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Safety procedures

Over the past twenty years, safety precautions in amateur boxing have been increased significantly so that the rate of injury has decreased even further. The injury rate in amateur boxing is lower than for commonly-played sports such as football.

Some commentators have noted that it may be possible to further reduce the risk of injury by changing the scoring rules to actively reward defensive strategies.

Unlike most sports, a doctor must be ringside at all amateur bouts, and may stop the bout at any point.

The Referee

The referee is the controller of the bout, and his or her main responsibility is the boxers' safety. The referee may order the contestants to "stop", to "box", or to "break" (separate from a clinch). Boxers must obey these commands immediately or risk disqualification from the contest.

Referees may stop a match at any time if one of the contestants appears unable to continue because of injury. If the referee seeks advice from the ringside doctor, the doctor's recommendation is binding.

Safety equipment

Amateur boxers in Australia must (when competing) wear a head-guard, mouthpiece (gum-shield) and a genital protector (males) or breast protector (females).

Mandatory exclusions (probation periods)

If a boxer is knocked out, or where the referee stopped the contest because of a head injury, the incident is recorded in the boxer's records and s/he cannot box or spar for several weeks. Where several knockouts occur over a period of months, the boxer's period of exclusion is increased accordingly (up to one year).

The standing eight count

If the referee considers that a boxer appears dazed, unable to defend, or has received too many blows, s/he will administer a "standing eight-count". This period is used to allow the referee to evaluate the boxer's ability to continue. The boxer cannot proceed till the eight seconds are counted; if unable to proceed at the end of the count, the contestant loses the match. (This is one of the significant differences from professional boxing, where a dazed opponent usually can continue to be hit.)

Outclassed

If the referee considers the match to be completely one-sided, it is stopped and the superior contestant wins. This avoids a pointless battering of the less capable boxer.

Injury

The referee may stop the contest if a boxer is injured.

Unable to defend

The referee stops the contest if a boxer is dazed or unable to defend himself or herself.

Too many standing eight counts

The referee stops the contest if a boxer receives a standing eight-count  three times in a round or four times in a bout.

Retirement

The bout comes to an end if a boxer or trainer concedes the bout ("throws in the towel").  This is normally because of injury, or because the boxer is outclassed and receiving a lot of punishment; in either case, there is no point in exposing the boxer to further risk.

This page was last updated on 02 January 2006