Boxing Lessons, Part 3: Competition - Rules and Strategies for the Amateur Fight Game

Hello again, everyone. I'm happy to bring you part three of my four-part boxing series. This article will cover the competitive side of boxing, and I will tell you about the rules, what to expect and strategies you could use to win. If your going to compete even at an amateur level by now you've probably looked into a gym, your trainer can of course tell you about all this, but if you're still undecided about whether or not you're interested in competition maybe this article can help you make up your mind. As always, keep in mind that boxing is a heavy contact sport, meaning if you compete you will get hit and possibly hurt, does so at your own risk. Now let's get started by first taking a look at the rules of amateur boxing.

Rules- The rules of an amateur boxing event vary drastically from those of the pro game. Most notably are round times and scoring. While a pro fight is scored on the ten-point must system an amateur fight is scored completely on number of punches landed. Meaning if you knock your opponent down with a left hook, that hook is worth as many points as a jab, unless of course the knockdown results in a knock out.

Rounds- Amateur boxing rounds are two minutes in length (one minute for masters class-over 31 years of age) and a fight is typically three to four rounds long with a one minute rest between rounds.

Scoring- In an amateur boxing match both competitors wear gloves with a white stripe on the fist, only punches landed with this white stripe count. Amateur fights are scored only by number of clean punches landed on the body or head above the belt. The competitor with the most landed punches at the end of the match wins, providing no one is knocked out.

Victory- There are several ways to win a boxing match, the most obvious is to knockout your opponent. Other ways include out pointing your opponent. Additionally a referee has the right to stop a fight and award victory to one competitor if his/her opponent is being severely outclassed, the score is significantly imbalanced or if a boxer is injured or seems injured. A fight at the amateur level will be stopped due to cuts or failure to defend oneself much faster than a pro fight would be. The disqualification of one boxer due to continued breaking of the rules is also a way for one boxer to win.

The rules of amateur Olympic style boxing are as follows:

No blows below the belt.

Holding is not allowed.

No head butting.

No back handing.

No kicking or kneeing

No biting, eye gouging or wrestling.

Weight Classes
Amateur boxing weight classes for men and women are as follows:

Men's weight divisions:

Light Flyweight 48 kg

Flyweight 51 kg

Bantamweight 54 kg

Featherweight 57 kg

Lightweight 60 kg

Light Welterweight 64 kg

Welterweight 69 kg

Middleweight 75 kg

Light Heavyweight 81 kg

Heavyweight 91 kg

Super Heavyweight 91 kg

Woman and junior weight divisions:

Straw weight 46 kg

Light Flyweight 48 kg

Flyweight 50 kg

Light Bantamweight 52 kg

Bantamweight 54 kg

Featherweight 57 kg

Lightweight 60 kg

Light Welterweight 63 kg

Welterweight 66 kg

Light Middleweight 70 kg

Middleweight 75 kg

Light Heavyweight 80 kg

Heavyweight 86 kg

Strategy- After learning the rules of the ring, you'll need to learn ways to win. Of course if you have been working with a trainer than you probably already have some idea of how you want to fight in the ring, but if you're still not ready let me give you a brief look at some strategies and styles you could possibly use.

Style- The first thing to learn about strategy is style, which to use yourself and what to do against others who use a particular style. It has often been said that styles make fights, though this is not always true, in the end a better athlete with more heart can win, even if he is out styled.

Boxers- Typically, these are taller opponents and often fast. They use their speed and range to keep people at a distance, hitting jabs constantly to keep their foe outside where they do their best work. If you are particularly tall for your weight class or if you have good hand and foot speed you may wish to use this style, as you can score big on the amateur scene by out pointing opponents. To fight a boxer you have to become something of a counter-puncher. Be ready to slip, bob and weave your way inside where you can work the body, which will slow them down. If you're a better boxer than they are, with greater speed or skill you could use that to throw a boxer off, as they will have to change their game plan. Muhammad Ali and Floyd Patterson were great examples of boxers.

Infighters- Often shorter fighters, with less reach, who work inside their opponents reach to work the body, they also know how to 'cut off the ring' (we'll discuss this soon) so their foes have less room to use footwork. To be a successful infighter you have to be able to take a punch or two to get in close, even if you have good defense skills. This is the style I use as I am only 5'7 but weigh in at the heavyweight class. To fight against an infighter you have to be able to use your jab effectively, as well as being able to use your footwork to avoid being trapped. Joe Frazier and Rocky Marciano were both infighters.

Counter puncher- A good defensive fighter who likes to make people pay for missing. Counter punchers are typically fast, and have good stamina to keep up their counter attacks. Not typically as tall as a boxer or as short as an infighter, the counter puncher is a master of making themselves looking vulnerable when they are not. If you're a fast fighter in good condition that's not afraid to do most of your work after your opponent attacks, this may be the style for you. Feinting is the way to beat the counter-puncher; throw quick feints that make the counter-puncher launch their counter attack then use your own counter. Be aware of how a counter puncher holds their hands, Tommy Hearns used to hold his left low, simply to lure opponents into an exchange he knew he'd win.

Southpaws- If you are left handed, don't let your trainer turn you into an orthodox fighter. Southpaws have a great advantage as most fighters are right handed and not ready to fight a southpaw. Marvin Haggler even fought southpaw while he himself was right-handed, not a bad idea if you can train yourself to do it right. To defeat a left handed fighter, make sure you step to your left always, away from the power, also, getting in close, so that their style advantage has no real effect, if you keep your left foot on the outside of their right then you've taken away their power punch, and left them open for your full fury, so as you see infighters, in my opinion, will have the easiest time fighting a southpaw.

Cutting off the ring- Keeping the ring small, so your opponent has no place to hide, is the ultimate goal of cutting off the ring. Effectively all you are doing is taking straight steps to counter your opponents circling. If your foe tries to circle to their left, step straight forward to your right use the opposite if your foe tries to circle right, and finally when he ends up on the ropes or in the corner, punish them for getting caught.
Feinting- A feint is simply a fame punch, one you use to fool your opponent into a better position to attack. It makes good sense to feint, especially if your foe is an accomplished counter-puncher which you need to draw out. Don't overuse the same feint however; as a smart opponent will start to catch on if every left hook is a feint.

What to expect- When you get into the ring to compete you need to know what to expect. First off, you'll be nervous, especially if it's your first time. It's OK to be nervous, everyone is, even pro boxers who have been in the game for years get a little nervous on fight night. Secondly, your going to get hit harder than you would in sparring, and for a matter of fact, harder than you expect to be hit. At the amateur level you're still in headgear and heavier gloves but you will feel the blows a bit more than you would in sparring. Don't let this worry you though, between the headgear, the gloves, the referee and on hand doctors, there is little chance you will get hurt anymore than a bloody nose or/and black eye, and that's just part of the territory.

This is just a mattering of the strategies you could use in the ring; your trainer will work with you to develop your own personal style. I just want to give you a little bit of an idea of what you could use should you choose to get into the ring to compete. I hope this article may have helped to peak your interest for I find competition against another person to be exhilarating and fun. Even if you're not interested in competing I hope you may have learned a thing or two about how the amateur fight game works. I hope you will enjoy the last article in this series which I will be bringing to you soon.