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London 2012 Olympics: boxing guide

Read Telegraph Sport's guide to the boxing event at the London 2012 Olympics.

Photo: PA

Male Olympic boxers will compete in 10 weight classes, from light flyweight to super heavyweight, while female boxers will contest three weight divisions (flyweight, lightweight, middleweight).
The male bouts are contested over three three-minute rounds - compared to professional fights which last 12 rounds. Female bouts take place over four two-minute rounds.
The fighter who knocks out an opponent or scores the most points wins. Boxers score one point for every punch they land with the marked part of their glove on their opponent’s head or upper body. If three of the panel of five judges hit electronic buttons within a second of each other the boxer is awarded a point.
Any boxer who moves more than 12 points ahead of an opponent automatically wins. This system differs from professional boxing where points are awarded based on each boxer’s overall performance in a round, not for each individual successful punch.
The boxer judged to have won the round (normally the fighter who lands the most quality shots) is given 10 points, while the loser receives nine points. If the fight goes to points, the winner is the one with the highest accumulated score (i.e. the fighter who won the most rounds) as decided by the judges.