Boxing News, Updates and Exclusive Interviews

Weight Classes and Divisions: There are 17 weight classes in boxing: Heavy, cruiser, light-heavy, super-middle, middle, super-welter, welter, super-light, light, super-feather, feather, super-bantam, bantam, super-fly, fly, light-fly, minimumweight. However, there is also an atomweight division in female boxing and a bridgerweight division in male boxing, which is only recognised by the WBC and WBA.

The Boxing Ring and Equipment: The size of competition boxing rings can range from 16-24 feet square. A smaller ring would suit an in-fighter and a brawler, because they want to cut off the space, whereas the larger size would suit out-fighters and boxer-punchers, who have a boxing style which requires a lot of space and freedom to work.

Boxing gloves used in professional bouts must be a minimum of 8 ounces, unused, and of the best quality to protect the boxers. Over 2,000 years ago, boxing gloves were more like thin leather straps, sometimes even spiked to be used as weapons, but in 1743, ‘mufflers’ were created, but they weren’t overly used during that era of bareknuckle boxing. It wasn’t until the Queensberry Rules were published in 1867 that gloves became mandatory for professional boxing fights.

Scoring and Judging Criteria: Boxing contests are scored on a 10-point must system by either the referee in charge or the judges officiating at ringside. A boxer deemed to have won a round is given a score of 10 and the other a score of 9. If one boxer scores a knockdown then a 10-8 score is awarded, but if boxers score knockdowns then it reverts back to a 10-9 scoring system. If one boxer dominates a round so widely then a 10-8 round score can also be applied. If neither boxers can be split, then judges are allowed to award a 10-10 draw, although they are heavily encouraged not to do so.

World Boxing Council (WBC): The WBC was formed in 1963 and is widely regarded as the most prestigious of the four major world titles to win. Headquartered in Mexico, the second oldest governing body is presided over by Mauricio Sulaiman, who is an influential figure in boxing, who have pioneered many of the rules in place now, such as the reduction of championship rounds from 15 down to 12.

World Boxing Association (WBA): The NBA was renamed as the WBA to recognise boxing’s growing popularity worldwide in 1962. Originally formed in 1921, it’s the oldest governing body in boxing and only one of the ‘big four’ to be over 100-years-old. Gilberto Mendoza is the current president and their headquarters are in Panama.

International Boxing Federation (IBF): The IBF was the third governing body to come along, in 1983, based in New Jersey, U.S. When Robert Lee Sr. lost his bid to become the WBA president, he decided to split from them to form a new organisation. The current president is Daryl Peoples.

World Boxing Organization (WBO): The WBO was formed in 1988 in Puerto Rico, and its current president is Gustavo Olivieri. Once again, the organisation was formed after disagreements with the WBA led to a mass walkout. As the newest governing body in boxing, it took quite a few years to become recognised and respected by the other three.

Sugar Ray Robinson: Widely regarded as the greatest pound-for-pound boxer of all-time, Sugar Ray Robinson was the first boxer in history to become a five-time world champion. Accolades aside, he was considered as the perfect boxer for being so skilled at everything from defence to offence.

Muhammad Ali: Born Cassius Clay, Muhammad Ali transcended the sport of boxing through his incredible speed and skill in the ring and for his antics outside of the ropes. The three-time heavyweight champion was a sporting and cultural icon who left behind an unrivalled legacy.

Sugar Ray Leonard: 1976 Olympic gold medalist, Sugar Ray Leonard exceeded expectations as a professional boxer when he became a five-weight world champion. He was the first boxer in history to earn more than $100 million in fight purses.

Mike Tyson: “Iron” Mike Tyson became the youngest heavyweight world champion in history, aged 20, when he bulldozed his way through the division during the late 1980s.

Floyd Mayweather Jr.: Floyd Mayweather retired unbeaten in 50 fights after winning 15 world titles over five different divisions, defeating 23 world champions. Nicknamed “Money”, Floyd transcended the business side of boxing when he generated 24 million PPV buys and $1.67 billion in revenue throughout his 21-year career between 1996-2017.

Manny Pacquiao: “The Pac-Man” is the only boxer in history to win world titles in eight different divisions. The Filipino boxing legend also became the oldest welterweight world champion when he won the WBA title in 2019, and is the only boxer to hold world titles across four different decades in the 1990s, 2000s, 2010s, 2020s.

The Impact of Pay-Per-View: Pay-per-view was introduced in 1960 when Floyd Patterson and Ingemar Johnson held their rematch for the World heavyweight title in New York, for a cost of $2. The extra money that PPV brings in allows the biggest fights in boxing to happen, however, it’s at the expense of fight fans, who are forced to pay extra on top of their existing subscriptions just to follow the sport they love and support anyway.

The Rise of Social Media and Streaming: Social media has allowed boxers to elevate their profiles and even make their own fights. Boxers now use their social media to call out other rivals and some spats can escalate so quickly and publicly that it leads to the fighters agreeing to settle the score in the ring. In the build-up to the fight, the boxers will inevitably engage in a war of words to bring more eyes and anticipation to their upcoming clash. The rise of social media also brings fans closer to their boxing heroes, with many liberally engaging with their fanbase with replies or retweets and likes.

The various different streaming platforms, such as DAZN, have now made boxing more accessible than ever before, and it’s all available to watch at the tips of your fingers. As long as you have connection and are subscribed to the platform, you can watch boxing events anywhere in the world.

The Next Generation of Boxing Stars: The rise of YouTube and celebrity boxing has seen a brand-new, wider-spread audience introduced to boxing. When a successful YouTuber or celebrity joins boxing, they bring across their huge audience. For example, Jake Paul has a following of 70 million subscribers, so he was recently able to fill 72,000 seats in the AT&T Arena with many millions more watching on TV from around the world.

This trend aside, boxers will still follow the traditional route of boxing as amateurs to gain experience before turning professional. However, this course can still differ slightly. Frazer Clarke won Olympic and Commonwealth Games medals before turning pro, but recently lost in the first round to Fabio Wardley, who started boxing late and only took part in four white-collar bouts before turning pro.