Boxing in the Olympics: Everything you wanted to know

Almost as old as human civilization itself, boxing - as a sport - traces its roots to ancient Egypt around 3000 BC.

Almost primal, the sport involves two opponents facing off in a ring trying to win a bout by landing punches on each other using only their fists. But it has evolved into a sophisticated sport involving complicated strategies and craft over the years.

However, even with all its rules and intricacies involved in modern-day boxing, the core of the sport has been left untouched in order to preserve the popularity and excitement of the combat.

Olympic boxing, in particular, has been a big factor in the long-standing mass appeal.

Olympic boxing history

Boxing shares a very close relationship with the Olympic Games. In the ancient Games, Olympic boxing first made an appearance in 688 BC in Greece, with Onomastos of Smyrna emerging as the first-ever Olympic boxing champion.

Historical research also credits Onomastos as the man who first devised the rules for ancient boxing.

With the modern-day Olympics starting in 1896, boxing found its place in the programme at the St Louis 1904 Games. Eighteen local boxers participated in the event, which was competed across seven different weight classes.

Since then boxing has been a permanent fixture at the Summer Games barring only Stockholm 1912 owing to a ban on the sport in Sweden at the time.

Women’s boxing, meanwhile, has been a recent addition starting from the 2012 Olympics in London.

Historically, USA has dominated the Olympics stage with legends like Muhammad Ali (Cassius Clay), Joe Frazier, George Foreman and Floyd Mayweather Jr all leaving their mark. Cuba and countries from the former Soviet Union have also enjoyed great success.

Olympic boxing rules

The essence of boxing is simple – to try and land punches on the opponent’s head or torso by using the knuckle area of the fist whilst dodging the opponent’s hits. A boxer scores points from every successful hit they land.

Boxers wear protective gloves to avoid injuries and hitting the opponent anywhere below the belt or on the back of the head are prohibited.

An Olympic boxing bout, for both men and women, comprises three rounds of three minutes each. Each round is separated by a one-minute break.

Judging and boxing scoring format

Until 2016, the Olympics boxing scoring system was more in tune with amateur boxing and was based purely on hits landed.

However, starting from the Rio 2016 Olympics, the 10-point-must system was adopted thus making the scoring more similar to pro boxing.

Five judges seated on the ringside score the boxers based on number of blows landed on the target areas, domination of the bout, technique and tactical superiority and competitiveness. Deductions can also be made based on infringement.

At the end of every round, each of the judges determine a winner for the round based on the judging criteria and award the victor 10 points for the round. The loser of the round can be awarded anywhere between seven to nine points based on the level of performance in that round.

After the bout ends, each judge adds up the round scores to determine a final winner. A boxer can win through unanimous decision if all five judges unanimously agree that the winner has taken two or more rounds.

In situations where the judges have a difference in opinion, the majority consensus is taken into account and the winner is determined through split decision.

Possible decisions for a win in boxing

• ABD - abandon
• BDSQ - double disqualification
• DKO - double knockout
• DSQ - disqualification
• KO - knockout
• RSC - referee stops contest
• RSC-I - referee stops contest - injury
• WO - walkover
• WP - win on points

When a boxer lands enough legal hits on their opponent to knock them down on the floor of the boxing ring and the opponent is unable to stand up to resume the match within a count of 10 by the official referee, it constitutes a KO victory for the boxer affecting the knockdown. In case of a KO, the bout ends immediately, and the winner is declared.

The winner of a boxing bout can also be determined through RSC (Referee Stop Contest) -- when the referee or ringside doctors deem one of the boxers unfit to continue a bout), walkovers, disqualifications (DSQ) or when a boxer retires voluntarily or his corner throws in the towel (ABD).

Disqualifications occur when a boxer accumulates three warnings for using means that breach the rules of fair play. Unsportsmanlike conduct, too, can result in direct disqualification.

Tie break rules

If the total scores awarded by each judge, including any deduction, are equal at the end of the bout, the judge(s) with equal scores are requested to nominate which boxer is the winner of the bout in their opinion in the following cases:

• One judge has even scores, and the total scores of the other four judges are evenly split, or
• Two judges have even scores and the other three judges do not score unanimously, or
• Three or more judges have even scores.

Fouls

If a boxer receives a referee's warning, an official will record the warning in the scoring system and each warning will reduce the total score of the offending boxer by one point per judge. The third warning in a bout will automatically disqualify the boxer.

The most typical types of fouls that are sanctioned are: holding, improper hitting, wrestling, and ducking.

Gloves, bandages, headguards, gumshields (teeth protectors)

Boxers at Paris 2024 must abide by the following boxing glove regulations:

Men

• 10-ounce (284 grams) gloves must be used from 51kg to 63.5kg categories
• 12-ounce (340 grams) gloves must be used from 71kg to +92kg categories

Women

• 10-ounce gloves must be used in all events

Boxers must wear gumshields and professional handwraps (bandages). Headguards are used only for women. Headgears for men were removed in the Olympics from 2016.

Medical examination and weigh-in

On each day of competition there is a morning medical examination and weigh-in of all boxers competing on that day.

Each boxer is also given a post bout medical examination immediately after their bout.

Olympic weight categories and boxing tournament format

At the Paris 2024 Olympics, there were a total of 13 weight categories -- seven for men and six for women -- in boxing.

Men

• 51kg
• 57kg
• 63.5kg
• 71kg
• 80kg
• 92kg
• +92kg

Women

• 50kg
• 54kg
• 57kg
• 60kg
• 66kg
• 75kg

The Olympic boxing tournament follows a simple knockout format, with draws made at random for each weight class. Winners of each bout progress to the next round.

The winner of the final wins the gold medal while the loser gets the silver medal. Both boxers losing out in the semi-finals win bronze medals. Individual medals are awarded for each weight category.

Boxers can qualify for the OIympics via the following ways:

• Host nation quotas
• Universality places
• Continental tournaments quotas
• World Qualification Tournaments quotas

For more on Olympic boxing qualification, click here.

Boxing terminologies explained