Professional Boxing Rules

Professional boxing is governed by sanctioning bodies (WBC, WBA, IBF, WBO) rather than a single organization. Bouts range from 4 rounds (debut fights) to 12 rounds (championship fights). No headgear. 10-point must scoring by 3 judges. A fight can end by KO, TKO (referee stoppage), decision (unanimous, split, or majority), draw, disqualification, or no contest. Fighters must be licensed by the state athletic commission where the fight takes place.