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Boxing Glossary
Can't say I'm a fan of boxing but ignorance can't be an excuse. To fully prepare for Million Dollar Baby,
I've compiled a Boxing Glossary below. In the picture, Billy Conn bloods the face of heavyweight Gunner Barlund.
3 Knock-Down Rule:
Most pro fights have this rule now: you are disqualified if you are knocked down 3 times in a single round.
10 Point “Must” System:
The scoring system used in boxing. To win the round you “must” score 10 points. Points are allotted
depending on punches landed and knockdowns.
Apron:
The part of the ring canvas outside the ropes.
Bantam weight:
A weight division, with an upper limit of 118 pounds
Below the Belt:
From the top of the hips downwards. If a blow lands here it is a foul.
Belt:
An imaginary line from the navel to the top of the hips, below which opposing boxers are not allowed to hit.
Bleeder:
A boxer who is known to have a propensity for cuts during a bout.
Blocking:
Using the hands, shoulders or arms to prevent an opponent's punch from landing cleanly on the head or torso.
Bobbing and weaving:
(also ducking and diving)
The movement of the body, from side to side and up and down, to present a moving target.
Also used as a means to get close to an opponent.
Bout:
A match between two competitors that consists of four two-minute rounds,
with a one-minute break between rounds.
Boxing glove:
A padded mitten used in boxing.
Breadbasket:
The stomach.
Break:
A referee's command for boxers to break from a clinch. On the command each
boxer takes a step back before continuing boxing.
Butt:
To hit the opponent with the head, usually by getting beneath the opponent's chin
and jerking upwards. A serious foul that can lead to disqualification.
Canvas:
The floor of the ring.
Caution:
An admonition from the referee to a boxer. Generally not for serious infringements
of the rules. After three cautions, a warning is issued.
Chief Second:
The person designated by the fighter to provide advice and assistance during the bout,
usually the trainer.
Clinch:
When two boxers are holding, or leaning on each other, and not throwing punches.
Coach:
The person who trains and teaches the boxer. He also works in his boxer's corner,
giving advice and motivation between rounds.
Combination:
Punches thrown in sequence, such as a left jab, followed by a straight right,
followed by a left hook.
Corner:
One of the two assigned corners of the ring where boxers rest between rounds.
Covering:
Holding the hands high in front of the face to keep the opponent from landing a clean punch.
Count:
A referee's count to 10 after a boxer has been knocked down. If the boxer is still down
at the end of the count, the fight is considered a knockout.
Counter-punch:
A counterattack, begun immediately after an opponent throws a punch.
A "counter-puncher" typically waits for his opponent to throw punches, then blocks or
slips past them and exploits the opening in his opponent's position.
Cross:
A hook thrown over an opponent's punch.
Cup:
The equipment protecting a boxer's genitals, lower abdomen and lower back.
Cut man:
he guy in the corner whose job it is to stop the bleeding of cuts (caused by head-butts,
glove laces, or a good hard punch) or staunch the flow of blood from the nose;
they use q-tips dipped in coagulant and vaseline. He also reduces the swelling around the eyes
(so the fighter can see) by applying cold pressure.
Decision:
The official outcome of the fight, as decided by the referee and/or judges.
Down:
A boxer is considered "down" if he touches the floor with anything other than his feet or
if they go outside the ropes from a blow. A boxer is also technically "down," even if he hasn't
fallen, if he takes a serious blow or blows to the head and the referee steps in to stop the action.
Elbowing:
Using the elbows as weapons, usually by following through with the elbow after missing
with the glove. Another foul blow.
Featherweight:
A weight division, with an upper limit of 126 pounds.
Feint:
Faking a punch to induce the opponent to open up into a vulnerable position.
Footwork:
The way a boxer moves and plants his feet which enables him to be well-balanced
for throwing punches and ready to switch easily between defensive and offensive boxing.
Foul:
An infringement of boxing rules, including: hitting below the belt; hitting with
any part of the body other than the knuckles; leaning against the ropes; head-butting;
not breaking on the referee's command; hitting the back of the opponent's neck, head, or
torso; hitting an opponent who is down; throwing a punch while in a clinch; holding; holding
and hitting; offensive language; assaulting or acting aggressively toward the referee;
spitting out the mouthpiece; passive defence (not trying to avoid a punch by covering up); tripping; kicking.
Gate money:
The receipts from the paying spectators. The gate money, which is refered to as just
the 'gate', is the amount of money taken.
