for the judges. They already count in the ring and lead to stoppages. They serve their own role outside of point-scoring.

 

This

 

Punches to the arms and shoulder over a full fight have a cumulative effect upon your opponent, Marciano who was not most accurate on target puncher stated that it is more tiring taking punches than throwing them, confirmed by opponents like Moore and Charles, who both took shots to target areas but likewise took plenty to arms, shoulders etc wearing them down.

I do not feel punches to arms etc should score on the cards for reasons others have quoted.

 

Honestly, it goes both ways. Any time a fighter throws a weak ass flurry people score that stuff no matter where it lands on Canelo it seems. And they seem to score shoe shining shots the same as hard flush shots from Canelo.

 

If shots to the arm counted Chisora would be a GOAT.

 

If a punch causes a fighter to move backwards it's effective.