Professional boxing in the United States operates under the Unified Rules of Boxing, established by the Association of Boxing Commissions (ABC). Those rules provide the baseline that most state athletic commissions have adopted — three judges, the 10-Point Must System, a mandatory eight count after knockdowns, no standing eight count, and no three-knockdown rule. If you’ve read our companion article on Boxing Rules & Scoring: The 10-Point Must System, you already know how that system works.
But here’s where it gets complicated: boxing is regulated state by state in the U.S., and each state athletic commission has the authority to add, modify, or enforce rules differently from the ABC template. On top of that, world title fights carry their own layer of regulations from the sanctioning bodies — WBC, WBA, IBF, and WBO — that can override or supplement what the local commission mandates. The result is that two fights held in different states, or a title fight versus a non-title fight held in the same arena on the same night, can operate under subtly different rules. For fans, fighters, trainers, and promoters, these differences matter — and they’re rarely explained clearly in one place.
This guide uses New York State Athletic Commission (NYSAC) rules as a baseline, compares them against the major commissions in Nevada, New Jersey, California, and other key states, and then breaks down what changes when a world title is on the line.
The Baseline: New York State Athletic Commission
The NYSAC is one of the oldest and most influential regulatory bodies in boxing. Founded in 1911, it played a central role in shaping the modern sport. Its scoring criteria remain some of the most explicitly detailed of any commission. New York’s rules use the following criteria for judging, listed in order of priority:
1. Clean, effective punching. A clean, forceful hit landed on any vulnerable part of the body above the belt should be credited in proportion to its damaging effect. This is the primary factor — quality and impact of punches matter more than volume.
2. Effective aggressiveness. Points should be awarded to the fighter who sustains the action of a round by throwing the greatest number of punches, provided those punches are landing. Walking forward and missing doesn’t count.
3. Defense. New York’s rules explicitly credit defense, including the ability to make an opponent miss. This is notable because some commissions de-emphasize defense in practice even if their rules mention it.
4. Ring generalship. The ability to quickly grasp and take advantage of every opportunity, foresee and neutralize an opponent’s method of attack, and force an opponent to adopt a style of boxing at which he is not particularly skillful.
New York also includes two distinctive provisions in its judging criteria. First, the commission advises that points should be deducted when a contestant persistently delays the action through clinching and lack of aggressiveness — a rule that, if strictly applied, would have changed the outcome of plenty of famous fights in the city’s history. Second, and more unusually, New York’s rules state that “a contestant should be given credit for sportsmanlike actions in the ring, close adherence to the spirit as well as the letter of the rules, and for refraining from taking technical advantage of situations unfair to an opponent.” That last provision is virtually unique among American commissions and reflects the NYSAC’s historical philosophy of rewarding clean boxing.
The NYSAC currently operates with five commissioners appointed by the governor, an executive director, a chief medical officer, and a medical advisory board. All contracts for professional bouts in New York must be filed with and approved by the commission before the fight can be publicly announced — a stricter requirement than many other states, and one that Larry knows all too well from promoting at Sony Hall in New York.
Where States Differ: The Key Variables
The differences between state commissions are not sweeping — most states have adopted the ABC Unified Rules as their foundation. But the variations that do exist can be significant on fight night. Here are the areas where rules diverge.
The Three-Knockdown Rule
The ABC Unified Rules state clearly: “The Three (3) Knockdown Rule is not in effect.” The four major sanctioning bodies (WBC, WBA, IBF, WBO) do not enforce it in title fights. However, a number of states maintain the three-knockdown rule for non-title bouts held under their jurisdiction. If a fighter is knocked down three times in a single round, the referee must stop the fight and declare a TKO.
States that have the three-knockdown rule in effect include: Arizona, Connecticut, Florida, Iowa, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Nevada, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Texas.
This creates an important distinction: a non-title fight at Madison Square Garden or the MGM Grand is subject to the three-knockdown rule, but a world title fight in the same building on the same night is not. Fighters and their corners must confirm before every bout whether the rule applies. In practice, this mostly affects undercard fighters — but it has historically changed outcomes. A fighter who gets dropped three times in a round during a club show in New York gets stopped automatically. That same fighter, in a world title fight, would be allowed to continue if the referee judges them fit.
