Expert: Lian Shoemake - 3/28/2008

Question
When the fighters are at the center of the ring before the fight, does the ref say, "protect yourselves at all times"?

Answer
Hi Peter,
Thanks for the question.

Some refs say that, and others don't. The actual pre-fight instructions occur about an hour before the bout in the dressing room. Most of the times, the "instructions" you see in the ring before the opening bell is largely for the tv cameras...there are no hard requirements for any particular instructions at that time. Most refs just take the brief opportunity to remind boxers of a couple things the ref had already told them earlier.

I hope this helps, Peter.
Thanks again for writing!

Regards,
Lian