Glass jaw:
The description of a boxer who is frequently knocked out or staggered by blows to the chin.
Many otherwise excellent boxers fail because of their ability to take a punch.
Those who can are said to have an 'iron jaw'.
Gumshield:
A form-fitted appliance placed in a boxer's mouth to protect his teeth and gums;
also called a "mouthpiece."
Haymaker:
A huge, swinging - often desprate - punch from a long way that usually misses
because even the spectators at the back of the hall can see it coming.
Headgear:
Protective head covering used by amateur boxers that became mandatory for
Olympic competition in 1984.
Headguard:
A protective device worn by boxers which covers most of the head, except the face.
Heavyweight:
The highest weight division in boxing, with no upper weight limit.
Hitting and holding:
Hitting with one hand while holding the opponent with the other. This is not allowed.
Hitting on the break:
Throwing a punch while parting from a clinch after the referee calls break. This is a foul.
Ideally, the boxers should momentarily drop hands after parting, thus making a 'clean break'.
Hold:
To clutch the opposing boxer so he cannot punch
Hook:
A short power punch in which the boxer swings from the shoulder with his
elbow bent, bringing his fist from the side toward the centre.
In-fighting:
Boxing at close range
Jab:
A quick, straight punch thrown with the lead hand. It can be used as a set-up
for power punches, as a way to gauge distance, to keep an opponent wary, or as
a defensive move to slow an advancing opponent.
Judge:
One of five officials who sit at ringside to score a bout.
Knock-out:
A ruling by the referee stopping a fight and declaring one boxer the winner if his opponent
has been down for a count of 10. A much misunderstood term. It does not mean that a
boxer is knocked unconscience, but that he is knocked out of time (i.e. he has failed to be ready to
resume boxing within 10 seconds of the referee beginning to count). In the days of the prize-ring,
boxers who were knocked down were not counter over - they were taken to their corner and had
30 seconds to recover in which to recover for the next round. If they failed to make it, they were 'counted
out of time'. The British Board of Control still prefer the term 'count-out' to 'knockout'.
Lightweight:
A weight division, with an upper limit of 135 pounds.
Manager:
The person in charge of a boxer¹s business career. He arranges matches, and acts as
an agent in negotiations. They are often notorious for taking advantage of young or gullible fighters.
Marquis of Queensbury rules:
Boxing goes back to the Egypt of 2,000 B.C., and was one of the original Olympic sports.
However, we owe its form today to the Marquis of Queensbury, who in England in 1867
established the modern rules of boxing, ostensibly to make it more organized and humane.
His regulations called for a limited number of 3 minute rounds, the count to 10 before
disqualification of a floored man, the forbidding of gouging or wrestling, and the use of gloves
to protect the hand. (In the old days, bare-knuckle matches usually were stopped because
hands got broken on skulls.)
Match:
A boxing contest; also called a "bout."
Mouthpiece:
A piece of plastic used to protect a fighter's teeth and prevent him from biting his tongue.
Must:
The scoring system of a match is determined by the sanctioning authority, and sometimes
called by the ring announcer, who might say that the '10-point must system is in operation'.
This means that the scorers must award 10 points to the winner of each round (or to
both boxers if it is tied) and a lower mark to the loser (usually nine points, or eight
if the loser has been knocked down or outclassed).
Neutral Corner:
One of two corners that are not assigned to either boxer.
No decision:
A bout in which no winner is declared by the judges.
No contest:
A verdict the referee can give if he thinks neither boxer is trying, in which case
the boxers may be suspended or lose their purses. A no contest verdict is also
applied if both boxers are guilty of persistant fouling and there is a 'double-disqualification'.
Out for the count:
Knocked out for the referee's count of 10.
Outclassed:
A ruling where the referee stops the bout because a boxer is taking excessive
punishment and declares his opponent the winner.
Passbook:
An updated record of a boxer's bouts, used as a medical check among other purposes.
Passive defence:
Covering up with both arms and not trying to avoid a blow.
Promoter:
The person or organization who organizes, advertises, produces and conducts a
professional boxing match. The main promoters in the sport are the infamous
Don King, of Don King Enterprises (who usually holds the main heavyweight fights),
Bob Arum of Top Rank Boxing, Inc. (who promotes Oscar De La Hoya), and Cedric Kushner.
Rabbit Punch:
An illegal punch to the back of the boxer¹s head or body (usually kidneys in that case),
usually delivered when the boxers are fighting "inside."