The Standing Eight Count
The ABC Unified Rules are equally clear here: “There is NO Standing Eight (8) Count.” Major sanctioning bodies prohibit it in title fights. The standing eight count — in which the referee halts the action and counts to eight for a fighter who is still on their feet but appears hurt — was widely used through the 1980s and 1990s. Prominent referees like Mills Lane routinely employed it as a safety measure.
The ABC abolished the standing eight count in 1998, and by the early 2000s most major commissions had followed suit. New York officially eliminated it in 2000. Nevada’s regulations incorporate the unified rules verbatim, prohibiting any standing count. Today, virtually no major American commission uses the standing eight count in professional boxing. It remains standard procedure in amateur boxing.
The practical replacement for the standing eight count is referee discretion. If a fighter is hurt but still standing, the referee must decide in real time whether to let the action continue, separate the fighters, or stop the bout. This is one of the most debated aspects of modern refereeing — the old standing eight count gave the referee a structured tool to buy time and assess a hurt fighter. Without it, stoppages are either earlier (the referee jumps in) or later (the referee lets the fighter prove they can survive). The quality of that judgment varies enormously from referee to referee, which is why the assignment of officials matters so much in big fights.
Corner Stoppages: Towels and Ring Aprons
How a corner signals it wants to stop the fight is not uniform across commissions. The ABC Regulatory Guidelines state that a corner “shall signal the referee to stop the fight by mounting the ring apron rather than throwing towels, sponges or anything else into the ring.” The rationale is that a towel thrown into the ring can be confused with debris, distract the referee, or be thrown by someone unauthorized.
However, in practice, some commissions and referees still accept a thrown towel as a corner stoppage signal. New Jersey’s rules have historically been more permissive about towel throws. Nevada generally follows the ABC guideline but has accepted towel stoppages in high-profile fights when the intent was unambiguous. The bottom line is that the safest way for a corner to stop a fight in any jurisdiction is to physically mount the ring apron — but fighters and trainers should confirm the local protocol with the commission representative at the rules meeting before the fight.
Critically, in all jurisdictions, only the referee can officially stop the fight. Even if a corner mounts the apron or throws a towel, the referee must acknowledge the signal and make the stoppage call. If the referee doesn’t see it or chooses not to act on it, the fight continues.
Glove Weight
The standard across most commissions follows the Nevada State Athletic Commission model: fighters at 135 pounds and below wear 8-ounce gloves; fighters above 135 pounds (junior welterweight and up) wear 10-ounce gloves. Nevada adds a wrinkle: fighters weighing in above 135 but not more than 147 pounds may wear 8-ounce gloves if both fighters agree to it in writing on their bout agreement.
Most other commissions, including New York and New Jersey, follow similar guidelines. The ABC Regulatory Guidelines don’t mandate exact weight cutoffs but instruct commissions to establish their own standards. For title fights, the sanctioning body’s rules typically prevail. The WBC specifies gloves of “8 ounces from minimum weight to welterweight, and 10 ounces from junior middleweight and above.” In practice, glove weight is confirmed at the rules meeting the day before the fight, and both camps can negotiate. The Mayweather-Pacquiao negotiations famously included detailed back-and-forth about glove specifications — it’s never just a formality.
For a complete breakdown of weight classes and how they relate to equipment requirements, see Boxing Weight Classes Explained.
Saved by the Bell
Under the ABC Unified Rules: “A fighter who is knocked down CANNOT be saved by the bell in any round.” This means that if a fighter is knocked down and the bell sounds to end the round, the referee continues counting. The fighter must beat the count and be deemed fit to continue, or the fight is over — regardless of the bell.
This rule is now essentially universal across American commissions and all four major sanctioning bodies. It wasn’t always this way. Historically, some commissions allowed the bell to save a knocked-down fighter in the final round or even in all rounds. The change was a safety measure: a fighter who can’t get up in ten seconds shouldn’t be given a reprieve simply because the clock ran out.
