Explained: How does the scoring system in boxing work?

‘Medal robbed in broad daylight’. ‘Nishant was the better boxer by a mile’. ‘Boxing is so rigged’

These were a few statements made by frustrated fans after boxer Nishant Dev’s quarter-final exit at the Paris Olympics 2024 on Sunday.

“Nishant had a very good fight, a close fight. I did not expect that the result would not be in his favour,” said legendary boxer Vijender Singh, in an exclusive interview with The Bridge.

“I think we should protest against this decision. The scoring should be checked again, the judges should go through the match again and then make the decision final,” he added.

Indian fans and experts alike are puzzled about how the scoring system in boxing exactly works.

“Even I did not come to know what happened. I thought we got the medal, but when I saw the scores, I was surprised. I even tweeted about the scoring system, but the guy played well,” Vijender said explaining the complexity of the boxing scoring system.

The scoring in boxing is often complex and can be influenced by various factors, including the judges’ interpretations and the specific criteria used to score each round. Here's what we know:

Overview of Olympic boxing

Boxers display their strength and technique through a series of bouts. Each bout in the Olympics consists of three rounds, with men fighting for three minutes per round and women for two minutes per round.

The objective is simple, land effective punches on the opponent's head or torso while avoiding their attacks.

Boxers wear protective gloves to minimize injury, and hitting below the belt or on the back of the head is strictly prohibited.

Scoring system and judging criteria

The scoring in Olympic boxing is governed by a '10-point must system,' which was adopted from the Rio 2016 Olympics to align more closely with professional boxing.

Each round is scored by five judges who award 10 points to the boxer they deem the winner of the round. The losing boxer receives between seven and nine points, depending on the round's competitiveness and performance.

Judges assess several factors to determine the winner of each round, like the number of blows landed, technical superiority and competitiveness.

A boxer who commits a foul receives a warning from the referee, which is recorded by officials.

Each warning results in a one-point deduction per judge from the offending boxer’s score.

Accumulating three warnings leads to automatic disqualification. Common fouls include holding, improper hitting, wrestling, and ducking.

Possible outcomes

Several scenarios can determine the outcome of a boxing bout.

Knockout (KO): If a boxer knocks their opponent down and the opponent cannot rise within a 10-count, the bout ends immediately with the standing boxer declared the winner.

Referee Stops Contest (RSC): When the referee or ringside doctors decide that a boxer is unfit to continue, the bout is stopped, and the contest is awarded to the fitter boxer.

Disqualification (DSQ): Accumulating three warnings or engaging in unsportsmanlike conduct results in disqualification.

Walkover (WO): If one boxer fails to appear or cannot continue, the opponent wins by walkover.

Win on Points (WP): If the bout goes the full distance without a knockout or disqualification, the winner is determined based on the cumulative points scored by the judges.

This structured approach aims to ensure fairness and clarity in determining the victor in Olympic boxing. However, does that really occurs, is a matter of discussion.

Despite this system, the controversy surrounding Olympic boxing scoring is not new. One of the most controversial instances was Michael Conlan's surprise defeat in the 2016 Rio quarter-finals, after which he had said he was 'robbed'.

What happened in Nishant Dev's bout?

In the quarter-final bout of the men’s 71kg category Indian boxer Nishant Dev faced Mexican competitor Marco Verde.

Despite a promising start where Nishant won the first round 4-1, his journey in the bout ended controversially with a 1-4 split decision loss.

Nishant’s initial performance was impressive. He executed effective jabs, combinations, and hooks, which allowed him to secure the first round despite receiving a standing count.

As the bout progressed into the third round, fatigue set in for both fighters. The round became more about clinching than effective punching. But Nishant was still the better and dominant boxer in the fight. Hence, the 5-0 score in favour of the Mexican boxer for the final round raised eyebrows.

Vijender recalled a similar situation from the 2000 Sydney Olympics when Gurcharan Singh suffered a narrow loss. “He almost grabbed the medal but in the last 10 seconds, he lost by 1 point," said Vijender.

Vijender calls for more transparent scoring system

A 2008 Beijing Olympics bronze medallist, Vijender also expressed concerns about the current scoring system, asking for a more transparent method.

“During our time, the scoring pattern used to have 5 judges but 3 together used to press ‘red or blue.’ Then we used to get one point. It was visible and transparent," said Vijender.

"But nowadays I don’t know how the scoring pattern works. People ask me, you are a boxer, can you tell us about the scoring system, but it changes regularly and it is impossible to catch up," he added.

Despite the close nature of the sport, the final-round scoring seemed unexpected, given the fighters’ comparable performance levels.

But as they say, ups and downs are a part of life, tournaments like the the Olympics come once in four years, so rather than being disheartened, you should keep your head high to fight hard and train well.

And Vijender Singh said, ‘Always believe in one thing ‘rab jo karda changa hi karda’ (whatever god does, it is for your own good)”