Boxing

Ali Shuffle Rapid series of front-and-back foot movements made famous by Muhammad Ali. The advantage was
said to be tactical—to show his oppo- nent he was in control of the fight and could still move quickly.
Answer the Bell To get up from a corner to begin fighting when the bell sounds. If a fighter fails to answer the
bell, he is declared the loser in that round.
Apron The floor outside the boxing ring. It is approximately 2 feet wide.
Arm Puncher A boxer whose strength is only in his arms; lacks the power of his body behind his punches.
Arm Weary Tired of throwing punches. Backpedal To retreat across the
ring. Bang To punch hard, without finesse.
Beat the Count To get up before the count is over.
Bell A bell that is rung to indicate the beginning and the end of a round.
Below the Belt A punch that lands below the top of the hipbones, generally in the crotch. If a low blow is deliberate,
a fighter may be disqualified.

Bleeder A fighter who cuts easily.

Bob and Weave To move side to side and up and down to evade an opponent.
Body Punch Blow delivered to the body of an opponent; that is, the abdomen or ribs.
Bolo Punch Punch that begins in a wide arc from below the hips swinging upward. Popularized in the early 1940s by
middleweight champion Ceferino Garcia, who described the punch as comparable to the swing of a bolo knife
cutting through the jungles. Now thought of as any wildly exaggerated punch that begins low.
Break To withdraw from a clinch when ordered to do so by the referee.
Bum Unskilled fighter, often thought of as being punch-drunk.
Can’t Lay a Glove On A boxer so clever defensively that his opponent can’t hit him.
Canvas The floor of a boxing ring.
Carry (To Carry a Fight) To hold back from ending a fight to make a weak opponent look better than he is.
Cauliflower Ear A deformed ear; caused by too many blows to the ear.
Challenger A fighter who fights a reigning champion.
Class Same as division.
Clean Break To separate from a clinch.
Clinch To hold an opponent with both arms so neither fighter can score cleanly.
Club Fighter A small-time boxer with mediocre skills; a fighter who fights mainly in local clubs.
Coldcock To knock out an opponent with one blow.
Combination Two or more punches in rapid succession.
Contender A fighter good enough to be a challenger. Popularized in a speech by Marlon Brando in the film On The
Waterfront, “I cudda been a con- tenda …”
Corner Any of the four corners of a boxing ring, or, the particular corner assigned to each fighter.
Cornerman One of the assistants allowed to be in a fighter’s corner between rounds.
Count Counting 10 seconds after a fighter has been knocked down. If a fighter does not arise after the 10 count,
the opponent wins the fight by a knockout.
Counter To respond to an opponent’s punch by returning a punch.
Counterpuncher A boxer who prefers to wait for an opponent’s punch to deliver a punch.
Cover Up To protect the body and head from an opponent’s punches, with the arms.
Cross A punch delivered over and above an opponent’s lead, such as a right cross.
Cut Man Assistant in a fighter’s corner who is responsible for stopping cuts or
bleeding.

Cut Off The Ring To move sideways across the ring to reduce the room an opponent can maneuver in.
Dance To use rapid footwork.
Decision To win a fight based on the number of points scored by judges wit- nessing a fight, in which there is no
knockdown or technical knockdown. Distance The maximum number of rounds in a fight. (To go the distance, to
fight 12 rounds in a 12-round fight.)
Division A category of fighters based on weight. In general, these are the pro- fessional divisions:

Flyweight 112 pounds Bantamweight 118 pounds

 Featherweight 126 pounds Junior Lightweight 130 pounds
Lightweight 135 pounds Junior Welterweight 140 pounds
Welterweight 147 pounds Junior Middleweight 154 pounds
Middleweight 160 pounds Light Heavyweight 175 pounds
Heavyweight Unlimited

Down and Out To be knocked down and be unable to rise.

Down for the Count Same as down and out.
Draw Same as tie.
Drop a Guard To lower the gloves; to leave face or body unprotected. Elimination Bout One of a series of matches
to determine an eventual champion. Fight Card Series of bouts on the same program.
Five-Point Must System A method of scoring in which the winner of a round is given five points, the loser, less
than five. In the case of a tie round, both fighters are given five points.
Five-Point System A method of scoring in which the winner of a round is given one to five points and the loser is
given fewer, usually less than one point difference. In the case of a tie, neither fighter is awarded any points for the
round.
Footwork The movement of the feet during a fight.
Foul Any illegal action or blow during a prizefight, usually a blow to the back of the head or neck, a blow below the
belt, wrestling or head butting, or punching after the bell.
Go Into the Tank To intentionally lose a fight.
Golden Gloves A program of locally sponsored amateur fights that lead to the
National Golden Gloves Tournament.
(To) Guard To hold the gloves close to the face or body to protect from an opponent’s punches.

