Boxing points system?

Question

What do you think of the points system in boxing? I'm not sure about giving it based on who wins a round. Why does the loser get 9 points even if they got destroyed in that round? But I don't know much about boxing, so I'd like to hear what some more knowledgable fans have to say.

Answer 1

Well, back in the day, it was based even more on rounds than it is today; today it is a points system.  It used to be that the fighter who won the round would get one point and the fighter who lost would get none.  This resulted in some unfair decisions because you could knock a guy down 10 times in the last 5 rounds, but still lose the fight because you lost the first 7 rounds- see what I'm saying?  Today, a fighter gets rewarded for a knockdown because there is the 10 point must system, so if one knockdown occurs, the round will be scored 10-8, if two knockdowns occurs, it will be 10-7, and so on...  And sometimes, if a round is so one sided but no knockdown occurred, the judges may score it 10-8.  It also allows an easier way to deduct points from a fighter if they commit a foul; so if the fighter wins the round, but gets a point deducted, the round will be scored even at 9-9. There will never be a perfect system and you're always going to see guys get robbed, but I think that the points system is better than the rounds system by far.

Answer 2

The loser gets 9 points as default so there is opportunity to deduct points for fouls and knockdowns. If a fighter gets 'destroyed' in a round but doesn't get knocked down, you can score that 10-8.

Personally I think the points system works pretty well, because it makes judges accountable for how they scored each round and reduces subjectivity. It's not perfect, but it's better than the alternatives.

Answer 3

While normally if outbox someone you win the round 10-9 but if you knock someone down it would be 10-8.

Yes so if you landed 100 punches around and your opponent landed 20 you may only win 10-9.