Expert: Lian Shoemake - 3/18/2007

Question
In the ring, professionaly, if a component is hit and is dizzy ends up on his knee( I understand if a fighter goes to a knee willingly the fight is forfeited)and the other compenent hits him again. What are the penalities is it a point deduction or a disqualification?

Answer
Hi Darrell,
Thanks for the question.
If a boxer goes down from a legal blow, it is a knockdown. The penalty for hitting a "downed" boxer can range from a warning, to a point deduction, to a disqualification. That's at the discretion of the referee. Some factors the referee might consider when making that decision would be if the foul appeared to be blatant or accidental, and how severe the injury to the downed boxer was. You might recall great champions like Roy Jones, Jr. and Terry Norris were disqualified for striking opponents who were down.
Also, a boxer can "take a knee" willingly, as you described, and not forfeit the fight. Sometimes boxers do that to get the break that the mandatory 8-count provides. Floyd Mayweather, Jr. took a knee in a bout a few years back after injuring his hand. He was not disqualified, and he went on to win the bout.

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

Regards,
Lian