Boxing Glossary: Essential Terms for Insiders
Here is a comprehensive, glossary of the most commonly used boxing terms. These are the phrases and words you’re likely to hear from trainers, commentators, promoters, cutmen, and fighters themselves. The list is organized alphabetically for quick reference and covers stance, punches, defense, fight outcomes, ring strategy, rules, equipment, and industry terms.
Amateur Boxing – Non-professional boxing governed by strict rules, protective gear, and scoring based on clean punches rather than damage.
Below the Belt – Any punch landing below the waistline; illegal and penalized as a low blow.
Bob and Weave – Defensive movement where a fighter bends at the knees and waist while moving the head side-to-side to evade punches.
Body Shot / Body Punch – Any punch targeted to the torso rather than the head.
Bolo Punch – A flashy, looping uppercut-style punch, often used more for show than effectiveness (popularized by fighters like Ceferino Garcia and Kid Gavilan).
Bout – A single boxing match.
Canvas – The floor of the ring.
Card – The full lineup of fights on an event (main event, co-main, undercard).
Check Hook – A short hook thrown while stepping back to counter an advancing opponent.
Clinch – When fighters grab and hold each other to stop punching action; the referee usually breaks it.
Combination – A series of punches thrown in quick succession (e.g., jab-cross-hook).
Cornerman / Corner – The fighter’s team (trainer, cutman, second) stationed in their assigned corner between rounds.
Counterpunch – A punch thrown in immediate response to an opponent’s attack.
Cross – Straight rear-hand punch, usually following a jab (also called a straight right/left).
Cutman – Corner team member specializing in treating cuts and swelling (typically with vaseline, ice, and coagulants).
Decision – Fight outcome determined by judges’ scorecards when the bout goes the full distance. Types include unanimous, split, majority, and technical decision.
Duck / Slip – Moving the head laterally or downward to avoid a punch without stepping away.
Feint – A fake punch or movement intended to draw a reaction from the opponent.
Footwork – The art of moving efficiently around the ring to control distance and angle.
Guard – Defensive hand and arm position to protect the head and body (high guard, Philly shell, cross-guard, etc.).
Hook – A short, looping side punch thrown with a bent arm.
Infighting – Close-range boxing, often involving body punches and uppercuts inside the pocket.
Jab – Quick, straight lead-hand punch used to measure distance, set up combinations, and disrupt rhythm.
Knockdown – When any part of a fighter’s body other than the feet touches the canvas due to a legal punch.
Knockout (KO) – A fighter is knocked down and cannot rise by the count of ten.
Lead Hand / Rear Hand – Lead = the hand closer to the opponent (usually the jab hand); rear = the power hand.
Low Blow – Illegal punch below the beltline.
Main Event – The featured fight of the night, usually the last one on the card.
Neutral Corner – One of the two corners not assigned to either fighter; a downed fighter’s opponent must go there during a count.
Orthodox – Standard stance with left foot and left hand forward (right-handed).
Outfighting / Outside Fighting – Boxing at long range, relying on jabs and straight punches.
Overhand – A looping punch thrown over the top of an opponent’s guard, usually a right overhand for orthodox fighters.
Peek-a-Boo – Defensive style popularized by Cus D’Amato and Mike Tyson: hands held high in front of the face while bobbing and weaving.
Philly Shell / Shoulder Roll – Defensive technique where the lead shoulder is raised to block punches and the rear hand protects the body (popularized by Floyd Mayweather Sr. and Jr.).
Pocket – The close-range space where both fighters can land cleanly.
Promoter – Person or company responsible for organizing, marketing, and staging boxing events.
Purse – The money a fighter earns for a bout (often split as purse bid in title fights).
Rabbit Punch – Illegal punch to the back of the head or neck.
Ring Generalship – The ability to control the pace, position, and overall flow of the fight; a judging criterion.
Rope-a-Dope – Defensive tactic of leaning on the ropes, covering up, and letting the opponent tire themselves punching (famously used by Muhammad Ali).
Round – A three-minute (pro) or two-minute (amateur) period of fighting; most pro fights are 10 or 12 rounds.
Saved by the Bell – A downed fighter is spared a knockout because the round ends before the ten-count finishes (not allowed in championship rounds in some rulesets).
Southpaw – Fighter who leads with right hand and right foot (left-handed stance).
Split Decision – Two judges score for one fighter, one for the other.
Standing Count – Referee gives an eight-count to a hurt but still-standing fighter to assess if they can continue.
Swinging – Wild, looping punches with little control; usually a sign of fatigue or poor technique.
Technical Knockout (TKO) – Referee, doctor, or corner stops the fight because a fighter cannot intelligently defend themselves.
Undercard – All fights before the main event.
Uppercut – Vertical rising punch, usually thrown inside at close range.
Weigh-In – Official pre-fight ceremony where fighters are weighed to confirm they made the contracted weight class.
Weight Class – Categories divided by maximum weight (flyweight, lightweight, welterweight, middleweight, heavyweight, etc.).
Common weight classes in pro boxing (as of 2026): strawweight (105), junior flyweight (108), flyweight (112), super flyweight (115), bantamweight (118), super bantamweight (122), featherweight (126), super featherweight (130), lightweight (135), super lightweight (140), welterweight (147), super welterweight (154), middleweight (160), super middleweight (168), light heavyweight (175), cruiserweight (200), heavyweight (unlimited/200+).