Scoring Variations in Practice
While all commissions use the 10-Point Must System, the application varies. The ABC guidelines advise judges to “avoid scoring a round even” — in other words, pick a winner of each round even if it’s close, rather than giving 10-10 scores. New York’s criteria emphasize damaging effect over volume. Nevada judges have historically been more willing to credit effective counterpunching and defensive boxing (which played a role in Mayweather’s scores in Las Vegas fights).
The judging criteria are technically similar across commissions, but the culture and tendencies of the judges assigned in each state are not. Nevada judges, who see the highest volume of major fights, tend to have more experience scoring elite-level boxing but also develop reputations among fans and media. New York judges may see fewer elite cards but draw from a deep tradition of scoring craft-oriented fighters. These differences are informal — they’re not written into any rulebook — but they’re real, and experienced promoters and managers factor them into fight strategy.
Medical Requirements and Suspensions
Medical standards are one area where state commissions differ significantly. All commissions require a pre-fight physical, but the specifics vary. New York mandates extensive medical screening through its Medical Advisory Board, including neurological evaluations and eye exams. The NYSAC requires negative pregnancy tests for female fighters within 14 days of the bout. Nevada mandates pre-fight MRI or CT scans for fighters who have been knocked out.
Post-fight medical suspensions also differ. The ABC guidelines recommend a minimum 60-day suspension for a fighter who is knocked out and a 30-day suspension for a TKO loss. These are minimums — individual commissions can and do impose longer suspensions. Under the Muhammad Ali Boxing Reform Act, all medical and administrative suspensions placed by one commission must be recognized by every other commission in the country. A fighter suspended in New York cannot simply cross the river and fight in New Jersey the next week.
Hand Wrapping
The ABC standard is universal on the specifications: no more than 20 yards of soft gauze (not more than 2 inches wide) and no more than 8 feet of adhesive tape (not more than 1.5 inches wide). The adhesive tape cannot cover any part of the knuckles when the hand is clenched. Water or any other liquid on the tape is prohibited.
Where commissions differ is in supervision. Most commissions require hand wraps to be applied in the dressing room in the presence of a commission representative, with a representative of the opposing fighter present if requested. This is standard practice, but enforcement can vary at smaller shows. At world title level, wrap supervision is meticulous — both camps typically send a representative to watch the other side’s wrapping process, and the WBC rules specifically designate the start time for hand wrapping in their pre-fight checklist.
Title Fight Rules: What Changes When a Belt Is on the Line
When a fight is sanctioned by one of the four major bodies — WBC, WBA, IBF, or WBO — as a world championship bout, an additional layer of regulation applies on top of the local commission’s rules. In cases of conflict, the sanctioning body’s championship rules generally take precedence for matters specific to the title, while the local commission retains authority over licensing, medical standards, and event oversight. Here’s what changes.
Rounds
All four major bodies mandate world title bouts at 12 rounds of three minutes each for men. The WBC specifies this explicitly in its championship rules. Non-title bouts can be scheduled for 4, 6, 8, or 10 rounds depending on the experience level of the fighters and the card position. Female title bouts are typically 10 rounds of two minutes each, though this has been an area of ongoing evolution as organizations push toward parity.
Three-Knockdown Rule: Waived
As noted above, the IBF, WBA, WBC, and WBO all explicitly waive the three-knockdown rule for world title fights. Even if the fight is held in a state that enforces the three-knockdown rule for non-title bouts, a world championship fight in that state will not have the rule in effect. This is one of the clearest examples of how sanctioning body rules override local commission rules.
Standing Eight Count: Prohibited
All four major bodies prohibit the standing eight count in championship bouts, consistent with the ABC Unified Rules. The referee’s only options for a fighter who appears hurt but is still standing are to let the fight continue, separate the fighters momentarily, or stop the fight.
Weigh-In and Rehydration
Professional weigh-ins take place approximately 24 hours before the fight, giving fighters time to rehydrate and recover after cutting weight. This is universal across all commissions and sanctioning bodies for major bouts.
