Boxing

Boxers training.

Boxing (ボクシング, Bokushingu), formerly known as Kentō (拳闘) in Japan, is a combat sport in which two participants of the same weight class fight each other with their fists that are under boxing gloves.

There is professional boxing (プロ ボクシング, Puro Bokushingu) and amateur boxing (アマチュア ボクシング, Amachua Bokushingu).

Boxing Match

Boxing is conducted in a regulated way, typically in a series of one to three-minute intervals called rounds.

• 4-Round Match - The round limit that new boxers start with after obtaining the Class-C License from the Pro-Test. Pro debuts are always four rounds. Tournaments such as the East Japan Rookie King Tournament and West Japan Rookie King Tournament are tournaments for Class-C licensed boxers and have a four round limit until the finals which is a six round match. Boxers who have fought four matches can move up to six round matches.
• 6-Round Match - The round limit for Class-B License boxers. The east and west Japan Rookie King tournament's finals and the All Japan Rookie King Tournament are six round matches. The Class A Tournament can have six round matches. After two six round matches, the boxer can move up to eight round matches and is able to face against JBC rankers.
• 8-Round Match - The round limit for Class-A License boxers. The Class A Tournament can have eight round matches.
• 10-Round Match - JBC title matches and JBC ranker matches are ten round matches. The WBA, WBC, OPBF ranked matches can be ten rounds at the minimum.
• 12-Round Match - The WBA, WBC, OPBF, and IBF title matches are twelve round matches, while the ranked matches can be ten to twelve rounds.
• 15-Round Match - Previously, when boxing was called "prize-fighting", matches could go up to fifteen rounds. It was retired to prevent injuries.

Result

Victory is achieved if:

• Knockout (KO) - The opponent is knocked down and unable to get up before the referee counts to ten.
• Technical Knockout (TKO) - The opponent is deemed too injured to continue before the referee counts to ten, he may not even start to count.
• Decision - There is no stoppage of the fight before an agreed number of rounds, a winner is determined either by the referee's decision or by judges scorecards.

The match can end if one of the cornermen (or seconds) on either side throws their towel into the ring, usually to save their fighter from life threatening injuries. The match can end in a disqualification if one of the boxers repeatedly perform illegal blows on their opponent after being warned. The match can end in a doctor stop if one of the venue's doctors deem it too risky to continue the match usually due to severe bleeding. The match can end in a draw if the match goes to decision and the points of both boxers add up to the same amount.