Boxing is the sport of masses. It shares this throne with soccer, cause it is really easy to get involved in it: two humans alone in a ring, with the objective to overcome using only the power of their fists along 12 rounds... or are they 10?
The sure thing here is that to practice boxing you must be in a really good shape: nowadays boxers have enviable physiques, cause even though the only part of the body that it is used to contact the opponent are the nuckles, all you muscles are involved. And you have to mantain the rythm for the whole duration of the round: 3 minutes... or are they 2?
If you share the doubts arisen on the previous paragraphs, you should definitely keep reading this story. We are going to figure out once and for all how many rounds are in a professional fight and how long do rounds last in the same stage. Here we go.
The amount of rounds a professional fight has
The answer depends on the situation. If the fight involves a World title, or another considered as a major one, the number of rounds fought are 12. But it was not always like this. Up to 1982, this kind of bouts contemplated 15 chapters to read its whole story.
Unfortunately, a tragedy was the key to establish the current 12 round rule for title fights: the Korean Duk Koo Kim passed away after being knocked down by Ray Mancini, a Lightweight Champion of the World and Hall of famer, on the round 14 of their title bout on 1982.
One year after that unfortunate experience, the WBC decided to reduce the number of rounds for a World Championship fight. In fact, the last boxing war with 15 rounds happened in March 1988: the Mexican Jorge Maromero Paez defeated the American Calvin Grove and conquered the IBF Featherweight Championship of the World in Mexicali, Baja California.
Number of rounds in regular professional boxing fights
When there is no title on the table, professional boxing fights usually last 10 rounds. But if the boxers involved are rookies, the managers and organizers can set the match with lesser duration. For example, it is common that debutants fight only for 4 rounds. As they progress, they can take on bouts of 6, 8 and, finally, 10 rounds.
How long does a round last in professional boxing fights
Three minutes and no more. At least for men. Even there are complains of some boxing women, like Pound for Pound Queen Katie Taylor, the rule is that on female fights, the rounds should last only 2 minutes.