Reach:
The distance between the fingertips of the outstretched arm across the chest to the
fingertips of the other arm outstretched.
Referee:
The official who ensures the bout is clean and fair, and to make sure the boxers
are physically able to box after taking a punch. The referee can end the bout if one
boxer is hurt or over-matched.
Ring:
An enclosure where boxing takes place.
Ringside Physician:
The doctor who checks the condition of competitors before the bout and determines
whether a hurt boxer can continue. The physician has the power to stop a bout at any time.
Round:
One of a series of periods, separated by rests, which make up a boxing bout.
RSC (Referee Stops Contest):
An official result that follows when a boxer is outclassed, has been hurt, or reached
the standing-eight count limit. In the official results the winner's name is given followed
by RSC and the round the bout was ended in, ie. Jim Smith, RSC (4).
RSCH (Referee Stops Contest Head):
A variation on RSC, which is the result when a referee ends a bout because a
boxer has taken too many head blows.
Sanctioning Organization:
One of the organizations that sponsor belts for championship fights. There are three
main, or so-called "legitimate" ones: The WBC (World Boxing Council), the IBF (the
International Boxing Federation), and the WBA (World Boxing Association). There are
a host of smaller organizations that have relatively little meaning and add to the "Alphabet soup"
boxing has become, with names like the WBO or the ICBF.
Saved by the bell:
When a fighter is on the verge of being knocked out or is knocked out just as the
bell sounds so that the fighter does not lose and has a minute to compose himself.
Generally no longer allowed in professional matches.
Scoring blow:
A punch that lands cleanly on the opponent's head or torso and is struck with the
knuckles, signified by the white stripe on the glove. If three judges agree within a
one-second window that the blow was clean, the boxer gets a point.
Second:
A person aside from the coach who gives a boxer assistance or advice between rounds.
Southpaw:
A left-handed boxer, i.e. one who stands with his right foot and right arm forward.
It is a term taken from baseball, where most grounds are laid out so the pitcher pitches
the ball from east to west. Thus, if the pitcher is right-handed, his throwing arm is to the
north, if left-handed to the south. Americans called left-handed pitchers 'south paws'.
Standing count:
A count the referee can give, under certain jurisdictions, to a boxer he considers temporarily
incapable of defending himself, even if the boxer is still on his feet. Some authorities rule
that when a boxer is knocked down he is not allowed to resume boxing until the referee
has completed a mandatory count of eight, even if he is ready to fight.
Standing-eight Count:
When a boxer is in trouble, or has been knocked down the referee stops the action
and counts to eight. During this time the referee determines if the boxer can continue.
If a boxer takes three standing-eights in a round or four in a bout, the contest is stopped
and the opponent is declared the winner.
Sucker punch:
A blow that should have been avoided. Often works against over-confident and
therefore careless boxers.
Uppercut:
A powerful, upward punch that comes up underneath an opponent's guard.
The Commission:
The state boxing commission, which is supposed to regulate professional matches.
The Sweet Science
Term coined by sportswriter A.J. Liebling to describe the sport. In the 18th Century,
James Figg, the first British champion, coined boxing "The manly art of self-defense."
Third man in the Ring:
The referee
Tomato can:
A journeyman fighter, or "professional opponent," who is not good enough to
be a champion but provides a good fighter with a good practice session without
any real danger to himself. Also called a "ham-and-egger" (for the diner food once
consumed on the road by these men), or "palooka."
Throw in the towel:
The traditional declaration of defeat in boxing, where a second who feels his boxer
cannot continue the bout throws a towel into the ring to end the fight.
Uppercut:
An upwards-thrown punch designed to hit an opponent's chin, usually part of a
multi-punch combination and best used when a boxer is very close to his opponent.
Warning:
Given by the referee to the boxer who commits a serious foul, or receives three
cautions. When the referee signals a warning the ringside judges can decide whether
to give a point to the opponent. Three warnings in a bout means disqualification.
Weaving:
A way of eluding punches by turning and twisting movements.
Welterweight:
A weight division, with an upper limit of 147 pounds.
Compiled from:
http://www.thaneweb.com/teensworld/feature_016_boxing.htm
http://www.pbs.org/unforgivableblackness/sparring/glossary.html
http://www.boxingonlinebetting.com/sportsbook/b_glossary.html
http://www.gamesinfo.com.au/pubinfoweb/