Amateur boxing can be a great way to spend some extra hours on the weekend or after work. Not only is it a fantastic workout, but it can help a person learn to defend themselves. On top of that, boxing provides endless hours of entertainment, especially for the boxers that like to engage in amateur-level boxing.

While the rules can vary slightly depending on the location, for the most part, the rules are fairly universal. For those people wanting to test out their boxing skills within an amateur setting, these little-known but extremely important rules are always worth keeping in mind.

It’s Not Known As A Fight

These start off with a naming convention that most people would probably never even think about but provides an important designation within the world of boxing. When two amateur-level boxers are about to engage in a match, it’s never known as a “fight.” The term “fight” is reserved exclusively for professional boxing events. Amateurs, on the other, will need to use terms such as “match” or “bout”. It’s a simple but efficient way of telling the difference between two levels of skill.

Mouthguards

Another obscure rule that many might have never even considered before, many boxing establishments in the world forbid the usage of red mouthguards. One of the main reasons for this is that it doesn’t allow the referee to see whether a person is actually bleeding or not – which is why most boxers only use black-coloured mouthguards while they’re in the ring.

Uniform Clothing

While we’re on the topic of colour, another rule that amateurs need to follow is to never wear just a single colour of all their clothing. This is why it’s common to see amateur boxers wearing a waistband that’s generally quite different to the rest of the clothing that they are wearing, which is apparent in any media using boxing imagery, such as in video games, movies, or mobile pokies.

The contrast makes it much easier for any unfair and illegal low blows to take place – if a boxer is only wearing a single colour, it makes it much more difficult to see exactly where a hit lands on the body. Before this rule became more widespread, it wasn’t uncommon to see refs and coaches wrapping tape around the top of a boxer’s pants in order to make a clear waistline.

Most Punches Aren’t Counted

Another common misconception in the amateur boxing world is the belief that whoever manages to land the most punches will ultimately win the match. This is entirely untrue, and it’s more about the timing of a single punch that usually marks an outcome than a series of random punches taken as many times as possible.

There are a lot of different factors that a referee takes into account when deciding on an overall winner, including competitiveness, the number of quality punches exchanged, technique, and adherence to the rules. Failing to meet any of these might mean the end of the match for a boxer, regardless of how talented they are.