DECISIONS & SCORECARDS
READING TIME · 1 MIN
When a fight goes the distance, three judges decide it. Here's how their cards combine into a verdict — and how to read one.
THREE JUDGES
HOW THE CARDS COMBINE
Three judges score the fight independently. At the final bell each adds up their own card, and the fighter ahead is that judge's winner. Win two of the three cards and you win the fight — the totals across judges are never pooled together.
THE VERDICT
UNANIMOUS, MAJORITY, SPLIT
A unanimous decision is all three judges for the same fighter. A split decision is two judges for one fighter and the third for the other. A majority decision is two judges for one fighter and the third scoring it a draw.
Draws come the same three ways: a unanimous draw (all three level), a majority draw (two level, one with a winner), or a split draw. A point deduction for a foul can be the difference that turns a decision into a draw.
NO RESULT
NO-CONTESTS
A no-contest means the fight gets no winner at all. It usually follows an accidental foul — an unintentional eye poke or low blow that stops the bout before enough rounds are complete — or a result overturned afterward, for example after a failed drug test.
ON PAPER
READING AN OFFICIAL SCORECARD
An official scorecard lists each round across the top and each judge down the side, with their per-round scores and a total. A point deduction shows as a marked or circled number. In the app's recap, those same judges' cards are laid next to yours so you can compare round by round.