Queensbury Rules and Boxing Bout times.

[TheGreatBoxer]

This is amazing.


It was not until 1867, and The Queensbury Rules that a three-minute time limit was implemented for a round and a one-minute break between rounds. A bout could go to 45 rounds and last up to two hours and fifteen minutes. Eventually they were cut down to 20 rounds in North America, then 15 rounds. In the late 1980's all championship matches had a maximum of 12 rounds, and this is where it stands today.

Just imagine in 1867, people got together and thought "hmm, boxing should really have a time limit, 45 x 3 minute rounds is about right!", there was probably opponents of that at the time saying, "No, it has to stay unlimited rounds!".

Then they get to the 1900s, they say "Hmm, 45 x 3 Minute Rounds is two long lets shorten it to 20 Rounds", again there would have been those who would have said "No, it must stay 45 Rounds, a fight can only end when one fighter is knocked out or cannot physically continue to fight".

We get to the 1940s, where the general consensus became that title fights should be 15 x 3 Minute Rounds, again there would have been the opponents. (Marciano, Ali Era)

We get to the late 1980s during the early Tyson Era (some of Tyson's early fights were 15 rounds, although they never went anywhere near the distance). title fights were then shortened to 12 x 3 Minute Rounds, and today its really only title fights that are 12 x 3 Minute Rounds.


Can you see them shortening the length of title fights to 10 x 3 Rounds in the next 20 years?, I recently read that no female professional boxer can fight over 10 x 2 minute rounds now.

[HomicideHenry]

20 round fights were around until the 1930s...

45 rounders ended essentially with the "white hope" era...

[mikeycapp]

I believe the last scheduled 20 round bout was the 2nd Bob Pastor vs Joe Louis Fight 9/20/1939 Louis stopped Pastor by KO in the 11th round.

[TheGreatBoxer]

Do you think that they can shorten title fights any less than 12 rounds?.

[Boxerbeetle]

I'd be surprised if the championship limit was reduced below 12 rounds. I'm too young to properly remember 15 round fights, but I'd say 12 rounds is the perfect length, not overly long but still pretty exhausting. 10 rounds isn't long enough for a world title fight imo.

[HomicideHenry]

I have heard rumors for the passed year or so, of there being 11 round championship fights.

It wouldnt altogether surprise me if we reverted back to the days of Tunney where there were 10 round championship fights. I guess, in the end, if you have the two best men in the world--- it doesnt matter the rounds--- because the end result would still be the same whether the rounds are longer or shorter.

For instance, if Tunney/Dempsey (either fight, doesnt matter) were 15 rounds or even 20 rounds, would the result of been any different? In my mind, no, because Dempsey was too old, too slow, etc. However--- the opposite argument can be made for some fights. If Hagler/Leonard was 12 rounds, Marvelous would of won.

[Ambling Alp II]

I'm guess this a typo and you meant 15 rounds in regard to Hagler and Leonard.
But no, if it was scheduled for 15, Leonard still would have won. Hagler never came close to knocking him out in the first 12; so he probably doesn't do it in the last three. He would have had to have won all of the last three rounds to win. Possible, but highly improbable.

[TheGreatBoxer]

I heard that during the late 1800s to early 1900s when Boxers were fighting between 20 to 45 rounds, their training regimes were something along this lines of this, daily....

Run for 14 Miles in 2 hours.
Hit a heavy bag for 1 hour
Jump rope for 2 hours
Sparring for 15 Rounds (multiple sparring partners)

This would kill any of todays world champions like Floyed Mayweather or the Klitchkos, it would in fact be considered over-training.

I could not imagine training like that everyday, you would have to be the ultimate fighting machine, you wouldn't find any professional Boxer, Kick Boxer or MMA fighter that trains anywhere near that intensity today.

[Giancarlo]

I have heard rumors for the passed year or so, of there being 11 round championship fights.

Where did you hear these rumors Rufus?

[HomicideHenry]

I heard that during the late 1800s to early 1900s when Boxers were fighting between 20 to 45 rounds, their training regimes were something along this lines of this, daily....

Run for 14 Miles in 2 hours.
Hit a heavy bag for 1 hour
Jump rope for 2 hours
Sparring for 15 Rounds (multiple sparring partners)

This would kill any of todays world champions like Floyed Mayweather or the Klitchkos, it would in fact be considered over-training.