Where the rules have evolved is in rehydration clauses. The IBF has been the most aggressive on this front, implementing a secondary weigh-in on the morning of the fight. Under IBF rules, fighters cannot gain more than 10 pounds above the contractual weight limit between the official weigh-in and the secondary weigh-in. If a fighter exceeds the 10-pound limit, the fight may still proceed but may be declared a non-title bout or subject to penalties at the IBF’s discretion.
The WBC has introduced its own rehydration protocols and has publicly advocated for same-day weigh-ins to reduce extreme weight cutting. The WBA and WBO have been less aggressive but monitor the issue. IV rehydration — intravenous fluid replacement — is prohibited by the WBC and most other organizations, reflecting broader anti-doping policies that treat IV usage as a potential masking agent.
Failure to Make Weight
What happens when a fighter misses weight depends on the sanctioning body and the specific title involved. Generally: the fighter who misses weight is given a window (usually two hours) to try again. If they still can’t make weight, the fight may proceed as a non-title bout, or the championship may only be available to the fighter who did make weight. For example, if the champion misses weight, they vacate the title and the challenger can win it with a victory. If the challenger misses weight, they cannot win the title regardless of the outcome — the champion retains if they win or draw, and the title becomes vacant if the champion loses.
The WBC allows a one-pound allowance for non-mandatory title defenses. The IBF has historically been the strictest about weight limits and has stripped titles from champions who missed weight on the day of the fight’s secondary weigh-in.
Open Scoring
The WBC has been the most proactive sanctioning body in pushing for open scoring — publicly announcing the judges’ scores after the 4th and 8th rounds. The WBC includes open scoring provisions in its championship rules, but implementation depends on the approval of the local commission. Not all commissions allow it. Nevada has been generally receptive. New York has been more cautious.
The argument for open scoring is transparency: fighters and corners know where they stand, fans can follow along, and controversial decisions become less likely because the scoring is visible in real time. The argument against it is that open scoring can change fight behavior — a fighter who knows they’re ahead on the cards might coast defensively rather than continuing to engage.
Instant Replay
The WBC’s championship rules include provisions for instant replay in major controversies — specifically regarding the origin of cuts (was it a punch or a headbutt?), punches landed after the bell, or any major situation that could change the outcome. The WBC appoints a panel consisting of its supervisor and the local commission to review replay when available. Implementation requires the local commission’s approval and appropriate technology at the venue. This is still not widely used, but it represents a step toward modernizing officiating standards.
Drug Testing
All four major sanctioning bodies require post-fight drug testing for championship bouts. The WBC mandates anti-doping testing and requires fighters to report any medicine used in the 30 days prior to the bout. Many high-profile title fights now include pre-fight testing through VADA (Voluntary Anti-Doping Association) or USADA, though this is typically negotiated between camps rather than mandated by the sanctioning body — the Mayweather-Pacquiao negotiations made USADA testing the standard for mega-fights.
The Supervisor
Each sanctioning body appoints a supervisor to oversee world championship bouts. The supervisor’s role includes confirming that all championship rules are followed, observing the weigh-in, inspecting gloves and hand wraps, monitoring the bout from ringside, and filing a report with the sanctioning body after the fight. The supervisor works alongside the local commission but has independent authority on matters related to the title. This is a level of oversight that doesn’t exist in non-title bouts.
State-by-State Quick Reference
| Rule | New York (NYSAC) | Nevada (NSAC) | New Jersey (SACB) | California (CSAC) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Three-Knockdown Rule | Yes (non-title) | Yes (non-title) | No | No |
| Standing Eight Count | No (eliminated 2000) | No | No | No |
| Saved by the Bell | No | No | No | No |
| Glove Weight Cutoff | 135 lbs (8oz/10oz) | 135 lbs (8oz/10oz)* | 135 lbs (8oz/10oz) | 135 lbs (8oz/10oz) |
| Corner Stoppage Method | Mount apron | Mount apron (preferred) | Mount apron or towel | Mount apron |
| Commission Structure | 5 commissioners + exec director | 5 commissioners | Board (est. 1985) | 7 commissioners |
| Pre-Fight Contract Filing | Required before announcement | Required | Required | Required |
*Nevada allows mutual opt-in for 8oz gloves at 135-147 lbs by written agreement.