Gym Fighter A fighter who looks good in the gym, but bad during a bout.
Handler Someone who helps train a fighter or acts as a cornerman during a fight.
Haymaker A knockout punch.
Headgear Padded headpiece that is used during training to protect the head.
Heavy Bag Large stuffed canvas bag, approximately 1–1½ feet in diameter
and at least 3 feet long, hung from the ceiling of a gym, that a fighter punches to help strength, power, and
technique.
(To) Hit on the Break To punch during the break period, as required by a referee.
Hungry A fighter who financially or professionally desperately needs a win.
Infighter (Infighting) Fighting close to an opponent.
In the Bag Fight that has been decided before it has begun.
In the Tank Fighter who deliberately loses a fight.
Jab Direct punch used to bother an opponent or keep him off balance. Usually not a knockout punch.
Kayo To Knock Out.
Knockdown To punch an opponent and cause him to fall onto the canvas.
Once a fighter has been knocked down, the referee begins the 10-count.
Lead The first in a series of punches.
Left A punch thrown with the left hand.
Long Count Any count that takes longer than a strict 10 seconds. Usually is a controversial count.
Low Blow A blow below the hip-line, usually to the crotch and usually a foul. Main Event The most important
and the last bout during a boxing program. Majority Decision A decision made by two of three boxing judges.
Make the Weight To gain or lose pounds to enter a specific weight class, for a fight in that class.
Mandatory Eight Count A rule that indicated that when a fighter has been knocked down, the referee must count
to eight before the fight can proceed, to protect the downed fighter.
Measure To hold a gloved hand against a stunned fighter to guide a knockout blow.
Mouse A swelling around the eye.
Mouthpiece Protective rubber guard worn inside the mouth to protect the teeth and lips of a fighter.
Neutral Corner Either of the two corners of a ring not assigned to a particular fighter and his cornermen.
No Contest An act of ending a fight by a referee because of problems not directly connected to the two fighters,
such as a power blackout.
No Knockdown A rule by a referee during a fight that a fighter who was on
the canvas was not there because of a knockdown, but rather a slip or a push.
On the Ropes Leaning helplessly on the ring ropes; usually means the fighter cannot defend himself.

Out Knocked out.

(To) Outpoint To win a fight with the highest number of points awarded by the judges.
Palooka An unskilled fighter.
Preliminary Bout One bout on a boxing program before the main event. Pugilism The art of boxing, from the
Latin pugunus, fist, and pugil, boxer. (To) Pull a Punch To land a punch without full force.
Punch-Drunk To suffer the effects of taking too many punches to the head. A punch-drunk fighter is said to slur his
speech and generally give the impres- sion of being drunk on alcohol.
Punched Out Tired from throwing too many punches.
(To) Put Away To knock out an opponent.
Quick Count A count that takes less than 10 seconds.
Rabbit Punch An illegal punch to the back of the opponent’s head.
Reach A measure of arm length. Generally speaking, a boxer with a longer reach than his opponent will have an
advantage in the ring.
Referee The official in the ring who controls the action during a fight, watches for fouls, and separates fighters in a
clinch. Sometimes called the third man. Rematch A bout in which two fighters who have fought each other
previously
fight again.
Ring An elevated 18- to 20-foot square area surrounded by three ropes attached to vertical posts at each corner.
Sometimes called the squared circle.
Ring Savvy Knowledge of the tricks and techniques of boxing. Roadwork Running that is part of a boxer’s
training and conditioning. Rope Ropes that are strung at 2-foot, 3-foot, and 4-foot heights around a
boxing ring.
Round Any 3-minute period during a boxing match.
Saved By the Bell A boxer who is about to be counted out is said to be saved by the bell when the bell to signal the
end of a round is rung before the count is up. No fighter can be saved by the bell during the final round of a bout.
Scorecard A card on which an official keeps score of rounds won or lost by each fighter.
Second One man who is allowed in a boxer’s corner between rounds to advise him.
Slip To dodge a punch.
Slug To punch hard.
Slugger A fighter with little finesse.
Spar To box in practice.
Sparring Partner An opponent during a sparring match.
Speed Bag Lightweight punching bag used for coordination.
Split Decision Decision of the judges in which two judges vote for one fighter, and the third judge votes for the
opponent.
Standing Eight Count A count of eight given by the referee when a boxer has
been hurt. In professional boxing, this is a knockdown.

Step Back To separate from a clinch.

Stop a Fight The act of a referee to end a bout, when one fighter cannot con- tinue.
Straight-Up Fighter A boxer who does not bob or weave.
The Sweet Science A famous book on boxing by the late boxing critic A. J. Liebling.
(To) Take a Dive To deliberately lose a fight.
Take the Count When a boxer allows himself to be counted out.
Tale of the Tape A boxer’s measurements reach, chest, weight, and so on.
Technical Draw Termination of a bout because of an accidental injury to one fighter.
Technical Knockout The end of the fight as ruled by the referee when one fighter is unable to continue.
Abbreviated on fight cards as TKO.
Ten Point Must System A method of scoring a bout in which the winner of a round is given 10 points and the loser
of the round about 2 points less. In the case of a tie, both fighters receive 10 points.
Three Knockdown Rule If a fighter is knocked down three times in one round, the fight is over and he loses. Not a
universal rule.
(To) Throw in the Towel A fighter’s cornermen concede defeat by throwing a towel into the center of the ring from
the corner.
Timekeeper Official at ringside who keeps track of the time of the rounds and the time between rounds.
Title Highest level of any weight class.
Twenty Point Must System A method of scoring in which the winner of each round is awarded 20 points and the
loser a lesser number. In the case of a tie, both fighters are awarded 20 points.
Unanimous Decision A decision in which all judges vote for one boxer.
Undercard Any bout on a program prior to the main event.
Warning A statement by the referee that a boxer has fouled his opponent and points will be subtracted from his
score.
WBA World Boxing Association.
WBC World Boxing Council.
Weigh-in Ceremony before a bout to ensure that boxers’ weight is within the class designations.
Weight Division See division.
White Hope A White boxer who is a contender for a title held by a Black boxer.
Win on Points To win by a decision.