I could not imagine training like that everyday, you would have to be the ultimate fighting machine, you wouldn't find any professional Boxer, Kick Boxer or MMA fighter that trains anywhere near that intensity today.

That part... usually how it would go, is spar with one man for three-four rounds, and then on to the next until the fifteen-twenty round duration was over with...

[TheGreatBoxer]

And Boxers still practice this method today, but not 15 rounds everyday for 10 weeks before a fight.


Terry Norris was supposed to have sparred 12 rounds every other day for 8 weeks before a fight, and that was considered to much.

[HomicideHenry]

And Boxers still practice this method today, but not 15 rounds everyday for 10 weeks before a fight.


Terry Norris was supposed to have sparred 12 rounds every other day for 8 weeks before a fight, and that was considered to much.

Eh... men are not men anymore.

[TheGreatBoxer]

And Boxers still practice this method today, but not 15 rounds everyday for 10 weeks before a fight.


Terry Norris was supposed to have sparred 12 rounds every other day for 8 weeks before a fight, and that was considered to much.

Eh... men are not men anymore.

Floyed Mayweather used to spar 10 x 6 minute rounds on Monday, Wednesday, Friday.

He used to use three sparring partners per round, each had jumped in for 2 minutes per round.

quite intense.

[sweetsci]

I'd be surprised if the championship limit was reduced below 12 rounds. I'm too young to properly remember 15 round fights, but I'd say 12 rounds is the perfect length, not overly long but still pretty exhausting. 10 rounds isn't long enough for a world title fight imo.

I disagree about 12 rounds being the ideal distance for a championship fight. 15 rounds separated the men from the boys, so to speak. A long list could be made of history-altering KO's in rounds 13-15 (Louis-Conn, Marciano-Walcott, and Weaver-Tate to name three).

And what might have happened if, say, Bowe-Holyfield (I or II), Lewis-Holyfield, Leonard-Hagler, and so on would have been scheduled for 15?

I can see the original poster's point. It's easy to imagine an old-timer saying, "15 rounds is for wimps! 45 rounds is the only way to decide a world championship fight!"

[TheGreatBoxer]

I'd be surprised if the championship limit was reduced below 12 rounds. I'm too young to properly remember 15 round fights, but I'd say 12 rounds is the perfect length, not overly long but still pretty exhausting. 10 rounds isn't long enough for a world title fight imo.

I disagree about 12 rounds being the ideal distance for a championship fight. 15 rounds separated the men from the boys, so to speak. A long list could be made of history-altering KO's in rounds 13-15 (Louis-Conn, Marciano-Walcott, and Weaver-Tate to name three).

And what might have happened if, say, Bowe-Holyfield (I or II), Lewis-Holyfield, Leonard-Hagler, and so on would have been scheduled for 15?

I can see the original poster's point. It's easy to imagine an old-timer saying, "15 rounds is for wimps! 45 rounds is the only way to decide a world championship fight!"

The Longest Boxing Match with 3-minute rounds under the Queens Bury rules was 110 Rounds in the 1890s (strange as they had introduced 45 Round fights by then).

45 x 3 Minute Rounds introduced in 1867
20 x 3 Minute Rounds introduced in the early 1900s
15 x 3 Minute Rounds introduced around 1940
12 x 3 Minute Rounds introduced in the late 1980s.

I think Safety had a lot to do with it, as well as when Boxing Match's became televised they needed to shorten the fights.

[HomicideHenry]

It was more the advent of television, than anything else. In the days and times of theatres having the exclusive rights to films, the longer the films were the more financially lucrative it was for everyone involved.

[sweetsci]

It was more the advent of television, than anything else. In the days and times of theatres having the exclusive rights to films, the longer the films were the more financially lucrative it was for everyone involved.

It always comes down to the money, doesn't it?

[HomicideHenry]

It was more the advent of television, than anything else. In the days and times of theatres having the exclusive rights to films, the longer the films were the more financially lucrative it was for everyone involved.

It always comes down to the money, doesn't it?

Well... fighters used to have a saying, "Fight for money, marbles or chalk. But marbles and chalk are not easy on the molars, so I'll take the money." This is the prizefighting business after all.