Title Fight vs. Non-Title Fight Quick Reference
| Rule | Non-Title Bout | World Title Bout |
|---|---|---|
| Rounds | 4, 6, 8, or 10 | 12 (men), 10 (women) |
| Three-Knockdown Rule | Depends on state | Not in effect (all 4 bodies) |
| Standing Eight Count | Not in effect (most states) | Prohibited (all 4 bodies) |
| Sanctioning Body Supervisor | Not present | Present and active |
| Secondary Weigh-In | Not required | Required (IBF); varies (others) |
| Drug Testing | Commission discretion | Mandatory post-fight; pre-fight often negotiated |
| Open Scoring | Not used | Available (WBC, if commission approves) |
| Instant Replay | Not available | Available (WBC, if venue equipped) |
| New Gloves Required | Commission discretion | Mandatory (all 4 bodies) |
What This Means for Fighters and Promoters
For most fans watching at home, state-by-state rule differences are invisible. But for fighters, trainers, and promoters, they matter. A fighter who typically works in New Jersey — where there’s no three-knockdown rule — needs to adjust their mentality when fighting in New York, where three knockdowns in a round means automatic stoppage in a non-title bout. A corner that’s used to throwing in a towel to stop a fight needs to know that in some jurisdictions, the referee might not recognize it as a stoppage signal.
For promoters, the differences create logistical considerations. Filing contracts with the NYSAC before publicly announcing a fight requires lead time that other states don’t demand as strictly. Medical requirements vary — some states require MRIs or CT scans, others don’t. Tax structures differ (New York collects a state tax on fight revenue that some other states don’t impose). All of these factors influence where a promoter chooses to stage an event.
At the title fight level, the relationship between the local commission and the sanctioning body adds another layer. The WBC supervisor and the NYSAC commissioner both have authority at ringside — and their jurisdictions don’t always align perfectly. Experienced promoters, referees, and commissioners have learned to navigate these overlapping authorities, but it requires coordination and clear communication at every step. The rules meeting the day before a fight — where the referee, both corners, the commission, and (for title fights) the sanctioning body supervisor all sit down together — exists precisely to resolve these ambiguities before they can affect the outcome.
The Federal Framework
Overriding all state commissions is the federal Professional Boxing Safety Act of 1996 and its subsequent amendments in the Muhammad Ali Boxing Reform Act. These federal laws establish minimum safety standards, require that all referees and judges be certified, mandate that medical suspensions be honored across state lines, require promoters to make financial disclosures, and protect fighters from exploitative contractual practices.
The federal framework doesn’t dictate specific ring rules — it doesn’t say whether the three-knockdown rule should be in effect or what glove weight to use. Instead, it establishes a floor of safety and transparency standards that every state commission must meet. The ABC serves as the coordinating body, developing guidelines and best practices that most states voluntarily adopt. When the ABC updates its Unified Rules, most commissions eventually follow. But “eventually” is the operative word — boxing’s regulatory landscape remains a patchwork, and it will stay that way as long as regulation remains a state-level function.
Further Reading
Official Rules & Regulatory Bodies:
- ABC Unified Rules of Boxing
- ABC Regulatory Guidelines
- New York State Athletic Commission
- Nevada State Athletic Commission
- New Jersey State Athletic Control Board
- Professional Boxing Safety Act & Muhammad Ali Boxing Reform Act
Sanctioning Body Championship Rules:
- World Boxing Council (WBC)
- World Boxing Association (WBA)
- International Boxing Federation (IBF)
- World Boxing Organization (WBO)
For more boxing fundamentals and history, check out our complete guides to Boxing Rules & Scoring: The 10-Point Must System, Boxing Weight Classes Explained, The Top Boxing Venues of All Time, The History of Boxing in Las Vegas, The History of Boxing in New York City, Mayweather vs. McGregor, and Mayweather vs. Pacquiao.
