Pinoy Photo Album

November 12, 2011

It was my first time to watch a live telecast of Pacquiao’s boxing fight. Thanks to Medicard Lifestyle Center in Makati for converting their grand lobby as a viewing facility for their partners and guests. And being a new home of Sugarleaf, we were able to served their guest with Organic Coffee and Fresh Juices courtesy of Matstone Philippines. Great refreshing and healing concoctions of Malunggay-Pineapple and Sayote-Cucumber-Yacon!

How was the fight? From Round 1 to 7 and based on how the camera is being rolled to capture each punch, I know it was Marquez whom I truly admire on how he counter attacks and made his connecting punch a success. Round 8 to 12 is a mix of Pacquiao and Marquez punches but in favor of Marquez as how it was being covered by media. And yes, being totally ignorant on the boxing rules and how it is being scored, in my eyes and “connecting punch” points, the winner should be Marquez. However there are professional judges who were all there watching and observing each punch, moves, and attacks. The boxing rules applies and based on my research, this is how it works (c/o boxing.isport.com)

The Four Components of Boxing Scoring

Scoring in professional boxing is rather subjective in nature. Controversy seems to arise after every close bout, and official scorers are often scorned by viewers that deemed the fight far from close.

Three ringside judges score bouts based on four factors:

1. Clean punching: “Clean” punches are punches that land on the face/side of the head and the front/side of the torso.
2. Effective aggressiveness: A boxer demonstrates this trait when he consistently and successfully moves forward in a controlled manner.
3. Ring generalship: The judges favor the fighter who controls the pace and style of the bout.
4. Defense: Boxers that skillfully incorporate defensive maneuvers receive credit in this area.

Professional bouts are scored on a round-by-round basis, and judges are supposed to assign their scores with each of the above factors equally in mind. It shouldn’t come as a shock, though, that certain judges favor certain characteristics. In any circumstance, the four criteria are used – in addition to knockdowns and committed fouls – as a way of assigning points under the 10-point Must System.

Ten-point Must System

Judges use the 10-Point Must System in professional bouts. This system assigns ten points to the winner of each round. The loser receives nine points for a close round, eight points if he was knocked down or dominated, and seven points if he was knocked down twice. If a round is even and neither boxer was knocked down, both boxers receive 10 points. If each boxer was knocked down once, the knockdowns are disregarded and the winner of the round receives 10 points, while the loser receives nine points.

The boxer with more accumulated points at the end of the match is the winner, as long as two of the three judges are in agreement. The four possible decisions of a bout that goes the distance are as follows:

Unanimous decision: All three judges score the same boxer as the winner.
Split decision: Two of the three judges score in favor of one boxer, who is declared the winner, despite the fact that the third judge ruled in favor of the other boxer.
Majority decision: Two of the three judges score in favor of one boxer, who is declared the winner, despite the fact that the third judge ruled the contest a draw.
Draw: If at least two judges have the match as tied, then a draw will be declared. Also, a draw occurs if one judge has one winner, another judge has a different winner, and the third judge has a draw.

A bout can also be stopped earlier than the scheduled duration due to Knockout (KO) or Technical Knockout (TKO). Once a boxer gets to his feet after being knocked down, he must be approved to continue by the referee. If the boxer is unable to recover from the knockdown within ten seconds, his opponent wins by way of knockout. A referee can also choose to stop a fight at any point to protect a boxer from severe injury. In this case, the boxer loses by Technical Knockout.

Respecting the Decision

Professional boxers train for months in preparation for a bout. A controversial decision can be devastating for a boxer who’s trained hard and feels he has won the bout. Keep in mind that the judges are only human, and are contracted to score the bout as fairly and honestly as possible.

Professionals, in most cases, have already participated in a significant amount of amateur matches and understand there is a possibility of disappointment. They focus solely on fighting to the best of their ability, and try to take the decision out of the judges’ hands. If you are dominant in the ring, there is less of a chance that you will be disappointed and confused by the decision. Professionals know they must train hard to improve their skills so that they can be confident of the decision before it occurs. They hope the match won’t have to come down to a decision, and instead focus on knocking out their opponent.

Well, now we understand how he won the fight. He is aggressive in his attacks, his style conquers the ring, and definitely a very good defense in spite of those “connecting punches” of Marquez as what we’ve watched based on a “camera’s perspective”. Now I am curious to know if the camera man is a Mexican

Anyway, great match! and very cool place to watch it! Thanks too to Sole Academy for their loot bags and raffle prizes!

Kudos to you Manny Pacquiao! Pinoy Rules! Congratulations!