Further to a number of posts questioning how certain judging decisions were reached in the 2014 Boxing Championship events, here is what we consider to be a useful guide to the new AIBA scoring system that we hope will help everyone one understand the system our Judges operate to better:
1) Clickers are no longer used.
2) Judgement calls are made and scoring based on what Judges see.
Please Note – page 10 of the AIBA Technical Rules state:
3.13 Each Judge will independently judge the merits of the two (2) Boxers using the scoring system based on the following criteria:
3.13.1 Number of quality blows on target (see below)
3.13.2 Domination of the Bout
3.13.3 Competitiveness
3.13.4 Technique and tactics superiority
3.13.5 Infringement of the rules
And
3.14 The Judges must apply the following criteria to score a round:
3.14.1 10 vs 9 – Close round
3.14.2 10 vs 8 – Clear winner with dominance
3.14.3 10 vs 7 – Total dominance
3.14.4 10 vs 6 – Overmatched
As always, judging a contest is subjective, but ensuring the above factors are used and taken into consideration by a judge, the correct winner will be selected in the opinion of a particular judge.
Maximum concentration is required by Judges at all time, thus the reason for the ring set-up ensuring the judge is sitting on his/her own with no interruptions.
The target area has NOT changed in any way. The boxer’s arms are not (and never have been) a target area. The head front and side along with the front of the torso on, or above, the line of the belt, comprise the target area.
If a boxer has a great finish, resulting in a 10 – 8 round, having lost the first two rounds 10 – 9 so a tie occurs, the judge, MUST using the above criteria, select a winner.
Likewise, a 10 – 8 first round followed by two rounds of 9 -10 should not automatically result in the winner of two rounds being declared the winner.
ALL of the criteria above must be considered.
The criteria above is not in any particular order and each should be considered in arriving at a judge’s decision.
The most skilful and technically proficient boxer, who has been most competitive and domineering, who has landed the most quality blows without infringing the rules as detailed above should prevail.
The judge, and the judge alone, must decide what he/she deems to be a close round selecting the winner of the round as per the criteria.
There is no rule on what is or is not a close round. The number of additional blows landed is only one of the criteria. A boxer may have landed significantly more blows but they may, as an example, have been landed whilst fouling.
For a 10-8 round one boxer must show to be a clear winner with dominance within the criteria described.
Total dominance should be quite obvious and as for overmatched, ideally either the referee or the coach will have intervened.
The Judges have 15 seconds to input their scores at the end of each round.
Under the new computer scoring system, there will always be 5 Judges and the computer will select 3 at random to decide the winner of the bout, without the Judges being aware, until after the bout has concluded.
